Pittston Gazette

              4 "JL"™ *£?.•"[ oldest Newsnaoer in the Wyoming Vallev PITTSTOX, LUZERNE CO., PA., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11. 1891. A Weedy Local and Family lournal. '•""'.'"'"."Z'" A PRISONER OF WAR clouded over, und as we could hear no till next day aud wild that tie would cob- Bound of pursuit we decided to go to sleep in tlie woods through which we were linen moving Prudence would have dictated our resting by tnrns, but we were both bo tired out that we dropj»ed off to sleep at the foot of a tree while we were discussing the propriety of standing guard? ble onr tMXJts lor us. we readily agreed. _ If -T-— ~J\ I ! ? I f J ' - - v- -Cr'v ... SSI •It looks to me powahful likes if that boy would gin pluin out before we've gone half the distance.*" He was a kindly man. but I noticed that he did not offei to take me up behind or to give me a turn in his saddle. vinp at myself made no outcry, and 1 feared he was dead. Iitn we iiad no time to bother about that We extinguished the lan tern, ami again I had to beg Bell not to burden himseil with a rifle, and he agreed with a surly oath.. avenue of giant l;Dciists bordering the Irivewav that led up to its wide piazza. We walked on with a military 6tep, so M to create a favorable impression, if iveshould chance to be seen approaching. l)n the piazza we saw seated a matronly looking old lady and a younger woman "lad in black and wearing a widow's cap. It was arranged n- nD D!rew near that I should do the talking Standing on the steps we removed «D11r hats, and the Iailies rose and looked at us. first in alarm but as I told them my story of hunger wounds and sickness and asked for a litt le lood to enable us toget to our home in the mountains. 1 was rejoiced to see that an expression ol pity came Into their faces, and they invited us up and had cnairs brought for us, and the younger woman went off to order us something to eat. THE MIDNIGHT ESCAPE. haughty as those Rentlemen are who do so, I'm afraid. Wealth mAurally engenders an element of haught, I think, and yet I'd like to try it, if for nothing more than to be able to give the engineer a cottage and the conductor a cow every time I took a trip. He made us np a bed in the adjoining section of the cabin and, as Bell felt absolutely Mire that we could trust the old man 1 lay down with my clothes off and the feeling that, next to the food that satisfies a burning hunger, there is nothing quite like a bed that banishes fa- The Escape of Two Union Offi- UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS BILL NYE MAKES HIS TRAIN, cers from Millen, Ga. The country we passed through was known as "the Calhoun settlement." It had lieen the home of the great Nullifier, and so might be called "the cradle of secession ' Just before sunset we halted at the plantation of Mr. Patrick Calhoun, aud that hospitable gentleman, after a careful survey of Bell and myself, invited the party to remain for supper. The horses were taken to the stable and we were left on the wide piazza in charge of a guard A black woman brought us out an ample meal of bread, meat, milk and berries. '1 he.C* was no time for discussion, no need to speak Barefooted, we hurried from the stable and made for the northwest. aud fortunately we were right C03 to the direction It was uot till we had gone about half a mile from the house, stopping now and then to listen, but without hearing any alarm, that we broke into a run It was not the flight of men demoralized by fright. We knew that everything depended on husbanding our htrength and keeping on at a gait that, under the circumstances, we could have maintained for a day An Almost Fatal Delay Wlilch Necessl- This morning, on the way to Louisville, I saw a handsome man with white side whiskers sleeping in our parlor car. I thought at first that it was John Bright, who made 6uch a hit with his great disease, but then, I thought, it cannot be Bright, for he i3 dead. By ALFEED E. OALHOUN (Late Majoi When we woke up it was to find day breaking and the rain pouring down in the steady way tiiat indicated a wet day it must have beeu raining for hours, for out rags were so heavy with moisture that in order to wear them with comfort we had to wring thein out The hard tramp of the day before had left us stiff and Miiv. and to add to our discomfort, for we were very hungry, tdl the food we had brought with us from the Georgia side was gone 'I reckon von mout as well have some breakfast then if so be you'd like to go on ami sleep some more, you ken Uo bo. for it's still tt-rainin." This is something like the salutation with which Mr Dillard woke us up the next morning, aud without which, I am very Riire, we should have rounded out our twenty-four hours ol what Hill called "downright BOl'd old sleepm." tigue tated a Private Engine and Equipments for a Distance of Some Miles—Inside View of a Fellow Traveler. U. 8. Volunteers). [Copyright, 1801, by American Press Associ* (.Copyright, 1891, by Edgar W. Nye.] In Kentucky and Trecxino South, i December. J tlon.] [CONTINUED.] Much has been said by philosophers und savants regarding the beneficial effects of sleep. Nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep, has no doubt received as many favorable press notices as any attraction, perhaps, that is now a candidate for public favor; and yet sleep may be justly ancl severely criticised. Sleep and its beneficial effects are often over- Soon he opened his eyes pleasantly, waking up like n little daffodil on the wind swept mead. Then I saw that he was Daniel Dougherty. He was to speak at Louisville soon, and bo he was going there. When he has to speak at a place he begins by going there. He was right . glad to sec me, and his face lighted up the moment he saw me with such a look of delirious pleasure that I felt glad 1 could shed such sunlight on the pathway of others. Mr. Dougherty is a most eloquent speaker, a keen judge of intellect and ability iu others, und is writing a life of Edwin Forrest, which will be sold only by subscription in cloth, $3.50; library style, $4; full Russia, with beveled edges, $6. WK I.Al'NCHKD IT ANID Pl'PttF.D OUT. sessed was evident from their oaths and scowling faces Before our escape from Milieu we decided on the story we should tell once we got away and stick to it without any variation. This we had done except in the case of the negroes who had befriended us, 60 that now we were ready to confront any of the white men with whom we had spoken to prove that we had lDeen persistently consistent in our statements. It was uot our policy to volunteer information, but we were not slow to resent in a spirited way any attempt to treat us with indignityCHAPTER V DAYS OF PKUIL IN THK IHNY WOODS OF Nobody who had ever heard the field hands of the south singing could mistake the voices tor those of white persona Confident that we were near friends. Bell and 1 hurried in the direction of the souud. but we did not permit our assur ance to blunt our caution.  