Pittston Gazette

              9 ™SL™"."'T.a.!1 Oldest NewsDaDer in the Wyoming Valley PITTSTON, LUZERNE CO., PA. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1891. A Weekly Local and' Family loumal. •! '• "L'lli:?" A PRISONER OF WAR ana stopped Detore one or a cluster oi cabins whose outlines we could make out. Knocking at the door, with a pause between each rap that suggested a preconcerted signal, a voice called out from within: never been twenty miles away from the plantation on which he was bora. He could not advise, but he could give us a place to sleep during the day, meanwhile he would "ask de good Lor fo' vice an tink de case ovah." Hying on liirongii tlie darkness, with shouting men and barking dogs close behind us st lie searchers, lie ami ;ijC lit* ruse Irum his hands and kuee 1 tiey i it* while h iiHpf.l iiuii-i'it with the other hand h rt'Hd anil iiuiiif comments soinethiu like thus Kljd I gone dollar theiu swamp angels had, and got a mortgage on their dnda and rifles and 1 believed him. OTES'MHBItS "IN "OHIO. So we got sixteen cigars, eight games of pool and went away. There being three of us, it came to liij cents apiece, and no charge at the hotel for checking our overcoats. The cigars were of the Baleratus blond type, with real jute filler. If one is careful not to tip the cigar up so as to let the works fall out, he can smoke one almost up. They are domestic cigars, and have never had the benefits of travel. A few more of them would cure me of the appetite for tobacco and put me on the platform as a worker against its use. But later I find that they are not composed of tobacco, so we must not be unjust. 'and if I aii) t mistook there's more in there now It-uaiwise not a critter back. We Ctus can't make headway in the I »D:ir leet. The main road The tree tops were growl ug dim, and a liini of gray uiist began to rise from the iield The air. that bad been stifling hot all day, grew chilly, and still our friend Abe did not pat in an appearance. We had made up onr minds to take our chances and go on, depending on "darkness and dumb luck," as lifcll put it, when we heard the weeds about the ginhonse swaying as if something were moving cautiously through them. Then came a low "Hist, it's only me, mausses!" and the faithful black man Btood be- Although treating us so well, our friends did not press us to remain after our feet were "about healed." They agreed with Bell that if we wanted to strike the mountain* with least danger the best way was to cms* the Savannah into South Carolina "and then head plum for the west.' 1'he river was about two miles beyond the island on which we were encamped, but they had a scow on a little bayou a few hundred yards away, and on this the commodore volunteered to ferry us to the South Carolina shore, where he assured us we should Hud the ground "a little drier, but not enough to brag on." When the time came for our departure. Bell generously offered to return all the money he had won, but the men indignantly refused it, declaring that he had "won it like a gentleman" and that it was his by all the rules of honorable gambling. Then be proposed to buy one of the rifles with ammunition and equipments, and at once onr generous fellow vagrants offered us one for nothing. lo the surprise of all 1 strongly protested against this transaction, saying that if we ran into a body of Confederates we could not plead "sick leave" furlough if we carried a musket. "Then," I added, "the possession of a rifle will make us foolhardy, and we will run into dangers that would be avoided without it. Force being out of the question, we can succeed only with shrewdness and cunning." 'The Cniosncle does so lie, no on can t hardly believe it when it tells th truth but I reckon it ain't far wronj "bout our lolK.saud the Yanks. Jestliste; PLAYING POOL FOR THE CIGARS WHILE THE TRAIN IS COMING. The Escape of Two Unioo Officers from Millen, Ga. woods C "•Who's dah?" As A lDe was about to lead us to a place where we could rest in comfort and security during the day Bell, who had a good deal of natural ability as an orator, made a little speech to the people in the hut, and although he indulged in some forcible profanity, his innocent audience must have thought it the customary speech of the Yankees, for they listened with open mouths and eyes while he told them of our former affluence as Yankee soldiers, and that our present poverty was owing to our being robbed by the rebels. He told them that the war was nesring ati end, and that it could only end iu the restoration of the Union, about which these slaves knew nothing, aud their liberty, which had been the -object of their prayers and the one aspiration of their simple lives. He drew a picture of freedom which 1 am sure was never realized—what human hope ever is? 1 know that he moved his little audience profoundly, for the younger people compressed their lips with excitement and the older ones showed their approval by 6uch camp meeting exclamations as "Heah de prayah, Lor I" 'Send down de angels to guide us!" 'Lead ivi out ob de lonesome valley!" 'Glory toGrod!" "Amen! Amen!Amen!" would be i to ktrpin ob Hie corduroy, and a movin with keel about the turus." nun in no time, so 1 vote "It's me—Ben," replied the guide. "W'at Ben?" hn tar ui this campaig every tuovc male tDy hennan has bee toiled tiy thai master of strategy an grand tactics. our own heroic .Joe Johi stou. With the coolness of Fabius and the audacity of Pompey, he lias been drawing the Yankees further and further ivto his toil Ii« led them from Rocky to I A Telling Speech His Brother Made and What It Brought Him—Tlie Sad Lesson "Ben Wilkins. from ovah Ogeechee way." I accepted thi.H scheme without question ami we resumed our march. Hefore we had gone ii mile the road, bad at the dissipated itself into By ALFRED R. CALHOUN (Late Majoi U. S. Volunteers). at the Theater. That a Young Man Was Taught While "Fo' shuahf "Sartin an dead shuah, Abe. an no one else." It's me i worse, ami most of tliem long ;igo unlit lor the passage of wagons or mounted men We followed one road to Us termination in a camp covered with deeaye I cypress Blabs and a running shauties that evidently used "sence bcfo' de wall." [Copyright, 1891, by Edgar W. Xye.] En Passant in the MebryD Month of November, f (.Copyright, 1881, by American Press Assooia, OnuM'lii** tlon.] \ ~ We are in Michigan at this writing, and scooting across the Peninsula by the judicious use of the bounding train. "Autumn lias indeed come," said a sad man yesterdajr, who seemed to be on his third bridal tour, accompanied by a kippered widow with a green veil. She nodded when he said that, and put her cold and pulseless nose agaiust the window of the car. [CONTINUED.] fore us. face rid^i ulxl Dal Ion t o Calhoun, thence ilowu to Lost Mountain and Keneanu now on ilie banks of the classic tahoocbee lie is turning like a lion Noticing recently that Manager J. M. Hill is getting on his broken leg again, reminds me of an incident which took place some years ago when a young man in the balcony at the Standard theater seemed to be just full enough to court investigation and call for his