Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-05-26
Her
AtOnen1ent
A Story For Memorial
Day
BY ESTHER VANDEVEER

eighteen, and the war between the
states was at its height. | was living
in Pennsylvania just nor;h of the
Maryland line and on a road leading
up to Gettysburg.
One morning persons began to pass
our house, making all the haste they
could. Some of them were on foot.
some in vehicles of different kinds,
and nearly all carried articles of furni-
ture or household utensils. When ask
ed why and whence they were moving
so hurriedly they said that a great
army of C~onfederates was advancing
to invade the northern states.
We held a family conclave to decide
what to do. We were all Union SYM
pathizers and knew we had nothing to
expect from the southerners. But 1t
didn't make much difference which
side we were on, for the fences were
sure to go for firewood, and soldiers
who are bent on pillage don't mind
which side they loot. We decided to
stay at home and protect our property
as far as we could. We buried the
valuables-some silver and a little
jewelry-and | walked back and forth
over the ground under which it lay so
that the recent digging might not be
noticed. Father took down his fowl
ing piece and started off northward to
join the Federals.
When we had hidden everything that
was hidable we waited. Father and
the b0ys-the boys had long ago en-
listed in the Union ~army-had always
kept guns in the house for hunting and
two or three r%evolvers. After fathers
departure l found that one revolver
had been left, and l took it and put it
in my pocket-for women had pockets
in their dresses in those days-not
knowing but that l might have occa-
sion to use it.
1t seems to me now, an old woman,
that 1 must have been a plucky girl.
though | didn't think so at the time.
Indeed, the idea of q horde of men,
with weapons to kill, sweeping owe us
like O cloud of locusts was enough to
terrify any one l felt the danger, but
l kept my self possession. And l have
noticed all through my long life that
it Is the unexpected that happens. Vice
versa, the expected does not happen.
Surely this was illustrated in the
first locust which came in advance of
the swarm. A young fellow in gray
uniform, with gold braid on his sleeves,
rode up to the house. l was on the
porch. He took off his sombrero. smil-
ed and said in the most deferential
manner and voice:
'Can. you tell me if there is q road
leading eastward within a few miles
north of us?'
There was certainly nothing to be
afraid of in this young fellow, and l
bravely answered:
81 can, but | won't"
He seemed rather amused than Of
Tended at my blunt reply. At any rate.
he smiled, showing a set of very white
teeth.
"You are a Unionist, l suppose?" he
said.
81 AKA" was my firm reply.
'Then you are quite right to refuse
information to a Confederate"
He looked up the road, hesitated,
then spoke again.
would your Union sympathies pre-
ven your giving me a crust of bread?
I've been on the go for twenty-four
hours with not a bite"
This was certainly not what l had
dreaded. l had pictured a lot of rough
men coming to the house and helping
themselves to what they could find
without asking permission. Here was
a handsome young man deferentially
begging a crust of bread.
81 will give you what we have" l
replied and went into the house. He
dismounted and, throwing the bride
rem over a picket in the fence, follow
ed me. The cook had run away with
other f~ugitives, and since there was
no one to do anything but myself l set
some cold meat and bread and butter
on the table and made a cup of coffee.
The young man was really hungry
indeed, he seemed famished. And it
did my heart good to see how he en-
joyed the coffee.
"That's the first cup of real coffee"
he said, that | have tasted in more
than a year. You northerners have no
Idea what privations u southern peo-
pie are enduring. The blockade has
cut us off from every luxury"
While he IA eating / was wonder
ing why he wanted to know about a
road running eastward. l asked him
some questions, which be answered
frankly, and from his replies l learned
that he vas an officer OF the staff of a
general commanding one of the corps
of the Confederate army and that he
wished to resch the general command
ing troops on the road next east and
running parallel with the one on
which we were. In his sword belt
was a folded paper, which l presumed
he was carrying to this commander.
H. .-- -