along J; y thecottbntield fence, rnPlw\u£litC KMKTH CAROLINA The breakfast was much like the dinner of the day before, except that our bacon was boiled with some sort of greens that to me was very palatable. Mr Dillard told us that he was going to Allendale that day. and he advised us to hang around till the following morning, sayijig i -uit in the meantime he would consult \mn some friends who could be trusted und see if a plan could not be hit on that would further our venture and prevent oui leading the wretched vagrant existence ol the present. It was about 12 o clock when we left the stable, so that we nad five hours of darkness, and we determined to u=e it. We overheard the men saying the evening before thatthe Home Guards were patrolling the roads at night in that district, and this kept us in the fields or woods We were ill the foothills of the Blue liitlge and the country was broken, making travel particularly trying in the darkness added to this, creeks aud streams Ix-set otir course every mile or two so that we weresoou drenched, and as Bell could not swim, 1 always entered the water by his side in a state of alarm, though fortniiateiy that night I was not railed on to help him. for we crossed no water that was not ford a ble. Cutting two stout sticks we resumed our journey keeping in the 6ide roads to the left, which we knew would lead us toward the Savannah river, and with that for a guide we reasoned that we could not go far astray We passed a n-'tntecr of ruined cabins and worn out tifcrts but 1-tw country appeared to be deserted lor till about noon wo saw no sign ol life In going through a stretch of pines we suddenly came upon a group of barelegged, towheaded children playing beside a brook, and at sight of us they stood 6tock still and gazei-at us with curiosity and awe in their eyes, as I have seen mountain antelope look when controuted by a sudden danger The eldest C-was a girl of about twelve, and 1 vividly recall that, though evidently frightened herself she drew the other children about her and shielded them with her sun browned arms in a way that After supper Mr Calhoun and the gnanls came out and smoked and talked with the greatest freedom about the war They were very certain that Leo had the best of it in Virginia, and they were equally sure that some line day v x\ f,' iF r. ? » •, v tVi i / \ -' :i Q ¥ -, xL' |TH\ I  'when Lie got good and ready," a3 our host 1*111 it, ho would rise up fc.id wipe Grant and his army off the face of tho earth Affairs in Georgia did not please these gentlemen. They discussed Sherman and "Joe* Johnston with an intelli gence that showed that they knew the proper thing to do a great deal better than the man in command. "Johnston has lost his grip." "He's never got over the wound the Yanks gave him in the teven days tight." "He's a-gittin too lid we want a younger man;" but J noticed that they never once took into consideration that Sherman had a stronger and better army l Vip '1 i /C' jp x- sight of the men and women hoemg in the rows that looked like long billows of bloom, and far back of them we had a glimpse of a village of cabins, and near by a [Hirticoed mansion that, in the distance looked like the ideal 'southern home' as pictured in Morse's old school geography A plantation road made our advance easy and in a few (junutes more we should have beeu within hailing distance of the negroes when to our great surprise and 1 may add alarm, a dog bounded at us from the woods to the right and lDegan barking at a furious rate * w D i -1'- sD- \ A ; D i! /-*/ . fti /I _ I {.?! W #F ?N" Feeling the necessity of having papers about us that would look and read like furloughs, 1 com missioned Mr. Dillard to buy me some |Dens, ink and paper, for he had no such articles about his house, and also to get me if possible some kind of a citizen's coat Bell gave him the money aud then returned to bed, while 1 went off to the woods with the children. From force of habit rather than tho result of any agreement, Dell always told his story first, and after he had worked himself into a high pitch of indignation and become reckless in his profanity and eager to fight any uumber of men in any way they chose 'but not mor'n two at a time.' I assumed a lofty mauuer and used my finest language—the latter I found was always potent with even southern men of education. The leader of the gang of horsemen was a lond voiced bully, and that his military record was confined to the home guard was evident at a glance. With a loud oath aud a threatening gesture in the direction of his pistol he addressed Bell, [terhaps because he was the older and the stronger looking It was in Michigan a week ago that Mr. Bnrbauk and 1 went to the drug store to get some things in the way of grease paints and flake white for beautifying and whitening the neck and arms for evening dress. Mr. Burbank inquired for some rouge de theatre. That means theatrical rouge. I give this explanation because 1 am a good French scholar, and used to translate French novels until I had a severe illness which showed me how uncertain life is, and then 1 made a solemn promise that 1 D would be a better man. So I do not translate French novels now. I am far from what 1 ought to be, of coarse, yet, but I have made that much of a Btride in the right direction. The Kky winch liail been overcast when we started ont, cleared off toward morn iujD, and we discovered that we were going due south As the country grew rougher 111 the direction we had been goinf; and so would have bothered pur suing horsemen, we decided not to change, reasoning that we must soon leach the Savannah, which we had made up. our minds to re'cross into Georgia. These little ouea knew nothing about books, and were entirely ignorant of the fairy stones on winch the children of civilization are biought np. They had Bell drew his knife and was about to rush at the dog. though the brute did uot look to be particularly dangerous, when he was changed from his purpose by the ap;Dearance of a man with a Ions beard an unkindly eye and a shotgun This gentleman seemed to be as much sur prised at seeing us as we were at meeting him Stepping between Bell and the dog he asked augnly 'Sis said Bell in a kindly tone that seemed very natural though since our meeting in the Charleston poorhouse it had not iiwn habitual with him, "wo uns is Inends You uns mustn't feel was wry touching Though ail the shakers seemed to feel certain of winning in the end, there waa an undertone of sadness and depression hi their voices that told they were whipped if the men at the front were uot From the war the talk drifted to the gangs of deserters theu plundering the planters, and they said that these outlaws were mouutaineers from Kentucky and Tennessee who had deserted and were now proving themselves a greater cursi- than the Yankees. 'The only thini* to do with these wretches." urged out host "is to shoot them down or hang item up likn dogs as soon as they are caught.'