enemies to come forward and get killed. Yon have seen that style of jag which yearns for something to crush and. mutilate. It generally finds several of those l»efore it lice promised to do so; then he arranged the boards on the toolhouae floor ■iuil spread over them the blanket from the cart seat. This done he shook hands with us. and. after another invocation to put onr trust "in de Lor of Hosts." he drove away • Bell and'I took off our boots, washed our stockings in a pool near by and hunt; them up to dry inside the hat, with inu i of our clothes. Theday promised to tDe very hot and the mosquitoes particularly active, but we closed the door securely on the inside and lying down oh tlie blanket were soon fast asleep He was evidently much excited, and with reason The searchers from Sylvan i a had dogs with them and they were hunting Yankees that had escaped from Millen as well at" deserters. Tliey had been over .. ground to the west that day and were going to search the woods to the east and south that night, hoping to come on the tires of the men known to be hiding. Abe regretted that he could not guide us that night, as he had hoped i to do, but he brought us a bag containing bread and meat and two heavy knives made out of files, which he thought might be useful if the dogs came on us Me advised us to start at once, keeping the north star in front, and as soon as we reached Clear run, about a mile to the north, to wade along it, so as to throw off the dogs if they should chance to follow Ho told us about the Campbell place, about ten miles off, and assured us that if we reached there we would find friends. Ucr of roll ImmI not i lit'I I i :nut CD Ohut :trf! uf ;ed over the ground no bninaria had been at b and when lie strikes, a.s strike he U-it tha will within a few days, he'll keep on striking till the Van keen are destroyed orthfii .splintered(ragmen taarecaptured ii thai It mt'hs n moatlis." We sat down mill made a hesvty breakfast on the com bread and mea, which Abe, the ovci'sct!i of the lirancTi place, had so thoughtfully j.rovided the night before. There was plenty to satisfy our keen ajD- petites and leave us enough for another This and much more of the same kind it- man with the paper read, and it on the hanks ol the Ohio. They had a very large two handled Compromise trunk, which the groom used in knocking out people's brains as Ktniiii me as yot a little curions that while all these men Were undoubtedly gets through This young man sat with his hat on and rested his broad, intelligent feet on the seat in front of him. When the usher asked him for his check he told him to get out or he would beat out his brains with a damp towel. Oh, he was a coarse, bad man, and the usher was a pale, slight, gfrlish figure with pompadour hair and an Eden Musee dress suit. We reasoned, and. as it proved, correctly that tlie swamp extended north to tue Savannah river, and. although it promised hard traveling, the prospect of ltd being comparatively safe decided us to try it NVi! siiil earned our boots slung ovei our shoulders and, catting two poles to iivlp ns along and enable us to take soundings, we started off again Although we occasionally encountered sharp roots, the soft earth and frequent pools were grateful to our feet and our iccordingly tue;il soiu n in their sympathies,anl showed a itcciiU*D1 dislike for the Yankees, yet they were of one mind—and that thecor- red une- a.- to the termination of the war The man whom I knew und still think of .-us "the commodore" appeared to voice the sentiment* of his comrades by saying, as nearly as 1 can recall: There was plenty of ventilation through tbe cracks, but as there was not a breath of air-stirring outside, it was as damp and not inside that little toolhouse as a Russian bath. But despite, the discomfort, we might have slept on till dark, had we not been aroused by a .pounding on the door, accompanied by a piping negro voice Abe took us to the "white folks'" House, telling us on the way that although "de folks had been gone nigh two yeah." he had kept it aired, and that no one had slept there since. With its huge wooden pillars and wide piazzas, this house had once been a pretentious affair, and ; ho scene of festivity and hospitality; bnt the windows were broken, the pillars were rotting, there were holes in the piazza floor, and the walks of the surrounding grounds were overgrown with weeds, and the ornamental bushes were strangling in the embrace of wild grapevines and Virginia creepers. 1 fit as hard as any man so long as it seemed to lDe the tio'th agin the south, foi I'm a southern man through and through, though I ain't never owned a nigral! Inn ill allow I've often wanted The bad man looked around over the house and bade the show to open up and turn loose. He was temporarily in possession of the house, and glad of it. "Let her go; we're all in! Ring her up, and damn be the first feller that says 'Nuff I'" We bade Abe goodby, and at once started across the abandoned field and entered the woods at the other side. The murmur of water in front told ns that we were near the stream which Abe called "Clear run." It was only a few yards in width, and the bottom was hard It flowed toward the north, audi inferred that it was a tributary of the Savannah, as the streams of the day bofore. which ilowed toward the south, were branches of the Ogeechee. We walked down the stream for about two miles, the water usually to our knees, but sometimes wiist high, and frequently we had to clamber over trees that had fallen across the stream The swamp angels, and, finally, Bell, agreed that 1 was right, and so we took no gun, though one of the men said, 'T liar's times when nothing else is so handy ez a gun, though I'll allow that the man ez ain't got a gun is least apt to git into sich scrapes." WE walked down the stream. spin is ros to v i thi'v wuh worth a d—d sight moiv new? they'll lDe agin. But soon'a Jt?fl Davis got to eonseriptin, what did Did he take ail alike, rich and "It's uie. ole Jim inastahsi Ike he done tole me to come out heah wid suffin to eat." "But who's yeh got long widge yeli?" This was asked after the bolt on the inside was half drawn and pushed back again, as if the man had suddenly discovered our presence. The pools increased in number and the ground became more spongy till noon when we reached a hummock that rose Pretty soon a visiting pastor from Maine sat down in the seat in front of the tough gent from Avenue A and gently asked him to take down his feet, as they annoyed him and sort of chafed him under the arms. In an instant we were on our feet, and throwing open the door we saw an old. white headed negro, with a stout staff in one trembling hand, while the other clutched the mouth of a feed bag slung over his shoulder We invited him in and shook hands with him. As we had .had nothing to eat for twentyfour hours and our recent exercise was well calnlated to produce hunger, we took out the contents of the bag while the old man was regretting that the food was not better and explaining why he had not come to us before. he dC wamp I:) 11 island, and ap- i(l sav ijoys, you've got to fight "Ize got two frien's long"  "Wite men, Ben?" geared to be several acres in extent. 