Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-06-13
A Wartime Birthday

day, we were refugees, a few miles
from Macon, and near the Clinton
road, from Macon, within Jones
county, Georgia.
The Southern Confederacy had
collapsed. We were trying to exist
in that refugee shack, until such
time as we might sell something to
furnish the railroad fare to our
plantation home in north Georgia.
We had sent our fine carriage,
which had cost us over $500 in gold
just before the Civil war, to an auc-
ton house in Macon, to bring what
it might in cash. 1t was there on
this birthday here mentioned. My
husband was on his first trip to the
Cass county home, and a good neigh
Dor allowed his son, a boy about Is,
to stay with my little son, John, dur
ing the day. The boys aunt came
over to stay at nights. We were
afraid to leave the house, or yard,
day or night, 8 there was no Sc
curity for anything in the owners
absence.
The two boys were full of life. and
they were more than anxious to
make me feel good on my birthday.
We had extras for dinner-if you
call vegetables and blackberry pie
luXurieS.
After my mornings work and din
ner was over. we had game of
jack straWs," on the dining table.
The elder boy taught us how to play
1t: And during all that long hot
afternoon we stuck to the game.
We had nothing else as a recreation
after L had read to the boys from a
Georgia writer's book, called 1.-THE,
Young Marooners," until we were
all tired and lazy.
But we enjoyed the jack straw
game immensely. I was a pretty
good sport in a frolic with girls and
boys; and my dear boy had begun
the day by bringing a dollar he had
made by selling onions and beans
to Yankee soldiers at various times.
Ihey generally took what pleased
them, but the little boy was so gra-
clous and patient they would pay
MIN a little at a time when he Of
fered vegetables TO the mounted
cavalry. He pressed it, into my
hand, saying: do take it, mamma,
from me. I'd rather you'd have it,
than anybody in the world, and
mamma, I 90 love you so."-Inside
Of seventeen days, on the 9th of
June, the precious child lay in his
coffin after a sudden attack of
brain congestion. He was the last
of three, and was a childless, pen.
niless mother, one hundred and fifty
miles from our home and no money
to bury him with except with n
forced sale of the carrige and what
it might bring. Greenbacks were
two and a half dollars, for one of
On16 Tho
in this currency. We were glad to
take the ,greenbacks, with the enor-
nous discount. 1t meant going
home also. Going back to that hap
Ply birthday on June 10. 1865, 1 re-
call that blessed chi1d's joyous face
when he could hear me laugh after
I won game. We had a bucket of
old field plums for refreshments and
in the midst of gloom, uncertainty,
danger and poverty we made a mer-
ry little party over the game Of jack
straws. My son hid my work bas-
ket, declaring his mother should not
work on her birthday at least, and
when the sun went down III a cloud
less SKY, and we lone ones, in q
bleak old plantation house, without
a pane Of glass in it and but little
to eat except corn bread and garden
stuff; we were all 0s merry as the
birds in the trees. and it was pre-
nounced to be fine birthday occa-
sion. The memory of that war time
birthday fills my heart with joy af-
ter the lapse of fifty-seven years,
since my first born passed on to the
heaven of little children. His last
words in the final mental crash
were: Mamma, I am where the
birds are singing" I was young
then. 1 had courage to bear up in
the darkness of the hour because
the dear Lord said, Suffer little
children to come unto Me-
Lacking Thirteen Years of the
Hundred
When the printers put this article
in type l shall have passed NV
eighty-seVenth birthday on June
10, 1922. 1t seems a long time since
June 10, 1885. from one viewpoint,
but many of the occurrences of that
early time are almost as fresh in
memory as Of yesterday-as to what
saw or heard.
A young child begins to remember
very early as a rule. If it is nor.
NAL in eyesight, hearing and gen.
eral health, it's mind begins to
work very soon. 1 was the first
born and the only child until I had
passed my fifth birthday.
Before that time I had started in