- ks/ WHEN UK I'ARTEI) WITH THOSE KIND an idea that Yankees were fierce, cruel animals from which they would run on sight. lor they had killed their father. Their ideas ot religion were vague and would nornfy an orthodox Sunday school They firmly believed in ghosts, and Min the girl, assured me, with much sincerity in her voice and awe in ner big gray eyes, that one night, when she was searching for a lost cow in the There was that in the accent and bearing of the motherly old lady that told me she was not of southern birth, and •is she wa3 disjtosed to ask qdWtions and not at all afraid to give her views, this fact came out very soon. We told her th3 same old story, in the relation of which we had become adepts by this time, aud she shook her head and, as nearly as 1 can recall her words, said WO"mkn ' We am t skeert." said the girl, and she il»vw ;i loni» breath skeert J ust before daylight we came to a halt on the banks of a 6tream, which we hoped was the Savannah, aud waited for daylight. When light came, the width and character ol the river convinced us we were right, but it needed no soundings to assure me that it could not bo forded at that point. We had to act and think quickly We found a drift log on the shore to which Hell could and without hesitation wo launched it and pushed out. 1 do not think 1 ever met a man with more physical courage than my companton. but his ashy face and the awful look in his eyes as ho clung to that log, while 1 swain aud pushed it along. I shall never forget THE PASS. "Got any rouge?"' Mr. B. asked. "Any what?" "Rouge!"' "Rouge;"' "Yes, rouge." "Why, I believe so. What color do you want?" •We uns is soldiers,' continued Bell "Is your dad a soldier?" 'tie was said the girL •Am t be uow? 'Well, yon d—d horse thief 1 You infernal cowardly deserter, we got you and this boy: now if you don't tell us whar the rest of the gang is, by , we'll take our halters and swing yon two fellows up right here!' estimated. A traveling man 6tated to ine yesterday, as he rubbed up a special gas tip which he uses at hotels where the tip has beijn economically pinched together by the landlord, that he had observed very often, not only that sleep failed to refresh, but actually seemed injurious.vt v j •* ■■*** »*•- " She shook tier head and compressed her lips harrican she saw two ghosts, and 'ttH-y looked just like Yankees or devils. She was very sure that in the heart of the- swamp there lived a rabbit "a heap sight bigger'n a boss, an he don't nev«i come out, cept when some one's gwine to die l£f it's a old pusson he crawls kinder slow an ef it's a young ime ne skips round iDowatiful lively, an wouiiln t ttnnk nothin of jnmpin clar it is not war. it is fratricide. Why should yon young men want to kill the men from the north; did they ever do sither of yon harm before this trouble Why uot'' asked BelL Kaze To prove that he meant business, the man—his name was Holland—flung himself from tho saddle, and the others fol lowed Ins example. Bell did not quail, indeed, there was that in his manner that alarmed the horsemen. lie strode toward Holland and. looking him full in the eyes, prefaced his introductory speech by informing the fellow that if he dared to intimate that either of us was a horse thief he lied like a sneak and the truth was not in him, and, further, that if hedlol land) was not the biggest coward that evei wore a beard he would either apologize or else give the man he bad so grossly insulted an equal chance to prove his honor and his courage. This bold course had an excellent effect, and Bell was quick to see it. Turning to the other men with a manner that indicated be was sorry to see a lot of fine fellows in such company as Holland s. he said This i3 not the creation of a feverish imagination or just seven fat lines to tickle the printer alone. It is the eternal truth, and I can prove it. Near the Kentucky line, on. the J, M. aud I. road, my attention was called to an obese gentleman with a chin beard which looked as though it had been used for thirty or forty years as a hearth broom. He ate apples, slept and visited the ice water end of the car often, accompanied by a barometer with a cork in it. The same authority was sure that there were fully .1 hundred of these 'outlaws" then hiding in the Abbeville district, and he advised Holland to leave Bi ll aud myself in charge and keep on the search with his men till they had cleaned out the neighborhood. "It won't look like business." he said, ''to have six strong, well armed men going up to the court house with a couple of such creatures «i these," and he motioned at Hell and myself with his pipe. "For instance, last evening 1  bed as happy as a lark, and this morning when 1 woke up the first feeling that came over me was one tDf the deepest sadness. 1 lay it to sleep. Sleep is ot%r-estimated. Last night I never felt more kindly toward every one. I remember of hugging the night clerk, a man whom I now loathe. Why was it? Sleep' Sleep had changed me from a glad, merry hearted boy, whose songs enlivened the night like the silvery music of a gentle waterfall, to the pessimistic and austere cynic yon see before you. Tonight 1 will gnard against this much talked of sleep. I will stay up all night." I got up at 2:30 a. m. yesterday and thought of his remark. If anything can be more injurious than sleep I think it is early rising. Early rising and an illy lighted (this word I got at a fall opening in Chicago) an illy lighted stairway threw me at Benton Harbor and injured my ankle iso that I could not get to the depot without assistance. At that hour it was imjKJssibla. to get a carriage, for the city was yet young, like the newborn day itself. The clerk tried to rouae every 'Kaze whyi* 'Kaze ue s deadI' she gasped began?' •That s doggone bad. but then lots aud Ints of soldiers is dead, and lots and lots uioab i.i goiu to peg out afuah the trouble is over We una, as you see har sis. is most nigh dead, but we una don't intend to go' clar out till we tins ken reach the wives and babies awaitin ua up in the mountains.' This was the most surprising question that had as y»t been put to either Bell or myself We exchanged glancc3 of satisfaction, for it was evident that this was either a Union woman or a tine moral philosopher. We hastened to assure ber that the Yankees had never wronged us. and then my companion got off the trite saying. "This is a rich man's qnar'l and i iDore man's fight." ovab de ban lean goin to git married' when she waa Aim further informed me that she was The undertaking was not difficult, but when 1 reached a poiut where it was safe for my friend to drop down his legs and abandon the log, we both sent up a fervent "Thauk God!" The Georgia shore was rocky and wooded, and we at once hurried to a position from which we could not be seen from the South Carolina side. We wrung out our clothes, and after finding that the woods afforded ma ly places for concealment we decided to remain there till dark. As we were pretty well fagged out, and nothing was to be gained by standing guard, we made a couch of boughs in the midst of a great pile of rocks and slept till late in the afternoon, by which time our fatigue had gone and we were as hungry as wolves. 