1 was about to suggest to Brll that we take advantage of tins place to finish for the Con fed'racy and lick tbe Yanks, no matter how rich or blue blooded yer Following supper the fourth night after our arrival the whole gang, each man carrying a torch—for there was no danger of b*ing seen from the river—accompanied ns down to the bayou. We shook hands with them and got into the leaky scow, which we had to bail every minute we were aboard. Our plan had been disenssed before starting and we had a pretty good idea of what we had to do and the obstacles to be overcome. The commodore stood with a pole in his hand at the stern; 1 held a torch at the bow, and Bell worked a rusty tin pan amidships. The men waving their torches on the island in adieus, the inky waters of the bayou, the protruding 'knees" and drooping branches of the cypresses, all went to make up a picture of weirdness which I can never forget. dads Was, Nn, null Lie says, 'A umn that runs :i plantation with nine hands The bad man smiled at the good man and sort of tickled him under the arjns with the toe of his boot. 'Tm here, elder, you bet yer sweet life; .'at's swat's, matter. I here and I set where I just by gosh happen to want to. Reserved seat's no object to me. .Where I set down is my reserve seat. See'.'" "Open! Ain't I done tole yeh it's all right? Tiuk I'd av come roustin ob yeh out ef 'twasn't all right? Hurry up ati let me an de Yankees in fo' we'ze nigh done zausted," said our guide, and he emphasized his impatience by another series of raps on the door. our rations ami £ei some sleep, for we had been marching continually forabont seventeen hours when we were brought to a sudden bait by I lie clicking of a r.tif lock and a hoarse voice from the front den landed THE BRIDEGROOM. ain't "blee-_;«d to fight; lie can stay home and raise loud and fodder, but you pore vagabonds ez ain't got niggahs or plantations. you've got to walk right up har to the front and let tliein d—d Yankees shoot yon Waal, that let me ont as it let you buys out It's now a rich man's qnar'l and a pore man's fight, and by the tarnal I ain't goin to resk ray life to save a rich man's We're agwine to be licked, shore's yer bawn, an doggone me if it don't kinder go agin the grain to hev the Yanks come out a-top. Still, noue of this crowd brought on the muss, an we wuz all fools ever to've gone he started up wildly at every station, thinking it was his own destination. He said he was from Newriggle, O. j where it is said that a man was killed in a church. I did not learn what his offense was, but no doubt he richly deserved his fate. Possibly he put a pants button on the plate. The front door hung by one hinge, so that Abe had to lift it gingerly to keep it from falling. He explained that the carets had been taken from the halls, parlors, and indeed from all the rooms to make blankets for the soldiers. The mildewed fsrniture. the stained pictures hanging askew from walls through which the lathing showed in places, like ribs, all told of the ruin that had come to once luxurious homes, though they were far removed from the scenes of actual strife. The word "Yankees" appeared to have the same effect on the man inside that the "open sesame" did on the door at the entrance to the robbers' cave in the story of the "Forty Thieves," for it at once swung open and we entered. Who goes til Friend;-' I replied at a venture. Just then the visiting pastor from Maine gathered the massive feet, one under each arm, and gently took for the aisle. Gayly he tripped up the aisle, knocking off a lumbar vertebrae at every jump. Around he went to the stair, and bo trickling along down with the bad man at his heels, shedding front teeth We migh1', have continued longer in the water, for it was warmer than the lir, but suddenly the woods fell away on either hand and we fouud ourselves at a bridge with a clearing in front The bridge suggested a road, and as we had not walked five miles on one since our escape, and this appeared to lead in the right direction, we determined to try it. As our feet were sore we took off onr boots and stockings, and throwins them over our shoulders started off with some comfort. The road was clay and the track was cool and pleasant to our feverish feet, but after, going a few miles the soles became tender and we sat down by the roadside to put 011 our ragged boots again Whar von from! Newriggle is not far from Wingert's Corners, where Nasby first got his idea of the Confedrit X Roads. It was there he heard a sermon over the body of a soldier, it is claimed, which gavd him the idea which he afterward carried out. "It ain't w'at we'd like to gin Yankees an gemmen," said the ebony angel of mercy as Bell handed out the fried bacon, the golden pones of corn bread and the sweet potatoes, like sausages distorted in the roasting. In addition to these luxuries there were two bottles of buttermilk. with little nodules of butter floating through it. 'Down the river, 'Savannah. ' Yes "Hyar's two Yankee gemmen ez is scaped from Millen. Ike Lamar he met up wif dem yestay, an he got me to fotch 'em obah hyar. You ain't got no wite folks nigh de place, an you ken keer fo'm an git 'em headed 'bout right. Now, it'll soon be sun up, an I must be a-leggin it back, so ef so be yeh've got suthin to eat handy I wouldn't mind tryin it, an I reckon dese gemmen's in de same fix," said Ben Wilkins, with his back to the door. 'Desartin? No. on furlough." What in h—I brings yon a hidin in . While we were standing in the hall, two young men appeared, the one carrying a lot of blankets and the other a large bundle of dry corn fodder. At a signal from our host they ascended the creaking stairs, the balusters threatening to topple over at every step. We followed to a room on the second floor from which the furniture liad been removed. Here the fodder and blankets were arranged into a comfortable bed, and Abe, pointing to it, said apologetically: Newriggle is a strong Democratic stronghold, and according to law must have three members of the successful party in the preceding election as election judges, etc. Three Republicans had to be imported this year into Newriggle before the elecSon could be held according to law. har. tlit*t Before 1 could frame au answer to this Bell shouted ont, although we could not see the man who challenged us: into it ' I i POOL. F.OR DRTNKS' n a^,^'ho^y-sr  This speech was received with much applause. The opinions, as I well knew, were rather threadbare, but they represented the views of a majority of the southern troops as early as the summer of 1WJ3. when I had an opportunity to talli with many of them at Vicksburg. 