The National tribune., 1908-03-04

being a guest In the mouse, the CoionelS
mother said, with the accent of the
mountain people, Have 1 ever shown
you my peace quilt" "Why, no." the
lady replied; please do So" The elder
ly woman left the room, and soon re-
turned with a large bundle wrapped
carefully in an old sheet, which, being
removed, showed patchwork quilt of
blue and gray. Pointing to the gray
squares, some of which had small spots
upon them, she drawled in sad, mo-
notonous tone, "These were made from
the coat of my baby, who was killed in
skirmish on the hill yonder. They
brought him home on the back of
horse, and his coat was all covered with
blood never washed the spots off"
Then touching one of the blue squares,
she continued, And these We're made
from the coat of young Yankee Lieu
tenant, who was killed on that hill
yonder," pointing to another eminence
in the distance. He was with me here
in this house nigh two months, and l
nursed him thru fever. / loved him
like my own son. When he went to
join his company. which was camped
in the valley, he left mis- coat with me,
saying he would come back for it. But
he never came back, and 1 never saw
him again. So / just took the coats OF
these two boys 1 loved, who died fight
peace quilt, for I knew they were at
peace with each other then" The lady
could say nothing, for words seemed
too empty in the presence of the barring
of that great mother-heart and truly
Christlike spirit. After a few moments
of silence she questioned Mrs. Hutton
with regard to the civil war, and was
told many things of interest. Both
armies were constantly passing up and
tho l1pU and S(yirnliShpS We're OF
daily occurrence on the hills just around
her. At the close of the war her house
was the only one left standing, and
when asked why she thought she was
thus spared replied, well, l guess 1t
was because we were three widows and
IL little children, and the soldiers didn't
have the heart to take the roof from
over our heads.''
"And ii she won't, she won't; so
there's an end ont This sentiment.
Illustrative of the utter uselessness Of
mans efforts in trying to bend wo-
mans will, so quantity expressed by
the old English verse, applies pretty
well to Miss Adina DeZavala, who stuck
it out, as the homely saying goes, for
three nights and two days without food
or water in the historic old Alamo, at
San Antonio, Tex, refusing to turn the
building over to the Executive Com
fnlttee OF tnt Dl llit
lie. Miss Dezavalla is the President of
that organization and the granddaugh-
ter of Vice President DeZavala, of the
erstwhile Texas Republic, and one of
the men who fought SO gallantly TO de-
fend the Alamo. The building was
handed over to Miss DeZavala by the
State, but the arrangement was not
satisfactory TO all the Daughters, some
of whom wished the Executive Com
IT, af,-ll fnf
upon Miss Dezavala hied herself to the
Alamo, and took possession of it, seek
ing refuge in the very room where
Bowie was killed, on the second floor,
when the Sheriff broke down the doors
she had locked in his effort to serve
the injunction issued by Judge Kittrell
ordering her to leave. She was allowed
no food, but she pluckily refused to
surrender until, so they say, she was
frightened out by the rats which fill
the old building and which We're en-
tirely too friendly and sympathetic to
suit her Miss DeZavala, however, de-
MES stoutly that she surrendered-"th
Alamo never surrenders"-but says she
gave up possession of the building when
the opposition agreed to submit the
matter to the courts for final decision.
She maintained the dignity of her posi-
ton as President to the last, and re-
fused to remove herself from the build
ing until the Deputy Sheriff went away,
leaving her in complete possession,
when she then calmly received the rep
resentative of the Governor and turned
the Alamo over to him pending the set
tlement of the trouble. Miss Dezavala
says she would have starved to death
before giving the building up to the
Executive Committee, but she knows
the Governor will see that she gets her
rights.
Very curious means are frequently
resorted to to conceal money, misers
hiding their boards in all sorts of un-
usual places. The other day a poor
woman, admitted as an inmate to the
city almshouse, was compelled to take
a bath With her reluctant disrobing
81 bills began dropping to the floor.
and by the time her preparations We're
completed $1,000 had fallen from her
person. Some years ago a wealthy and
eccentric Italian died, leaving every
thing to his wife, few days before
his death he gave her the key to his
private library, to which no one had
ever been admitted, not even herself.
After his death she entered this room,