'nigh bout sixteen, ef so be the Yankees don t kill oil all the men." And she seemed quite comforted when 1 told her that I had no wile, and that 1 might come down to see her again when 1 got my best clothes and she was "nigh 'boat sixteen Since that time 1 have played u-itn the children of the Navajoea. Utes aud Mojaven m their own villages, and I found them quite as enlightened as these interesting little white savages of the South Carolina pine lands. Bell and I were both 6ingle, but as his purpose was naturally to ingratiate himself with the child I remained quiet. She told us that the nearest town was Allen dale and that we were now in the Barn well district How far Allendale was she did not know but she "reckoned it was a right smart distance." and this vague reply we often received from older and more intelligent people. Tins projiosition was agreed to. and then Sir Calhoun sent for a lantern, and conducting Bell and myself to a smokedouse he told lis to go in and keep quiet, an order which we obeyed without a word ' After a few minutes Holland and our host appeared again and a black man who accompanied them threw down on the smokehouse floor a bundle of fodder which we were told was to be our "Oh. it is monstrous and cruel," she continued, with innch feeling "1 am a oorthem woman, born in Pennsylvania. My daughter, the lady who has just left ns. married .Mr. Duffy, a southern man, some years before the war 1 came here to visit her just before the trouble bejan Her husband went away with a :ompany and within six months his oody was sent home, he was killed in a skirmish near Harper's Ferry—killed, perhaps, by my own boy. who is fight:ng on the other side, and who loved him like a brother and would have died for him. My God! my God! how long is this to continue? Do the men who Sometimes lie would ask the rest of us to go with him aud see what the weather was going to be for the blue grass country. He generally went by himself and returned with happy tears in his eyes and a breath that would polish a plate glass mirror and remove warts, freckles, tan, superfluous hair and Democratic votes. KAZK HE'S UK AD "Who the devil are yon fellows, and where did yon come from?" "We nn» is soldiers'" replied Bell •Yes. yon look like soldiers." saidf the man with a sneer, and 1 noticed that be looked me over carefully and appeared to be particularly interested in my ragged bine jacket On others matters the girl was much more positive She was certain that her name was 'Mm Long, "and that she and her mothei and brothers and sisters lived with tier tirandfather Dillard "over by the tiarrican We subsequently found that this 'harncan' was a stretch of 'We uns is sojers on furlough n-tryin to make our way to the mountains We uns liez oeeu wnar the man that dares to insult we nns never was and never will oe and that* whnr Vankee bullets ne.z been flyin around J ust look at that'' With h dramatic intensity and a forced uhnn snrb m i rare never seed stirpasseu Then he would take out his teeth and cleanse them neatly on the linen cover of the parlor car chair. He was just that neat and pernickety that everything about him must be nice and clean, even Late in the afternoon Mr Dillard returned bringing writing materials and also a butternut coat, which, in addition to tCeniK several sizes too large, had seen service before That night two men, who looked enough like Mr. Dillard to 4mj »* — t'liina tn f h« hrvn«o. and we found them tike our host very much down on the Yankees, and still more bitterly op;Dosed to the war and the men who brought it on. They had va;'Uf stor.es about great battles in Cieorgia ami Virginia, and a man over *t Allendale had told Mr Dillard that Lincoln was killed. This information was thought to be reliable, as the man who told it had seen it "with his own D*yes' in a Columbia paper. bed You'll bo locked in," said Holland. 'and the first of yoa that shows a sign of getting out will find a bullet in his head " "Hit ain't necessary thai, you nn should believe we uns." said /SOvtairv about a mile track fruxu lire river where a hurricane some years before had cut down a swath of timber about halt a mile in width and miles in length as completely as if it had been leveled by a mighty scythe. titoiWjiuu fastened with a iodine it and then the men \ttD »» guard that we could hear outside. It was as dark as it well could be. and the heat was intensified by the odor of rancid bacon aud creosote. It did not take us long to decide that it would be imprudent for us to attempt to get out of the smokehouse that night "But," said Bell, "if you could play downright sick tomorrow they might let up on ua so as to give us a chance." My appearance was in my favor 1 was far from being in good health and 1 determined to trv it. and we went to sleet); but it was only to wake up again and again in the course of the long, black night with a feeling of awful depression and the consciousness that we were being slowly suffocated to death. I believed, from the tune we left Miller* llval Shertwrm'-'m-raT aheuU l»» amw. objective point, but Bell s Heart was set on the mountains, and as he "knew the Blue Ridge as well's if he'd built hit," I yielded again, and we made up our minds to travel in the direction of sun down. an angry glint in his eyes 'But mont I ask who the devil you nns is whar yon uns come from and all the rest •boat hit?" in the stage Bell tore open his sntrt and •x-inted ro tb** still unhealed bullet mm- In his right breast. It bad been made by a rebel, but who could tell that? pest in tbr- frr-rti ttt itrr-r pTrrcc on the battlefield. but wing their baleful way to some once happy home and find their resting place in a woman's heart?" not. Meantime I lay moaning in the arms of an attendant. My breath came in quick bnt yet invisibly checked pants. The train would be due in eight minutes. What to do? Anon I heard a dull thud as the clerk broke in the door of a blacksmith shop and pulled out a piano box baggy valued at $18.50. 4 Hastily placing me in this with the aid of my attendant and valet, he started on a ruu for the station, neighing joyously as he met a team that he recognized. In a trice, or possibly a trice and a half, we were there. 1 was taken out and placed in a berth, where I moaned the balance of the night- away; but 1 cannot be too grateful to the clerk of the hotel at Benton Harbor, where this melancholy accident occurred, for he showed tact, ability and kindness, to say nothing of the fact that I found him to be thoroughly gentle and a good roadster. As he left us I wrang his hand two times (for ice water), and, turning away my head so that lie conld not see mv tears. 1 presented him with my autograph. When I get home 1 am going to send him a nice new red fly net for next summer. The flight from Benton Harbor was not much like our triumphant entry in the evening. All the previous day we had battled .