1 shook li.'ll till he woke up, and then we rose and walked out to the fire. As we wound in and out, propelled along the tortuous course by the commodore's iDole, my respect for that doughty mariner's skill increased every moment. When we neared the river he ordered uie to throw the torch overboard, then he substituted a paddle for the pole. The boughs that had been brushing onr heads were behind and we were out on the current of the Savannah, about sixty miles above the city of the same name. How the commodore made his way across that black river that black night was no doubt well known to himself, but it must ever remain a mystery to me. At length the bow of the boat struck the opposite bank and the commodore, mncmis ner ra ptremoirwmi a pole, callcd "Keckon. in as talis, yous right smart hungry," said the old man, as, with wonder in his eyes, he watched us attacking the food. He got no reply, nor was there need of one; our appetites spoke for themselves. What in h—I brings you uns a hidin in har? "We ain t a hidin," and another rifle barrel became visible beside the one already covering ns from the bushes. Newriggle reminds me, in this respect, of Erin Prairie, a town in my old state, where there was only one Republican in eighteen years, and he was last seen crossing the line at a fox trot and picking large pieces of rock salt out of his legs as he ran. "Pealis powahful like's ef yous didn't done hab enough," said the man, after we had devoured the last scrap, except tbe potato skins, and drained the last drop from the bottles We assured hi™ that we had had enough, perhaps more than was good for us, and we regretted our inability to reward him. He replied, with pious fervor- The man who had let us in raked the ashes off the coals where they had been buried, placed on them some pine knots, and very soon the interior of the cabin was illuminated. A bed, a few stools, and a pot and an iron pan, and a little cupboard, in which were a few cracked dishes, constituted the furniture of the place. Abe, the owner of the cabinthat is. if a man conld to own anything who did not own himself—fcar- fcarrisdly pulled on his much patched clothes, eying Bell and myself the while as if he had serious doubts as to our being genuine "Yankees." Bell must have surmised what was passing through the man's mind, for to set all doubts at rest he pointed to my ragged jacket with its yellow facings and said: "You see that 'ar coat: ain't it blue?" With commendable caution the man replied, "It 'peahs to be blue." Waal," continued Bell 'You uns We were talking in whispers, when we were startled by hearing a loud halloo seemiugly only a few Hundred yards away and in the direction we had been traveling At our back was a fence, and Dver this we clambered quickly and noiselessly, then with onr hands on our clumsyJoJives. tin. of which save us an indescribablefretrwjrxjT- w enrity we waited ~ttl TtsTen The shout wo* repeated and answered from a distance still further on in the same direction Then followed the quick pounding of a galloping uorse s feet and the vociferous salutations of two men. who had evidently missed each other at some rendezvous near by hez got the drop on we uns, so if you tins be men and uot doggoued skunks, stop this toolin and show yersclves. We "It ain't jes' de ting fo' Yankee gemmen, but it's de best we hez got. An in so much as ytih does it-to one ob dese so likewise to mo." Our Irish brother vagrant, "Major General Nolan, of the Swamp Rangers," with ready wit, introduced Bell as "General Scott" and myself as "Captain Daniel O'Conmll." The newcomers—1 took niD note of their names—shook hands with us. and we were invited to partake ot the corn bread and broiled meat which *T-T'TtT i till li « — il yi IIQIllBilsg " uns ain't got no guns, "An you don't peah to nev much of anythin else " This was said with a laugh t he bushes were pushed aside, and tw'» men with long hair, shaggy beards and rag#»*! irrnv .uniforms stood before US T*1Drne Were -iwwcg vf Hxlmeu foi whom the searchers were look- My brother spoke at Erin Prairie once on the living issues of the time. He was a young man, fired with ambition and willing to speak almost anywhere that the committee sent him. He had a good voice, and it was noTrick at HI TdFnlm to have an entire petit jury bathed in tears. He spoke feelingly always, and scalding tears chased one another down the furrowed cheek of the juror who had not formed or expressed an opinion for or against the accused. ThorougUly exhausted, I pulled off my leaky boots atid lay down at once; but, with more caution. Bell examined the "ilDt-r &Cr~' 1 ana umilu a uubu uf ull uveiiiiea of retreat, so that we might be able to get out in a hurry if occasion required. * "1 don't want nofiin, mastahs, but 1 does pray dat de Yankees may coir? WK1 de guns, an dat old JimHdiearree*Q*h, an dat de chillen an deD chillen's chillen will all be free. Bress de Lorl" He informed us that Ike, who was his son and the overseer on the place, had sent him to us and told him to remain "twel 'bout an houah aftah dark," when be was to guide us to "de qnatahs." Three meals in ono day, and bountiful tut .ils at that, whs much more than we had been accustomed to Yet the memory of hungry hours was with us, and We could have eaten ten times a day had the food been set before us. The gener- out, but 1 noticed that there was a subdueil caution in his tones: uifD and from their apiDearancu it was certain that the searchers could not take them without a fight, and not then uuless they had the means of •toting' It was about half past 4 in the morning when we lay down; it was about 2 in the afternoon when we were aroused by the opening of the door and the ftainping of heavy feet on the floor. Starting up, we saw a young black man at the foot of our bed. his big lips trembling and his face actually gray with excitement. "Jump, boys, jump! Better stay right where yon are till daylight, then cut dirt. Goodby!" them We repeated "goodby" and jumped ont, carrying with us some provisions which the black man and the major general had put in our bag. We listened till the splash of the paddle died away, and then we sat down to wait for daylight and to discuss our novel adventure with the generous swamp angels. With our backs against a tree we dozed off. 1 am very sure I slept, for it seemed to me only a very short time between the departure of the commodore aud the coming of daylight They approached us and shook hands wiih that hearty camaraderie which 1 imagine is jieculiar to all men who have set the laws at defiance and. are rather glad of it. One of the two spoke with a hearty Irish accent that sounded pleasai.tly familiar, and there was a humorous twinkle in his gray eyes as he said: al and the commodore had evidently told onr story to their,- friends, for we were not questioned much. Bell knew all So my brother went out to Erin Prairie by order of the committee to make a Republican speech. He noticed when he got there that the band was not there to meet him, but he got some tea and inquired for the hall. It was a plain hall, with a frayed lithograph of a forgotten one night ventriloquist hanging from the walls and perchance a three sheet poster of the Goldie-McCracken Leggittimate Hippy-te-hop company. PLAYING POOL. The two men, both mounted, caine up the road at a walk aud talking as if each thought the other deaf We did not move from the fence, for we wanted to near what the men had to say, and it was possible that they were negroes, but the horses and the boisterous talk damped this hope. From their talk we learned that a great search was going on for deserters and outlaws, and that parties of men with dogs were scouring the woods in every direction I particularly recall one remark, made as they rode by: and bleeding at the nose at every bump, down the iron shod stairway and so on out into the street and into the arms of a policeman, who wasn't quick enough to get away and so had to take charge of the defendant and lead him away. it whs now about 4 in the afternoon, so that we had a chance to dry our clothes thoroughly before we put them on , about the regiments that had gone into the Confederate army from cast Tenm • and western North Carolina, and 1 let him talk about them, which he did with great familiarity and well assumed pride I remember that ho rang the change.