The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1907-12-19
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: A Convenient Wood Box. ]
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"What kind of story?"
ooh, tell us about something that
happened when you were girl on the
old plantation"
"Well, I'll tell you about the moment
Of greatest suspense Of my whole life.'
The old lady laid aside her work.
took girl on one knee, boy on the
o.her. and the rest chung to the big
ii:;ir.
'T.~n~ before any Of you were born"
re g IN. 1.-The negroes were slaves.
v-!el the great war that freed them
vuu.r on. t.ley all left us except Uncle
Dc:: Many Of them left us before they
We're proclaimed free. but Uncle Ben
ci11t. lie stayed with us all through
those terrible times and was very use
fl! ii helping Us to keep what the
northern soldiers wanted to take FROM
as.
/ There WAS a young fellow-he was
between boy and man-living on u
plantation near ours whom l liked
gerry much. He was seventeen. and so
was /. His name was George. One
day George came to the house very
much excited and told US that the Fed
eral army was coming and the soldiers
were taking everything they could get
their hands on. We must hide what
they could eat or carry away.
1--WE called Ben into the house--we
were in the kitchen at the time-and
asked him If he knew Of any place
where we could put things to keep the
Yankee soldiers from finding them.
We suggested the we'll, but he said so
much had been hidden in wells that Il
we'll was the first place soldier would
look for plumber We talked of hollow
trees, bushes and such like, but Ben
wouldn't listen to using any of them.
He said the best place in which to hide
things from a soldier was right under
his nose.
Suddenly he sprang for big wood
box we kept in the kitchen beside the
stove. He threw out the wood, then
got his tools-he was good carpenter,
Ben was-and made a new bottom to
the box about a third of the way from
the top. Beneath was vacant space
big enough to hold two Or three trunk
fulS. Ben made an opening in this low
er part by mailing couple Of the
y a. 4Io+ mil ont
the nails with our fingers. AS soon as
he had finished his work we put all
our valuables in the lower part and
filed the upper part with wood, so that
no one would suspect there was any"
| thing but wood in the box.
1--WE had scarcely finished when we
heard a distant clatter Of horses ho0fs.
At the same time George ran in white
as sheet and said he had been with
a party Of citizens who had fired on
the Federal troops. They were chasing
him and if they caught him would
likely hang him, for soldiers don't treat
citizens the same as soldiers; citizens
are expected to take no part in,war.
Georges danger drove the red out
of my cheeks in an instant. / had
lot Of it then, though l haven't any
now. Like a flash, | took the loose
boards out of the wood box. George
got into the lower part, though there
was little room left, and l put back
the boards and the nails just in time
to prevent a lot Of mounted soldiers
who rode up to the kitchen door from
seeing me do 1T. One of them came
in and asked where that bushwhack
was-fhe soldiers called fighting Cit.
zens MISUNDERSTANDING had been fir
ing OIL his men. I told him to look for
himself, and he searched the house
from garnet to cellar.
"He didn't find George, and finally,
In order to divert his attention, l told
him I'd get him up something to eat.
That tempted him, and l got some ba-
con out Of the cupboard and fried 1t.
with couple Of potatoes. l also made
some coffee-that is, chickory; we had
no coffee, because the blockade Of the
coast prevented our getting any in
from abroad where it grows. l offered
him a chair, but he preferred to sit on
the wood box. That scared me so that
it was all 7 could do to attend to my
cooking. Then he began to drum with
his heels on the side of the box, which
gave out hollow sound. ran to the
box for some wood. He got down
while I lifted the lid and took out
stick. Then he got up and went to
drumming again. 1 rushed for another
stick and kept taking SO much wood
that he finally took the chair had Of
fered him.
Cali this time I was In agony l
didn't care If they found the valuables,
George being so much more important,
Every minute I feared he would be
obliged to cough or move and betray
his location, but no sound came from
the wood box. I'd made such hot fire
putting on so much wood that before
I knew it, preoccupied as 1 was, the
bacon was burned to crisp. and the
potatoes, too, for that matter The man