-igaiust disaster and delay. As we left Manistee the engine broke down so tlj#t we could only use one side of it. Rapidly we lost time. Once we lost over three quarters of an hour in less than twenty Minutes. This meant that we wcvld fail to connect at Grand Rapids, and so miss Benton Harbor, where we had agreed 10 lecture to a man fur whom we had a great deal of respect. Eveiy time we stopped we had to look out or we would lie on the "dead point" of the engine, and then it would take half an hour with a pinch bar and some profanity to start again. Finally we got desperate. I told the conductor how we were situated and asked him if he could hold the Grand Rapids train. He seemed to fear he could not, as we were already three hours late and rapidly falling farther back into the early fall. However, he said that all would be well. It is very trying to sit and suffer that way, knowing that there has been an advance sale of with the chances of a door sale running it up to $11 or $11.50, and that bitter disappointment is likely to fall upon people who have come from a distance—"our best people" too. When we got to Grand Rapids an order was there from Superintendent Conley to provide us with a special engine, baggage car and coach, and in fifteen minutes we were traveling at a high rate of speed toward our destination. Dear reader, did you ever travel by means of your own special train? If not you do not know what real, keen enjoyment and vanity is (or are, rather). We could pat our feet on the seats, smoke, gamble till after bedtime, talk loud, drink out of all the ice water tanks at once, wipe our faces on two clean towels at a time and just give ourselves up to a delicious sense of lawlessness that made me feel vonntr again. I can still remember how I felt the first time I rode on a pass. I did not need the trip, and I lost two days at the office to do it, but I could not be comfortable with the beautiful pass in my pocket. I rose when the conductor came to me and showed him my pass. I watched the rest of the poor, unknown passengers to see how it would strike them, poor people, common working people, who had to pay full rates and sit on the wood box. The conductor looked me over so that he would know me next time, and then he said: "This pass is only good on the Short Line. It's no good on this train." 1 paid him the money that I was going to fool awaV on an overcoat, and that night, instead of putting up at the Grand hotel, I paused at the Travelers' Home, a plain place provided for the entertainment of man and beast (in the same rooms). If I owned a railroad or two and could ' ride in a soecial car. I'd be iust as •I am the owner of this plantation." ■aid the man with a swwp of bis disengaged arm abont the horizon "And as Tve been plundered by a lot of thieves who are going through the country pretending to lie sick or furloughed soldiers I have the right to tind out who you are particularly when I find you on tny plantation and utiles away from the regular road Holland calmed down somewhat, though he was not inclined to yield gracefully He and his men were out hunting desertersand horse thieves. They bad iDeen tracked into these woods, and. while Bell's story might be true, it was the part of prudence to make us prisoners uutil we conld prove that we were honest men and away from the army on furlough I do not pretend to give the exact language. but there was a pathos and an eloquence in Mrs Tyson's words that orougbt tears to our eyes. Her own eyes were wet. and her hands trembled lbove the sewing that had fallen into ier lap We attempted no reply. We Dvere here under false colors, and as we iared not tell the truth respect forced is to keep silent Bell sought to confirm himself in the child's good graces by assuring her that, although we were barefoot and didn't have our best clothes along, we really had lots of money and to prove the latter statement he pulled out the wad ol Confederate money he had won on the island and gave a bill to each of the children On the instant their timidity vauished and they cheerfully consented to pilot us to their home 'over by the harncan " and as they were sure that their grandfather and one hand were the only men on the place we thought it quite prudent to go with them The sun bad set, anil we had gone abont a mile, keeping the river on our right, we came to a clearing, and above the trees at the other side we saw a 6moke pillar that indicated a house. Walking along the fence we came to a road leading toward the house, but the deep, bell-like baying of dogs in the distance sent our hearts into our mouths and made us run back to the woods again After concluding that the dogs were uot after us we moved on once more, and at length reached a good, well beaten road that led in the right direction We met a wagon and n number of ho«&emen, but we took care that they did net see us. About midnight we met a man on foot who w\f very drunk, and seemed to have lost his horse and his bearings. He told us that he had beetfii soldier, 'the best sojer ever sent out by this here county of Elbert or the whole state of Georgia." he declared He further informed us that if we kept straight on for about ten or fifteen tniles we should fetch up at Montevideo, but he proposed that we should see him home, when be would treat us like gentlemen and send a team with us as far as Hart on the morrow We thankfully declined, and left the gentleman 6inging "The Southern Wagon" beside the road. One ol these men was decidedly oiig-1n.1Lin his way aud be gave us an idea which we subsequently carried out to our groat advantage. He 6eemed to nave a (wrticular hatred for the men who had been exempted from army duty lDecause of their negroes. And now I seemed to side with Holland 1 assured him that his precaution was right and reasonable, but 1 urged at the same time that it was hard for men who were good soldiers, and who had oeen wounded and lost their health in the service, to be treated like deserters and thieves Every day's delay shortened our furlough, and to prove it 1 showed him the papers 1 had prepared at Dillard's They were in proper form, they were watersoaked and had all the evidence of having been issued by Major Huger at Pocotaligo three weeks before. We belonged to the Thirty-seventh North Carolina, but had been detailed, while at Wilmington, for battery service further down the coast. Mrs. Tyson asked Bell what he thought ibout the result of the war. 1 acknowledged his right to make any inquiries he chose and I claimed the same right to answer or not as we chose. 1 explained our presence by saying we had just crossed the Savannah river and that our purpose was to reach the Blue Ridge "I think,' lie said, "we uns is licked. The Yauke h;iv« gut the men ai: I the nouey Hi; « ail men and money in war Hit dun t mattei the right or the wrong of the tiling We uns undertook »o big a contract and failed, as shore's fer Lawn There'll be more fighting mil a lot more men kilt and property ifcstroyed. bnt hit's doggoned pride that feefis the south at hit." HI so be he said, as near as 1 can recall '1 was a rnakin fo the Blue Kidge. 