* on "n rich man's quar'l and a pore man's light," and always with excellent effect. "Waal." continued Bell, with the assurance of one communicating valuable information, "1 had a blue coat yesterday, but 1 swapped hit off back at the Lamar place fo' this yar doggone gray rag. jest coz hit's a safer color down yar. But we uns is true blue Yankees. Help we uns through. Uncle, and by the roarin thunder and Gin'ral Jackson, you'll see these yar woods a-swarmin with Yanks afoah the year's out, and you uns'll be free to light out fo' free- So anxious was the old man to carry out hi a orders not to move till an hour after dark that it seemed to us to be fully three hours before he thought it safe to start We traveled along a road quite dry. considering the recent rain. At length lights were visible ahead, and our guide took us out of the road and along a path that led to a cluster of log cabins, uie lights in the npper stories a few hundred yards away telling the whereabouts of "de white folks' house." We were conducted into a cabin and the door was closed behind us. As there was no light outside we came to a stop, but a low, frightened whispering told us that there were others present. Hands were reached out and we were led to a bench; then somebody said: "Maussesf he gasped, "Abe's done sent me to git yeh ont. fo' de sarchers hez come!" • » Should the bad man who "never had to reserve a seat" ever read these lines he will understand that the visiting pastor from Maine who scattered splinters of spine and things down the 6tairway of the Standard theater was J. M. Hill. "Searchors!' we exclaimed, as we leaped up and pulled on our boots. 'Gintleniin. me an me friend. Commodore Williams, belongs to the provost guard, an as we was sint in here to examine all min passin an to look at their pa|»ers yez'll plaze produce yer furloughs " "Yes. sah. dars bout ten, an dey've come from Sylvania, and lows dey're a-gwine to camp yar all night." replied the boy He went in among the voters, but he /flaw no kindly look of recognition. Erin Prairie was always noted for its smoking tobacco. It wsis grown on the place, and said to be cured by the farmers there, but I always claimed that it was not a radical cure by any means. It was called the International smoking tobacco, because you could smoke it in this country and smell it in Europe. I imagined that those men looked relieved when my companion and myself announced our purpose to keep on till we reached the mountains. They made no attemps to conceal their purpose in being here. They had rebelled against the rebellion and they were living by what they euphoniously called "foraging," but which an intelligent jury would be likely to consider stealing. The negro was a runaway, a powerful fellow and, as we learned, one of the most useful members of the gang, for he not only cooked, but las skill as a forager was acknowledged to be greater than that of all the others As soon as it was light enough to see we started northwest through the swampy woods. Mill carrying our boots, though onr feet were now so tough that I felt we were burdening ourselves with, a useless load. Here, as on the opposite side of the river, the swamp water was the color of strong coffee, and it had an acrid taste that puckered the lips and produced ah annoying titillation in the throat. 1 realized that it was like drink-' ing in malaria, but the beat was so intense that we could not resist the thirst it produced. We should learn from this at all times to avoid those things from which we should abstain. "But what are they searching for?" I asked 'They're a d—d sight worse than the Yanks, for they not only won't fight, but they keep good men back bar a-hunting em up. 1 wish the Confederacy would win or collapse, for by I'm right smart tired of this sort of business. It does seem powerful like sometimes as if everything was going pftim straight to the devilt' •Or yer discharges." said Commodore Williams 'I attends to the discbarges, and my friend. Major General Nolan, of the Swamp Rangers, attends to the fur- % doni!" "Dunno, sah," he said. Bell's words were more prophetic than he imagined, for within a few months Slierman's left wing swept over this country on its triumphant march to the sea. 'But what did Abe tell you to do with us? loughs. 'lze got to take yous down to de ole ginhonse an git yous into de loft Dar ain't no time to lose." "Boys." said Bell, with a preliminary oath of great length aud originality of construction, "Yon uns is a-tryin to be funny, and I'll allow hit's party good fur's I ken see hit. Bat we uns ain't got no papers along." ODDS AND ENDS. My brother went back to the end of the hall and took out some notes he had made which went on to show that there had been less scab and hollow horn among sheep and cattle since the adoption of the war tariff, and that pip among poultry had decreased £ of 1 per cent, since the protective tariff had become a settled matter in this country. Abe's doubts seemed to vanish, for he made us sit down; then he hurried from thCD cabin to get us something to eat While he was gone Ben Wilkins told us tluit Abe was "a powahful leadah in prayer," of which we had subsequent proof, and that he was the overseer in sole charge of "the Branch place" and "'bout forty han'a" The owner of the plantation had gone to the war and his family was living at Augusta, wholly dependent for their support on the energy and fidelity of this slave. Yet from first to last he had been true to his trust That this was not due to iarnorance of his natural rights, his treatment of Bell and myself clearly showed The boy rolled up the blankets, threw them over his shoulder, and motioned for us to follow, which we did, with our hearts beating -faster than our feet could move. He led us through a back door and down through a garden head high with weeds Back of this garden there was a strip of stately timber, and keeping in this shelter our guide conducted us to an old ginhouse on the edge of one of those rutted and waterwashed fields so peculiar to southern plantations. The ginhouse was surrounded by weeds, and the arm of the horse Dower, rotting on the ground, told that the place had long been a ruin The floor planks yielded to the feet like sod. Scared by our coming, an owl flew out of the loft, into which our guide had clambered, and began circling about the ruin in a