Page 26 - Arkansas Confederate Women

Eeminisences op The War Between the States 21

during the day by calling on young ladies. Being in use as

a female academy at that time, our house was especially attract-
ive to them. They were very courteous and polite; "hoped we

would pardon them, but they were very anxious to make the

Weacquaintance of some of the Southern girls." didn't dare

repulse them but discouraged their attentions by our manners and

the assurance that we felt only bitterness towards their cause and

their armies. They met all this with the most patient, forbear-

ing politeness, telling us those feelings were very natural now,

but after a while we would feel differently. This so exasperated

us that when they begged for music, we told them we knew only

Southern war songs, and to their request, "Then sing them for

us" we selected the bitterest we knew, throwing all the spirit into

them that was then almost bursting our hearts. They not only

listened very kindly, but seemed really to enjoy our "rebel"songs.

But soon the fight was on. We could hear the firing and we
very excitely and confidently told them: Now you will have to

go, for our men will whip or capture all your troops." They

hooted at such a thought but very calmly and gallantly bade us

goodbye and started for the boat, and before they reached the

wharf, their men came flying in, hotly pursued (as they thought)
by the victorious "rebels." And very soon their gunboat was

steaming down stream. This was too good a chance, we just

couldn't resist the temptation to sing, with wildest enthusiasm,

"We'll hurl the Yankee crew from the land we love the best."

Now it happened our house and Academy was not two

hundred yards from the river, so we were in full view, and this

volume of song, triumphantly welling up from ten or fifteen

young ladies was more than the defeated Yankees could stand,
so they turned loose their cannon on us. But the river was

narrow and the banks were very high, at that point, so their

balls only cut some of the highest tree tops.

"Oh, she's not at all nice," said little Elsie; "she's always

wishin' she was a boy."

"Well," replied Mabel, "I wish I was too."

"I know, but she wishes it out loud, so the boys can hear

—her." Philadelphia Press.