1 wouldn't go neah no large towns like (iusta. fo' them's chuck full ol feller* playin sojers. I'd stick to the country I'd find out what plantations had the best dosses or tnnles, an as 1 prefer to ride rather than to walk, I'd do as most sojers do. an that is take a critter when I warned one. Of course it woolda t in- wise to hang on to the same critters, but change off every chance." The suu bad been shining through the smokehouse cracks for an hour or more, when the door was opened by one of Holland's inen and a refreshing current of air blew in A black man brought us some breakfast, which we were permitted to eat sitting in the doorway We were about to be locked up again when I begged the man to have us taken to some place where there was fresh air, and urging that I was sick, as in truth i was He said he would see about it, then locked us in and went away. He came back 6oon, saying he had permission to take us to the stable. Here we were sent up to a loft, and 1 asked the man on guard below if he could not send for a doctor, but he said, "It wouldn't be no use, for thar was only one doctah this side of Abbeville, and he was dead down on horse thieves." his teeth. Then he would eat an apple with his pocketknife, carefully wiping it on his trousers before and after using it. I never saw such a neat man. Then he would go again to the tank with his barometer and come back, dignified, but conrtly and kind. HE SAT OPPOSITE ME. At«Dut a mile further on we came upon a double log cabin on stilts that left a space underneath for a swarm of yellow curs and a lot of disconsolate looking chickens As we neared the house the children ran ahead, and when we halted before the steps leading up to the ojten sp:we between the two cabins the little ones were showing their money to a yellow faced hollow eyed woman whose faded calico dress appeared to be her only garment, and who held—cigar fashion— between her thin lips a willow stick, which told at a glance that she was addicted to the habit of snuff dipping"If you are furloughed soldiers," said the man. "you have no doubt the papers to prove It." "If you can show us that you have the right to see our papers." I responded, 'then we can tal k.' Wo almost forgot our hunger, but while listening with great interest to Mrs Tyson, we expected to have the food served to us tramp fashion on the piazza, for we did not feel that we were Jlean enough to enter a decent house, Out. to our surprise, the mistress of the tnausiou invited us into .a charming dining room and her mother preceded us md sat at the foot of the table—to our discomfort, for we were ravenously hungry, and so I told her. Once lie met a handsome little blond boy in the aisle and reached out to pat him ou the head, but his weather researches had worn him out pretty well, so he DTiissed the child and struck an old woman from Peru, Ind.,on the brow, pulling off her spectacles and sticking them in her lunch before he could recover."1 am a captain of the home guard in the Hamptou district." he said, and he pulled a lot of letters from his pocket and pointed to the addresses, which I refused to read, for our only course was to deny his authority in the "premises. This man was regarded by his friends as a great traveler He had been down the river to Savannah, and he had also made a trip iu his yonnger days "way out to Pickens " which was the extreme northwestern corner of the state. "We talked far into the night, and the next morning Bell and myself, iu excellent health and spirits, bade farewell to Mr Dillard and his interesting family Holland and others looked over the papers, and if they doubted my 6tory it was not indicated at that time. But one middle aged man with a long beard and a campnieeting cast of countenance, asked very solemnly The shotgun gave him a decided advantage. but i could 6ee by his eyes that he would not dare to use it. except in •elf defense Suddenly his manner changed, and he said "L perhaps, should not doubt the story you gentlemen tell, but you can see that in these times we cannot rely on the statement of every stranger If you will go on to my house (he pointed to the mansion among the trees to the north) 1 shall follow within an hour and will do all 1 can to assist you ' As I write these lines he-sits opposite me asleep. J udging by the wrinkles in the roof of his month, I would say that he is a man about sixty-eight years of age, but wonderfully well preserved. 'Howdee, strangers?" was the woman's salutation as Bell and 1 doffed onr bats and stood before her 'Is it not the rule to furnish transportation to men who are furloughed?" I have before remarked that my inoun;aiiieer friend, Bell, wal one of the most profane men 1 ever met, yet his nature was intensely religious. He prayed ivhenever he felt grateful and swore ivhen angry Before he sat down to that iplendid feaot he raised his face, closed us eyes and asked a long blessing on t lis .'ood and on the noble women who had supplied it. and he ended with an in volition for peace that was really earnest md eloquent. Bell said that he was fetling very well, excepting that he was a little damp and hungry and that if the lady would get as something to eat and permit us to dry our clothes before going on that he would gladly pay her her own price, as he cared far more for the accommodation than he did for the money We were kept in the loft all day, a man with his long hunting rifle between his knees sitting on a box at the foot of the ladder. After we had had our supper and just before dusk the guard was relieved by an elderly man, who came provided, in addition to his rifle, with a book and a lantern. During the day we got a good idea of our bearings, and when we saw our guard and realized the fact that we were at least 500 feet from the house, our spirits rose. We tried to talk to the old gentleman, but he was very reticent, and finally told us, with anger in his voice, that we must not bother him By way of appeasing our hunger we drank at every stream we came to, and when the cocks began to crow Bell was sorely tempted to find their roosting place. The dawn of another day found us on the same road, with a pleasant, Hilly and cultivated country on either band. It was thirtv-sis hours since we had tasted food, and during that time we had traveled a distance estimated at seventy miles. This would have taxed 6trong, healthy men, but we were weak to start with, and the terrible strain and privation were not calculated to improve our vigor We both had 'flashes of fever and right smart spells of chills and ager." but the determination to win or 'to die a-tryin" kept us at it and roused us to effort when our feet felt like great burdens that could not be lifted again, and we reeled and staggered through the darkness like drunken men We had a rode map of the roads leading to Aiken, and we were assured by Mr Dillard and his friends that if we kept on the tracks indicated and did not put np at the larger plantations that we might trust the poor whites, "fo" they was onr own kind of folks." This advice was certainly good, and acting on it we passed through Aiken. Edgefield and into the Abbeville district. We met many deserters on the way, and the men with whom we spoke were all convinced that the south was whipped. If the demoralization and desertions were as great in other parts of the south, and 1 am inclined to think they were, it is certain that the southern men hastened the inevitable end. As this was one of the questions 1 had prepared for in advance. 1 replied with a bow He has done it himself. He has done It by means of alcohol. Y ou know self preservation is the first law of nature. '1 see. sir, you are well acquainted with the service. We did have transportation to Raleigh, and the quartermaster there would have seen us through as far as he could, but we lost our papers, everything but the actual furloughs and a little money, at Branchville. Then we knew that we must either go back and lose time or be arrested as deserters and lose more time, so we maae up our minds to take to the woods and get home in that way That is why we are here. Now gentlemen, we do not fear arrest; indeed, we have done nothing to merit it You can search us if you will"  But I oughtn't to make such light and flippant remarks about so gentle and lovable a man as he seems to be; a man whose whole being is as open as the day, as far as the eye can reach. I feel half ashamed now that I have exposed him even thus to my gentle and indulgent reader. 