blind and aimless way. By means of a rickety ladder we followed the boy up, and pointing to the blankets he whispered: Berne, Neb., is a Swiss town. Eoyne Falls, Micb., has no doctor. There are seveu cotton mills iu Greece. CHAPTER rv WK MEKT WITH OUTLAWS IN THK SA- "Ma8tahs, Lze Dee, ez yous seed today ovab by de pit. We's done talked it aU ovali, an we lows it'd be inos' powahful dan go us job for yous to hang roun beah. Yous got to be ainovin fo' shuah. Now, de question am, which way is yous a-headin fo7" "Well. if yer ready to take oath that yez has lost thim or sint tliiiu home by post, it'll do as well, for me an Commodore Williams ain't the min to be hard ou the hies; are we, commodore?" The mother's kitchen is the girl's best cooking school. vannah swamps. put together About noon we came upon another decayed corduroy road, and followed it out of the swamp and into a large flat clearing. We halted at a fence surrounding a cotton field, now in its reddish purple blossom stasn W e knew that there were negro quarters, ir not a plantation nouse. near by, aud as we stood listening the chorus of the cotton boers came to our ears; gf^*!4L Ir&f^ mm We staid in this strange camp for three nights, during which time the men went oil foraging by turns and never came back euipty handed. Daring our stay the commodore, "who was the leader of the gang, kept us supplied with a decoction of oak hark, which turned onr feet to the color of tanned calfskin and toughened them in a surprising way, so that while the ellect lasted wo were not troubled again with bruises or blisters. More than 1,000,000 pouuds of rubber is used annually for bicycle tires. Nearly 40,000 men desert from the German army every twelve months. i could not help laughing at the wild sense of humor of these two outlaws in giving to each other titles that implied their dominion of land and water, which seemed to be mixed up in equal parts in the country around them. They took ns to be deserters, like themselves, and we tell in with nnd encouraged this be lief during our stay on this remarkable island Back of the line of dwarf magnolias there was a hut, with a roof slop ing to the ground, and a fire in front Inside the hut there were a half dozen muskets, and the belts, blankets and ragged coats hanging from the pegs hinted that these two men had companions in their retreat. While he was writing a line or two for an introduction, as if to refute his argument on "he spot, a typhoid hen egg hit the chimney of his lamp and popped. Then suddenly it made a few offensive remarks and became a disagreeable omelet on the side of the lamp. "The Savannah river," replied BelL "Once J can see that, I'll feel ez if 1 was lookin plum into the eyes of an old friend. W'y, 1 know every spring up thar in the Blue Ridge, whar hit hez There is only oiie sudden death among women eight among men. In twelve marriages out'of ever 100 one of the parties has been married before. 1'ze got a brudder in de promised land, i'/.u got a brudder in de promised land! The Brooklyn bridge was opened ou Queen Victoria's birthday, May 34, 1883. My own hope was to strike oar forces, known to be operating at this time between At 1 aura and Chattanooga, but as the river might 6eije as a guide without taking us much out of our way, I offered no objection. Again Bell's shrewdness showed itself. He asked if there was a Confederate or a citizen's coat about the place which he might have for his own blue one. One, the recent property of "Mauss Bert," was brought him, and he took it, although it was several sizes too small. Ben Wilkins, a slave from an adjoining plantation, was present in the darkened hut, and Ike told us that this man would guide us "out Sylvania way, twel nigh 'bout sun up," when he would leave us in the hands of friends. hits rise." My brother is a calm man, with a light blue eye and a stiff upper lip on which there is a. vigorous growth of mustache. Tossing back his mustache and allowing the hot, malarial breath of the egg to grapple with the fumes of the International smoking tobacco of Erin Prairie, he began his speech in clarion tones. It is always well to remember the fa,ct that savage cows and fierce dogs can't climb trees. The gang seemed to be well supplied with Confederate money, and a dirtier currency than that displayed in pulpy wads by some of the men it would be difficult to imagine. In addition to this money they had several packs of greasy cards, the backs showing that they were composed of the remnants of many packs. Every uight the cards were brought into use. Poker was the game, the commodore was the banker, and nails of three sizes were used as "chips.'' Bell and myself were invited into the game, and on our pleading poverty our fellow vagrants generously raised a cellectiou that netted us about |200 each without perceptibly decreasing the wads that had been placed under contribution. 1 am very sure that it did not detract from their value. . [TO BE CONTINUED.] In less than half an hour Abe returned and led us to another and a larger cabin. The place was half full of wondering men and women, who continued to devour us with their eyes from the moment of our entrance. Two women were busy before a blazing fire, the one frying bacon and the other baking corn pones. We were placed on stools, and while we were eating a young man came in with a wooden bucket full of recently drawn tnilk. Gourds were handed us, and we dipped into the delicious fluid in a way that induced the woman cooking the pones to say: Just the Party. Damp salt will remove the discoloration of cups and saucers caused by tea and careless washing. •w v5*S-' A woman cfin safely stick fifty pins in her dress while a man is getting one under his thumb nail. "1 reckon yous ken go on a-sleepin heah till Abe he comes long." Now and thea the parent of an orphan kitten would come whistling through the air, and cries of "Shut upt" and "Go home!" might have been heard by one who happened to have his ear to the ground at that time. The Hawaiiau race now numbers only 40,000 members, a decrease of nearly onehalf within fifty years. "But when will that be?" he was asked. LJell ;uui I professed to be East Ten nessee conscripts, and, while carefully concealing our sympathies, we confessed that we thought the war was near ar end, and that we wanted to get home tc our friends. We told the major genera, and the commodore,what wo had learnec about the searchers, nor were we surprised to find them far better informei than ourselves. They cooked us som dinner, and I recall that with our corr bread we Had excellent fresh meat and it was, 1 ni i very sure, either '"pos sum' or coon, but no matter the name it was as pleasant a change from fal pork as Cat pork was from the dry corr bread of our prison lays. 'Dunno. sah," was the reply. 'Is it safe har?" from Bell. 'Dunno, sah." 'But you reckon hit is?" 