The Robesonian., 1917-12-17
WITH AUNT BECKY

= T. .
Getting Nearer-Soldier Boys
of Today and the Matchless He
roes of the Confederacy.
Correspondence of The Robesonian.
Old Fork (Maxton, R. y, Dec. ID
Snow, snow, the beautiful snow, is
with us, and / am close prisoner:
The outdoor scene is-very lovely-aI
nature wrapped in its robes Of spot
less purity. It has been or years
since the last big snowfall in this sec
ton of country and / enjoy seeing it,
but am thinking of the coal famine,
and scarcity of fuel, and the suffer-
ing of many who have no fires, and
the dear little birds, that are without
food. / saw this a. m. one lone lit
tie sparrow, picking up crumbs among
the turkeys and chickens, while they
were taking their morning meal.
The boys are restless under con-
finement and one of them went out
bird-hunting yesterday p. m.,. found
no partridge, but came in with SIX
pretty doves. Their little craws were
full of peas, and | wondered how they
managed to get them under the snow.
School is suspended since the snow
came. In the olden times the children
did not mind such snow as this, and
/ tramped mile to school many day
through it, and we had much fun,
But children in those days were hard
Ter, and their feet clad in stout home
made shoes and stockings. My faith
~ xxxLo xryoC hory, IN 1917 nnoo fold
me that the first shoes he ever own
ed were made by his own hands, un-
der his fathers supervision, at the age
of Ia years. These shoes were man
uactured of home tanned red leather
and very durable.
The horrors of war are getting
nearer to US. Some of our boys went
mp to Raleigh yesterday to enlist and
several others are in the next draft;
in fact, a clean sweep is likely to be
made in the Fork. One of our neigh
bors called in just now and expresses
the belief that the war will end next
year, but we can see little prospect
that the situation may brighten and
that wars and rumors of wars may
cease throughout the world.
Hog-killing season is in full blast,
and several of our neighbors killed
some very nice ones last Monday. 1t
lisa relief to rest while from buying
30-cent meat.
We had no mail on this route yes
terday and the boys have just started
up to the mail box hoping to find a
double portion.
The oyster and ice cream supper at
Oak Grove academy on the p. m. of
the 7th was quite a success, both So
cially and financially. The proceeds
are to be used in furnishing some nee
essary equipments for the school
building.
Our farmers have not quite finish
ed gathering their crops, some cotton,
corn and peas still remain in the
fields. Some anxiety exists in regard
to the young oats, as the earth was
frozen a day or two before the snow
came.
This Friday a. m. the sun is shin
ing, and the snow is melting and
doubtless much of it will have disap-
peared by sun down.
i am thinking much Of our soldier
boys, and hoping they have comfort
able quarters, and good fires. During
the civil war on the plains of Virgin
Ia the winter campaigns were frought
with intense suffering to our soldiers.
My late husband told me that on many
occasions, going into camp for the
night, he had scraped the snow away
and lain down on the bare, frozen
ground with only thin blanket for
cover. AT other times on awaking in
the a. m. he would be completely COW
cred beneath the fallen drift. One
night he lay down in front of log
heaD fl-te, with his cold feet in near
proximity, and when he awoke his
shoes were burned almost to crisp.
Often times, as they marched over the
SHOWS, with tattered shoes, he had
seen crimson trails from their poor
bleeding feet; and yet these same he
roir souls wept bitter tears when they
learned at Appamattox they had to
surrender. No braver spirits ever
breathed than those of the Confede-
rate soldiers. Only yesterday, in read
ing a recent Confederate Veteran" I
saw the following statement: "The
South began the war with a white
population Of about 5,500,00O. Of these
the military population numbered
about i 1,065,0 900. 100000 of these were
inhabitants of the mountain regions,
which strongly espoused the Union
side The North began the war with
a population of 22,000,0O0. Of these
her fighting men whom she could
call into the field numbered about g.
SOC, 900, besides enlisting 100000 for
eigners and 10000 negroes, and pos
sessed all advantages in guns, ammu-
nitions, manufactures and supplies, tc
say nothing of its navy. Yet in the
face of all this superiority in arms
and men, for four years our brave
men stemmed the tide against all odds
and only went down in defeat beneath
overwhelming numbers"
AUNT BECKY
Concrete Steamship to be Built.