1 thanked him promptly said we should t»e delighted to accept his offer then gave our names, and asked for bia He was 'Captain Law ton. at our service He told us that he was his own overseer and that as soon as he had given the hands in the cotton field instructions he would come on to the house We gave him a military salute and went down the road, while he stood looking after us. one hand resting on the fence and the other on his gun 'Come in aud I'll send for dad." »e-plied the woman We followed her in. and the oldest girl was sent for ner grandfather That gentleman must nave been within easy reach for Bell and 1 had hardly talcen onr seats by the fire when Mr Dillard the owner of the place and the father ol the woman came iu He wore no shoes A ragged straw bat. and a pair of butter nut trousers held up by a 6ingle sua pender that had left a blue stain on hi9 unbleached and unwashed cotton shirt constituted his simple attire. His hair and beard were shaggy and gray, and his loug leathery cheeks and bony cin uatnon colored hands gave him the ap pearance of an Indian He was very dis 'ant at first He knew nothing about the war and did not want to know except Seeing that their presence restrained as, the ladies left the dining room and :old the big eyed and astonished black ?irl to remain within call. There was a mowy cloth on the table and there werr iaintily folded napkins beside our plat The dishes were china, cut glass una diver and the food was abundant varied and well cooked. The whole ;hing seemed to me at first like a dream Torn which I must awaken to find lay lelf near the long nosed black pigs io the He shows every mark of a most kindly nature, and I'll bet anything that will be respectable and not regarded as gambling that no hungry man ever left his iloor and no homeless wanderer ever, with wet eves, turned hopelessly from that broad and welcome doormat at the portals of the h«ne where this old gentleman resides. tie rested his rifle against the ladder, hung tiie lantern just above the box, then adjusted Ins spectacles and began to read About 10 o'clock Mr. Calhoun came out with a decanter and a glass, and after drinking ho told the guard that he would relieve him at midnight. But the old man protested that he could 'stick it out as well as them brave boys who had to stand picket dnty all night," anil, warming up with his second glass, he asked as a favor not to be relieved till daylight This was finally agreed to. and. after leaving the decanter and glass within reach. Mr Calhoun said 'Good night. Squire." and left •What do yon think of hit?*' asked Bell, when he had gone out of bearing '1 think if we go to that house it will De walking into a trap.* I said. This wan my companion s opinion Captain Law ton of the bouie guard would come to the house with some of his men from the neighboring plantations and we should lie arrested and forced to confess that we were escaping Yankees, in order to avoid tteing tried as Confederate desertersOn the uight. or rather early morning, of July 7 we were concealed in a dense wood between a place called Lowndesville and the border of the Anderson district. about three miles from the Savannah river We bad been traveling hard for about sixteen hours, and made up our minds to rest before going on We laj down in a deserted cabin, that must have been used at one time by hunters, for there were plenty of "birds" in that section We nad not yet dropped off to sleep when we were startled by hearing the tramping and snorting of horses, and looking out through the chinks of the cabin we saw six well mounted, well armed men approaching They came directly to the cabin, as if sure that the parties they were in search of were se- there Kerning in. one of the men baited before the opening, and with his carbine thrown into the hollow of his bndle arm be shouted Here Holland interrupted: 'Search h—I' Can't we see you ain't got no horses about your clothes?* At which speech the others broke into a roar of laughter, while 1 breathed easier, for had they searched me they would have found :n my trousers pocket the memorandum book given me by Turner's adjutant, Latouche, in Richmond. and this was now pretty full of notes, indicating my prison experience and giving a brief daily record of our doings since our escape, nearly three weeks before. l reel sure that no sorrowing- heart ever came to him for gentle pity and cheer that went hungry away; uo hroken winged bird with grieving cry ever came to nestle in that broad and resonant breast to be clubbed away with cold and cruel scorn; and yet I grieve to say that as I sit here writing these words and look far down into his open face no one can deny that the last time he wiped off his teeth he must have been thinking of something else, for the lowers are on the tipper side and the vulcanized rubber roof of t his month is down stairs, so that lie seems almost to be standing 011 his head. It makes mo almost dizzy to look at him now. So no more at present from your true friend, The light in the east warned us to find another hiding place for the day, and we hurried toward the nearest woods. Thoroughly exhausted and with the hunger burning our vitals again, as it had done at Lib by and Charleston, wo tottered into the underbrush aud lay down like famished wolves. We were roused from our sleep by feeling ourselves pushed, and starting up we found ourselves in the midst of a half score of those long nosed, razor backed hogs to be found no place outside of southern woods. lushes found myself ignoring the silver fork, ;nl as for using the napkins, they were I rerall that while devouring the food ■i pv.re and white that to touch them wmed like sacrilege. It is surprising now soon even the daintily nurtured can ■link to the level of his savage progeni- 'hat a 'passel of doggone hounds kem to his bouse inore n two years ago and toted Jack Long, his son-in-law. off to de wan." Be didn't bring on the war and he wasn't going to fight "unless they came to tote htm off; then he would show his hand," and he motioned to the long hunting rifle and powder born above the dresser Bell and I were fresher and stronger than wt1 bad been at any time since our escape Our feet were so tough that we preferred to carry our old boots slung over our shoulders We knew that if we did not go to the bouse that the man whom we had just met and his friends would sCion be searching tor us. and that our only bope lay in getting away from this plantation as soon as possible Between the cotton field and the bouse we turned sharply to the west till we came to a wood that extended back to the swamp through which we had come that morning then we broke into a double quick aud kept on till the sun sank down behind the forest wall After talking apart with his companions for some time Holland came back and said When we returned to the piazza, after the most satisfactory meal 1 had ever eaten, we found the sky overcast and heavy black clouds sweeping in from the east. But in our present state the ►torm had no terrors for us. Bell produced his wad of filthy Confederate currency and offered to pay Mrs. Duffy, out. with a glow of something like indignation in her beautiful, pale face, she refuseiLthe money, and said that if we chose to re~o?