Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1908-08-21

ghosts as real ones remains TO be seen.
In the spring of 1855 we were living
in an inland town in North Carolina.
IL was crowded with refugees from all
parts of the South, and " hen Shsrh. AN
came to Columbia, S. G.. there came a
large contingent from those parts seek
ing shelter from the storms Of war.
Confederate ~ oney was no longer of
any value. The season was late and
cold; food was scarce, supplies Of
country produce could only be obtain
ed by barter with he farmers, but we
shared what we h Id and helped each
other as best we might.
We owned good COW. and she was
our mainstay. Flour was seldom to
be bosght. We lived ON bread made
from corhmeal.
One day i bought some loaves Of
Bread at the one bakers shop still
open for custom-little, half-sized
loaves, made Of secor d-rate flour-and
when the boy brought them / received
them myself.
| knew the boy and noticed some
thing unusual in his manner.
What is it, Billy? asked.
Why, ma'am said he, | don't know
that it is any Of my business, but do
you know them ladies that live at ths
corner of Bank street, in two rooms of
Mr.. Browns old house?
No, what Of them? / asked.
Billy honest blue eyes filled with
tears. lam 'fraid they're just staIvin'
to death. I take 'sm one of these
ioayes every msrnin' and do believe
that is all they have to eat. This morn
in the one who came to the door fell
down in the passage-she was that
weak. She did look awful.
Billy checked ana wiped his eyes
with the back of his hand.
Thank you, Billy, said |. | am glad
you told me, and / will go there right
away.
Bill, his mind relieved, tried to
whistle a. he went down the street,
and went Immediately to investigate
his story. 1t was only about square
away. The window shutter's were
closed. 1t looked like an empty house
| knocked. No response. Again I
knocked, more loudly. All was still
! tried the door. 1t yielded and 1
went in.
There was little square vestibule
with two doors opening from it. One
OF these stood open. Going in the
room l saw-were the three women
or three spectres? One lay on a sort
Of couch. The other two sat upright
on hard wooden chairs. There was no
other furniture in the room.
They looked at ms-only their ewes
seemed alive.
Excuse me, l began ] heard there
was some one Ill here and | came to
seeif could be of any use.
They all three seemed to try to
speak, but only one found any voice
She said, in horse whisper. Thank
you, my sister is net at all well to-day.
On the windowsill was the mean,
hard loaf of bread, unbroken. / could
not stand it.
Oh, my dear, / stammered ia my
eagerness, the tears streaming from
my eyes. l will run home and bring
you something to help you.
ran swIftlv home, sent fos the doe
tor and in ten minutes WAS back again
with foed and such restoratives as l
could furnish. The doctor and work.
ed hard over them. They had SO near
slipped out Of life that they could maze
no effort to live, but at last they be-
gam to improve and progress was
rapid.
They were real ladies'; one saw that
by their way Of accepting what was
done for them, and everyone wanted
to help them when once their needs
were known.
This was their story; Their father
was wealthy cotton planter from the
South Carolina coast. They had been
forced to leave their beautiful home
early in the Civil War, and it had
been made q refuge for the negroes
who docked to that vicinity,
They went to Charleston. Their
only brother was Confederate off
Ger, and whom their father died in 1868,
the three sisters were left helpless and
forlorn. They went to Columbia and
obtained positions to sign Confederate
Treasury notes
On the pittance they received and
the sale. nov and then of piece of
silver or jewelry they managed to OK
ist until Sherman burned Columbia.
Then they fed TO North Carolina. The
emily valuable thing left was a gold