Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1911-06-02

49, N9ll s1N6NSNu = Uluutt
~ rERpIxAND o. IoLEHART.
IN one occasion having an
appointment to lecture at
Il Frederick. Nd, / registered
It the hotel and went to my
room. In less than an hour the
bellboy brought me name on It
familiar to me.
/ Going down into the Office. |
found a well-built. intelligent
looking, kind-spirited. middle
aged man, who said: my name.
sir. is Gambrill: if you are the
person l think you are, you are
my cousin. l have come TO in
vite you to stay at my house while
you are in the city. No relative
of mine shall stop at a hotel
while in this town."
Being the man he thought |
was, l went with him, Ewhere l
was entertained in good old
fashioned southern style, with
good eating. and warm-hearted-
ness, and intelligent companion
ship enough for a king. After
the lecture, as we were seated by
the open fireplace chatting away
| remarked that / had been to-
the cemetery in the afternoon to
see tine grave of Barbara
Frietchie, and as ! unfolded a
a piece of paper containing some
dried grass that had pulled
from the grave my cousin smiled,
l thought from the way he look
ed, at my credulity.
continued, How about that
story upon which Whittier based
his poem. It is historically cor
rect, is it not?"
He replied: There was such
woman as Barbara Frietchie, who
lived in a plain house on a cor
ner not far from here. She was
a good old soul. Her sympathies
were with the north. But the
picture of her putting her white
head out of the window md wav-
ing a little Union flag as the
Confederate soldiers marched by,
and of Stonewall Jackson COM
handing his soldiers to let her
alone was the creature of Whit
tiers Imagination
l inquired of my cousin If he
knew Stonewa1l Jackson. The
reply came quickly, Yes, very
WE'LL"
l asked him if he could rernem-
Der any story about him which
had never been printed. He said:
Eyes, there is an incident which
came under nv own obs eryation
which you may be pleased to
hear. When the Confederate
forces were encamped near the
town / concludedit would be the
kind and proper thing to have
Stonewall Jackson come aud take
dinner with me. ] thought STU
day would b. the best day. l
had splendid breed of bronze
turkeys on my farm, and the
finest one had killed on Satur-
day for the dinner day, A little
before noon on the Sabbath /
drove in my carriage out to camp,
and was passed through the
guards to General Jackson. /
found him on a rude stool seated
before plank which served as
a table, with a cup Of coffee in
one hand and a chunck of corn
bread in the other and an open
Bible before him. l said, Gen
eral, l have come to take you
home to dine with me today. /
will not keep you long. The
rest and recreation win do you
good. Beside, l notice you have
haye not a great variety of food
on your table
The general said: It was a
beautiful thing for you to think
of me and to come and ask me to
partake OF your hospitality, but
/ shall have to decline your in
Wit alton. In the first place, it is
my custom to take the Same kind
of fare exactly as my soldiers
have, and in the second place l
employ the meal-time when / can
as a season for reading the Bible,
meditation and prayer. On this,
the Lords day, 1 have peculiar
rest and enjoyment in commun-
ing with my Heavenly Father
Il said to him: General, while
/ thought the two or three hours
visit would be good for you. Il
was not unselfish II inviting
y on, for I prize your friendship
and anticipated great happiness
in Ieur company. But your
deh5 ~ spirit, yonr love for
vos.r men your faith in God