'Yes, sah.'' The number of passengers, exclusive of season ticket holders, conveyed over English railways last year was 817,744,046. My brother looked a little pale, for his health was not very good and the room was very close indeed, but he spoke on bravely till, like the Clover club, Erin Prairie had made all the remarks it had to make, and then it simmered down. When he closed he got a hand or two, and one old man with thick red fur down the outfiide of his throat and a medicated flannel lining to his month 6aid as he shook hands with the young speaker: The hailstones which recently fell at Arkansas City were about the shape of a common soda, biscuit and nearly as big. 'WHO GOliS THAR?" "1 reckon de Yanks is powerful fond ob milk." •'Waal, why can't we uns stay down on the fCrounCl? If them sarchers chances in bar, won't they find we tins kinder treed and handy?" The mounted searchers went up the road along which Bell and 1 had come, and the sound of their excited voices could be heard long after the tramping of the horses' hoofs died out. After a short consultation we decided to stick to the road for the present. It certainly led northward, and the walking along it was preferable to blundering blindly through the woods and across half cleared fields. Traveling at night bud the ad- This arrangement was perfectly satisfactory We reached out in darkness and clasped the generous black hands. The door creaked open and we followed Ben Wilkins out, accompanied by the blessings and prayers of our lowly but generous entertainers. We found here, as on subsequent occasions, a line of pickets had been established from the white folks' house to the cabins, so as to guard against detection. Editor—We want an assistant to take charge of the children's column of our magazine. His English must be choice and untainted with any of our modern blang. A single sheet of paper six feet wide and seven and three-quarter miles long has been made at a paper mill in New Jersey. "Yes, aunty," drawled Bell, "we uns begins on hit w'en we uns is bawn, and the likin hangs on till death." The most extraordinary freak of extravagance is an Eiffel tower in diamonds one meter high, recently sold in Paris for $44,000. The boy could not answer this question. He had carried out Abe's instructions. He had never done any original thinking. and it was too much to expect of him now I pointed out that there was nothing to prevent our getting down if wo wanted to, and no reason why we should detain the boy, who on hearing this gave a sigh of relief and started off at a run. l had never played poker before, but 1 understood the rules of the game. So, not to appear odd, I "went into the game,"* and played so cautiously that in the three nights my losses amounted to only ten dollars, a very modest sum indeed, when the smallest chip—a shingle nail—represented live dollars and a tenpenny nail twenty At times there were several pounds of nails in the middle of the blanket on which wo played, and they represented hundreds of dollars. Intrinsically they were worth more than the oauer they represented. Bell had a passion for poker. This game, to use his own words, "jest filled him plum full of new blood of the richest kind.' lie forgot his sufferings, forgot bow'and why he had come here and whither he was bound, in the excitement of the play He played, as it seemed to mo, recklessly; but he was so successful that the second night he was able to return, with thanks, the generous contribution of our entertainers and still have a snug sum left. I recall that on the third night, when he and the After we had satisfied our hungef, Ben Wilkins rose. sflUok hands with us. wished us godspeed and left, nor did we need to plead onr inability to reward him. He knew our sore straits and would have done more to help us if in his power Applicant (enthusiastically)—I'm just the huckleberry you're looking for!— Life. "I see now why they cull them breakers," said the landlord, as a big wave came up and smashed his bathing houses into splinters. Our hosts saw our fatigue and our son feet, and the commodore gave us a bai t wash for the latter while the major g6n eral was preparing our bed in the hut After Bell and 1 lay down, which we die without fear, one of the men made s •'smudge*" that filled the hut with suiok* and drove out the mosquitoes, which had been very annoying. This was the firs entirely restful sleep we had had sine our escape, for we knew these mei would protect us as if we were of thei: own band. Why He Was Wroth. "Mr. Noye, ye done dom well wid a dom poor chance, and be gorry ye must not judge the town by the dom hoodlums and roof skoof and Hoon ve Hoons and ragtag and bobtail that was here tonight, for be gorry it was not what ye moight call a riprisintitive audience at nil. Ivery mon in Airin Prairie that had a dom bit of sinse staid at home." vantage of coolness at least, and as long as we could see the stars we had no doubt as to direction Mr. Openheart—It's dreadful the way your paper pries into matters it has no business to meddle with! The idea of putting my subscription to the charity fund in print. Why, I wouldn't have had it made public for the world. It appears as though I was fishing for notoriety.And so. with the hunger gone and our hope strengthened, we began the second night of our escape. In response to our questions Abe told us that sometimes weeks passed without a visit from white men. "All ez wants to fight is off to de wahs," be said, "and dem ez doesn't want to fight is a-hidin in de swamps an long de bottoms, but of late de sojers from Sylvania an way down from 'Qusta hez been a-huntin 'em." Mysteries of Navigation. Sweet Girl (in a rowboat)—What ia this place in the back of the boat for? We h.-*l had enough sleep for twentyfour hours, but, even if exhausted, this was not the time nor place for repose. We tried to account for the coming of white men. Abe had told us that men from Augusta and Sylvania were searching the woods for deserters, and no doubt that was the mission of those men. But, granting that we were right in our surmise, we knew only too well that they would much rather capture escaping Yankees than deserting conscripts. At the first stream that crossed the road, and there were many of them, we took off our shoes and stockings and bathed our feet, and as they were blistered and swollen so that it was torture to pull on our boots, we were loath to leave the cool water, and finally we carried our boots-and kept on in our stockings, a test of endurance that did not last long, for by daylight the feet were gone and we threw the legs a way Nice Young Man—That i3 to put an oar in when you Want to scull the boat. Rowing requires both oars, one on each side; but in sculling one oar only is used. That is placed at the back and workad with one hand. * CHAPTER ILL ANXIOUS DAYS AND NIGHTS. Ben Wilkins, who acted as our guide from the Lamar place, was a tall, athletic man of about thirty He kept us Editor—I'm very sorry, Mr, heart, but I  Open- In Ohio we had to wait over at railroad crossings several times for two or three hours in order to connect. This is a very tiresome job, and so we most always hunt up a billiahl room and wear out the time by playing pool and billiards. Pool in Ohio is not an expensive game, especially at the crossings and junctions. We had to wait two hours at one junction, so we went to the hotel, got our coats checked and then went to a temperance billiard hall, where at the cigar counter they used a natural gas well for cigar lighting. "Besides, it wasn't five dollars I gave; it was twenty-five."