Page 46 - Arkansas Confederate Women

Reminiscences of Mrs. Virignia Cleaver 41

Every Southern household had a brush made of the beautiful
iridescent feathers of the peafowl and at meal times in warm
weather, a little darky kept the flies off by gently waving it to
and fro over the table.

All of our valuables were hidden out from the house and,

one of our servants, my mother's foreman, assisted in concealing
them. A Confederate captain said to my mother one day,
"Madam, you had better send that old man back where your other

servants are, for if the Yankees come he will surely betray your
confidence." She had so much faith in him, that she called
him to her and said, "Billy, would you betray the hiding places

of my valuables to the Yankees if they come ?"
He replied, "Missus, I don't know, I will have to pray over

that, before I can tell you," so he was sent down on Red river

where the other darkies were.

We had all of our meat hidden out in the woods in a large

pen, and the meat was covered with corn, so we would not be
left entirely without provisions if the Yankees came, and we
flattered ourselves that is was so securely hidden, no one could

ever find the pen. One day three Yankees rode up from the
direction of the hidden meat and corn. One of them remained

at the gate holding the horses and two came in and asked my

mother if that was her provisions hidden in the woods. She
thinking they were only trying to find out if she had anything
concealed, replied, "no," then with an aggravated, tantalizing
look one said, "Madam, if it is not yours we will send out and
get it tomorrow," she said, "all right," and at the same time her

face turned scarlet and the man said, "Ah, madam, your face

betrays you; you are not accustomed to telling untruths," but
they did not send for it, as the woods were filled with our sol-
diers, and they were afrad.

TRAGEDY OF THE TROUSERS.

One day when Steele's army was in Camden and our

pickets were at our house, there was a poor sick soldier in our
barn who sent a friend with a piece of cloth alike on both sides

to ask the ladies to make him a pair of trousers. My mother cut
them and my sister-in-law and I made them, every stitch being