The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1911-06-10


- ded through simple addition and
IA ] subtraction under Della teach
| ing. The long dark autumn even
/ iRgs came: October winds -+rhirled dust
ard dead leaves along the streets; then
came the first nipping frost of winter.
| That was gloomy autumn for the
| South. Vickshurg had fallen before
! logged Grant and his men. The first
| lying reports of victory at Gettysburg
| and capture of 10000 prisoners had slow
! ly yielded to the dismal truth. Next
| came word of bloody and fruitless sue
| cess at ChickamauGa-'riVer of death"
--ohly to he followed by the huge de-
| feat at Chattanooga.
All this meant further depreciation OF
| Confederate currency, higher prices for
! the necessities of life. ANeritable famine
would have Stalked through Richmond
| that winter had 1t not been for such
citizens as the Quaker Crenshaws, who
sold flour from their mills 10 ;he poor at
cost. Nevertheless, thousands in that
swollen heart of rebellion went always
hungry now.
Hunger breeds strange fantoms in
the mind. SpringinG from no traceablc
source, though PROBABLY from an I'M
| guarded statement of cabinet official,
the direst rumors became prevalent IN
! the half-famished capital. In spite of
strict censorship, cautious references
were made in the newspapers to the eX-
istence of a terrible conspiracy, exact
details of which could not be obtained.
Richmond was declared to be sleeping
over a volcano.
lmpenetrable mystery surrounding the
alleged plot augmented its horror. Peo-
pie imagined tor II the most fearful
shape conceivable, and that, to the
Southern mind, was always-servile in
surrection. Did inhabitants can still
recolleCt the shudder that crept over
the city when first 1t was limited that
the negroes were being banded together
in "a Har O NO
oath. They were said to be holding
meetings stealth!ly by night in cellars
and Easements. Arms, it was said, were
being struggled in to them in prepare
ton for tie outbreak.
When a community grows excited and
panicky, there are always some ire
sponsi5le persons who delight to set the
horror higher and gain a fictitious i'm
portance for themselves by spreading
specific accounts as Of their own knowl-
edge These imaginary secret meetings
of negroes were declared 10 be presided
over by a white man, an emissary from
the North specially detailed to foment
instruction. A new and ill-boding name
began to be whispered from lip to lip:
Captain GriSg!
Popular fancy distorted the bearer of
that name into a sort of unnatural
monster, at once coWardIy, ferocious
and diaboliCally cunning-a gruesome
shadowy thing lurking about dark al
leys, an ogre to frighten crying children
into silence.
Yet the sole discoverable foundation
for thus linking the name of Captain
Grigg with a servile insurrection was
that early in November. about the tine
the first Iumors of such an insurrection
began to spread, tie Confederate cab
s def O posted sbons tRe as
offering $4,000 reward for the capture,
dead or alive, of one Capt. James Grigg,
Yankee spy.
But Della Coombs timo was now so
occupied that she paid scant heed to
evanescent public topics. AS prices
tinued to press nearer Philip Vaughan
establishment, and the little woman had
set her mind to devise further means of
support.
All rooms in the house that could be
spared had been rented to dodgers. Ly-
mus had used some old lumber to tack
up partitions in the stable loft, whittier
all colored members of the household
withdraw at night, there being now only
Lymus himself, old Binah, young Betsy,
and her child. Della had put her own
possessions in a small bedroom on the
third story, which was half a garnet. |
With this one exception she had rented
out all the upper roUms.. Her intention
was to avoid depriving her uncle of his
particular apartments downstairs, and
not to let HIM know how economically |
she herself was using space.
For quite while he remained in ig- |
never assembled to the upper rooms, and |
a sense of indignity at the presence |
within MS ancestral home of persons |
who were neither guests nor acquaint- |
ances caused him to avoid encountertng |
or referring to his dodgers. But some |
how at last he discovered that Della |
now occupied the garnet. He stormed |
futilely.
The idear' ragged poor Philip
Vaughan. "A lady reduced TO such |
straits in my house," |
Not reduced, uncle, dear" she tried |
to laugh il of, but elevated"
Sleeping N the garnet! And that |
lady my own niece! I'm eternally dis |
honorcd. I'll order all these insolent |
strangers out OF my house at once
Della calmly demonstrated that if he
did the family would starve. She men
toned that flour could no longer be
bought at $1l0 a barrel, nor cornmeal
at so a bushel, and asked him where
they were to find means of support
But" he cried, Il will do something.
l will engage in business
Your health won't permit Uucle
Philip, Besides. what employment is
open?'
Continuation of This Story VIII Be