*in for the night she would gladly give us a bed. .1 thanked her, and 1 know there were tears in my heart, if not in my eyes, as 1 pointed ont the filthy state of our clothing, and said that being no cleaner than the beasts of the field and used to their life that it might be better for us to keep on. tors. "Hit's mighty promism," was Bell's whispered comment on this proceeding. Our guard read, looked at his watch occasionally. and to our great delight he helped himself several times from the decanter Bell, who was nearest the ladder. began to snore about 11 o'clock, and our guard laid aside his. book and paced the floor like a man in profound meditation After a time he returned to the bos and sat down He yawned, •stretched out his legs, got up, took another drink, first holding the decanter between his eyes and the lantern, then he sat down and rested his elbows on his knees and his gray chin on his upturned palm '1 reckon. Rents, you'll have to come along, we can't afford to take no risks. If you're all right, why. well and good for you, and if you ain't all right, well and good for us." Bell understood the old man perfectly Their vernacular was nearly the same, and they were soon agreeing on every point Bell had been conscripted like Mr. Dillard's son, and I had been conscripted and fairly dragged away from my old mother, whose only support 1 was. Now we had "lit out." and we were trying to make our way home to out friends in the mountains, for we were determined to take no furthei part in what had cofll to be "a rich man's quar*l and a pore man's fight." Bell really bad a genius for stock fictJfcn of kind, and he was so intensely earnest aud picturesquely profane in his narrations that 1 often found myself believing them. 1 felt very sure that, if we had told this old man the truth he would have bofriended us, particularly as we were able to pay but having begun with one story It was necessary to stick to it. Bell sprang to his feet with his knife in his hand, but before he could 6trike the wild black creatures were off in a state of great alarm "We uns must have grub," reasoned Bell 'and I'm in for goiu to the very first house and gittin it by force if need be. for we uns might as well be killed as starved to death." 1 agreed with him in this, and we started ofl to find a house that did not look too rich and forbidding 7s "But where do you propose to take as?" 1 asked 'Hello, in there!" "To the court house." 'Where is that?" 1 came to the opening, and, with as much boldness as 1 could assume, 1 asked the man what be wanted 'Abbeville court house; it's nigh 'bout fifteen mile from har, and the jail's comfortable So there's no way but to come right along." News front St. Augustiue. •'They say." wrote Nellie, "that 'We want all you fellows to come out and snriender " he said Just before dark we struck a road leading in the nght direction, and bear ing voices ahead we concealed ourselves till a party consisting of a white man and a number of black men passed We could hear all they said and learned that there "never had been a year since de wab when de cotton was so powahful bad in de grass.' We started on again, seeing an occasional light, yet dreading to investigate its source, and quickening our pace every time we heard the barking of a dog, for we feared that the home guard captain and his friends were on our trail with bloodhounds Bell came to my side, and together we stepped out The meu mounted. Bell offered a vigorous protest and 1 tried to make light of the whole affair, though my heart was "down in my boots," and we started off. the horsemeu formed in front and rear, as if we were a brace of the most daring criminals. CHAPTEK VIL •There s more in there!" persisted the man who appeared to be in command. We invited him to search for himself, which be at once proceeded to do. 1 had fallen off into a doze, when Bell shook me and whispered, "Fasten yer boots about yer neck and foller me." He had his knife between his teeth as he went softly down the ladder, 1 following as silent as a shadow. J ust as we reached the foot of the ladder the rifle fell with a bang and the gnard started up. Before the cry could burst from his lips Bell seized him by the throat and felled him with a powerful blow, then hissed, "By , if you uns holler I'll bury this knife in yer heart!' The scarcity ol lruit and the fftct that southern planters did not pay much attention to the cultivation of vegetables made the sr.nth a difficult country for fugitives like Bell and myself to pass through. The only way we could get food m mid July was to cotne into direct sontact with the people, for thougn we now and then made a raid on a hen roost, the supply was uncertain and the risk very great. C WE AllE CAKED FOK BY TWO NOBLK WOMEN. 'My son," said the old lady, "I have a hoy. a soldier on the other side, and it may be that ho needs tonight a mother's care and n sister's love. Stay here, wash, and we will give you a change while trying to make your poor rags presentable. You will look less like savages and feel more like men after this.'' CHAPTER VI As it was now about the middle of the afternoon it would be impossible for us to make the distance on foot before 9 or 10 o'clock, and although Bell and 1 could have traveled fast enough if there was anything to be gained by making a run we chose to go along slowly. Holland tried several times to urge us into a faster gait, the others, with more humanity. protested that we were doing our best, and one of them said, with a WE AJiK CAPTURKD BY THE HOME GUARD W*IO BEUKVK US TO BE HORSE THIEVES. With the old man a help the woman soon had a dinner of corn bread, bacon and milk ready and we complimented the cooking by a display of appetite that seemed to alarm the group of children looking on Bell paid in advance, and when Mr. Dillard suggested that we rest The fact that the horsemen searched the cabin convinced Bell and myself that w? were not the men they were looking for but this assurance did not make the prospect look brighter Our situation and appearance were not in our favor and that onr captors were not prepos- [to be continued.] With the hitching ropes hanging from the pegs it did not t&ke us many minutes to bind and gag the man, using his own powderhoni for the latter purpose. He Made desperate by hunger and the sore fatigue of our long march from South Carolina we left the bushes in which we Had been sleeping and made straight for i pretentions looking house, with nti Bald Without and Within. -j ■} i »— - poor Aiss Hawkins lias gone into a decline, is it so?" "Yes," replied Billy, "she has. I got eome of the decline last night."—Club, It was not till midnight that the strain twin to ha iwiouglv felt. The sky A queer advertisement appeared in a local paper yesterday, which began, "Lost—Set of teeth and wig."—Philadelphia Record.