—Boston News. Sweet Girl (after meditation)—I wis»* you would try sculling awhile.—Good News. moving through the woods, but the smootiinetiH or tue ground ana tne certainty and quickness of his stride as he went on silently in front, told that he was leading as over a beaten path with which lie was perfectly familiar. 1 never near a DiCDx barking in the distance hi the mgiit tune now that it does not at once bring to mind some scene or inciC1 • U11- Hi rht Tttere was seldom a we were uuf tiDariir'd oy li ,,nag from some direction the barking of a ikis and. like tue nngini? of a bell tjuoy to a sailor we always regarded it as a signal that told of danger near by We were too weak to keep up the swift pace set by our guide, so that frequently we had to call on him to halt while we threw ourselves on the ground, panting from the unusual exertion. An i occasional glimpse of the stars told that "Hunting deserters?" 1 asked. "Yes, Bah." "Are there many of them?" 1 recall this sleep as the most refresh ing 1 had had since my capture in December, and I do not think it was equsd ed in solid comfort in the forty-thre days, or rather forty-three nights, whicl we spent in trying to get back to tin Union lines Laws of Health. "Waai sah,' was the reply, "the woods is full ob em Dem ar desahtahs done gin us no eeud ob trouble Dey steal cohn. steal hogs, steal mos' eberything An fo mobn a yeah dar ain't been a chicken on de place 1 jes' wish de sojers'd git ebery one ob 'em." Tramp—Thankee kindly, mum; I'd no hope of gettin sich a fine supper today, mum. May heaven bless ye! .V Moving Tale. We had been walking, with only a few brief halts, for about eight hours, and we estimated that we had made at least twenty miles when daybreak found us at the fork of two roads. The one to the right showed signs of constant travel, and that to the left was corduroy, and appeared to lead into a swamp extending northward "I hope, papa," she said earnestly, "that you didn't hurt George's feelings when you met him at the door last night. He is very sensitive." The owl found a resting place on a beam a few feet away and looked at us with a solemn stupidity that was at first amusing, but finally it made us nervous, and Bell, who firmly believed that the presence of the bird was "a sartin, sure sign of death iin the family," clambered down to the floor and 1 followed. Housekeeper—As you've had a good supper, I think you might chop some wood. "He seemed so." 1 was the first to wake up, and, witl the cautiou born of contact with danger 1 rubbed my eyes and listened quietly ti the sound of voices that had disturbet me. It was dark, but the fact that ther was a group of men eating about the fir" before the hut told me that it was eithm very early in the morning or rather lab in the evening, and 1 decided that it wa the latter By rising on my elbow could look across Bell and see the met cooking and eating about the fire. I stalwart negro, with a shiny face am the merest apology for a shirt, was doin the cooking, while the major general anthe commodore, with three other whit men. were doing the eating. One of th newcomers sat with a paper in one han- "Yes, mum. but you know the old adage, 'After dinner rest awhile; after supper walk a mile.' I'll walk the mile first, mum.''—G-ood News. "Did he say anything?" "Ever have any Yankees here before. Abe? commodore were betting and tossing nails in at a great rate, some one told Bell he was bluffing "No, my daughter, he said nothing, but (and there was an expression uf serene satisfaction in the old man's eye) .lie was visibly moved."—Washington Star. The tables were rather old and had been slept on a good deal too much, and the cushions moaned when a ball struck them, and the cues needed new tips, and the floors needed concentrated lye and a freshet. "No, sah, not jes' heah, but I'ze hearn ob some out 'long de ribbah." "Did they get away?" We spoke in whispers, and did not dare to move. Not a sound escaped us. Now and then we were sure that we heard approaching voices, but it always turned out to be the whirr of the cicada or the soughing of the wind in the trees. It was this constant anxiety and mental strain that told on us far more than the night marches and infrequent food. An assurance of twenty-four hours of safety would have brought us rest and relief, but once in our sleep the waking thoughts asserted themselves, and we were still In woodcraft 1 was quite willing to yield my inclinations to Bell's experience. He had lived mucb among the North Carolina Cherokees, and he knew all their arts in following or avoiding trails, and he had in addition the innate feelingone could hardly call it knowledge—of direction that is a peculiar attribute of the white natives of the Blue Kidge. "Bluffing!" he repeated with a picturesque oath "I tell you, neighbor, if 1 had ten kegs of uails and was 'lowed to raise the ante that amount, I'd chuck 'cm into the pot quicker'n you could say Brutally KxplalneU. "Don't know, sah, but if de prayin ob de cullud folks was heard by  Mast ah 1 reckon dey did." said Abe. Maud—Why do you wear a dress suit at this time in the afternoon, papa? Taking It for (Iranted, Pater—I am going to a 5 o'clock with your mother. She said she would be ready in five minutes. It is now 4:80. She will be ready at about 8. That's why.—New York Sun. Highly Indignant Citizen—There's a man down here on Blank street using city water unlawfully. He's sprinkling his lawn and it's after 8-o'clock. I want him arrested. We played eight games in two hours, for which we were required to pay forty cents, or five cents per game. When this was done the proprietor gave us sixteen cigars. , Still firm in his purpose to reach the Savannah and then to follow it to the mountains, where, like Bob Roy, his feet would be upon his native heath, Bell asked our host about the country to the north, but the- information was vague and unsatisfactory, for Abe, although a man fifty years of age, had Tiiia bold declaration intimidated the commodore. He "called" Bell—and lost The mountaineer held a royal flush or some equally unusual and uncouquer- Ashamed able hand. Bell afterward assured me "What a beautiful red that rose is!" that if we bad staid in that game for a "Yes, it's probably blushing at the week he "would have won everv dost- price they ask for it."—Life. we were moving due north, and it seemed Police Magistrate (reaching for blank warrant)—What's your name? "John Cliockwell." to me that we must have been marching t for eight or ten hours, when Wilkins, after leading us along a wagon road for ainile or two, turned into ft clearing Waiting until the light waa sufficient to enable him to examine the corduroy road with care. Bell looked at the trail. ■'Four horses went in and four's come "They are pool cigars," he said. "We give them, two for a game, here. They ain't imported cigars, trat our fellers smokes 'em auite a arood deal," "Number of your milk wagon, Mr. Chockwell?"—Chicago Tribune.