In War Times At La Rose Blanche

IN WAR TIMES AT LA ROSE BLL4NCHE - CONTENTS - CHAPTER I. MARCHING ORDERS . 1 I CHAPTER 11. THE CUNNELS VALLY 28 CHAPTER 111. LIANDYS DOLL-PARTY . . . 43 CHAPTER IV. THE DISH-RAG BONNET . 64 CHAPTER V. A LIORNING-GLORY . Q CHAPTER VI. HAREGENAB . 103 CIiA PTER VII. A NEW DUG . . I24 CONTENTS. CHAPTER V111 POOR WHITEY . . 148 CHAPTER IX. A LETTER FROM THE FRONT . . 171 CHAPTER X. A SOLDIERS TRYST . 95 CI3APlEK XI. OUR AFRICAN PRINCESS . . 215 CHAPTER XI1 PO-SOULS . 235 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Jes you keep still, hiarse Tom cried hiammy Fr0nti. r. Please, hlarse Jim, is you seen marster . 37 Her name is Lucinda-Ketura, said the Yankee . 59 Is you done whipped the Yantees asked little Percy . . 71 The father and son from the Warloopy . 95 The next moment she was clasped in fathers arms - 113 Hester and hlammy, dragging their overturned boat after them . - 133 In the midst of the chaos, sat Monterey-Bull-Run . 145 hiammy dances Sugar-in-de-gourd, . 159 In the midst of the battle . . 181 The IVhite Rose, and the old chief . . 201 Who hurted you, Aunt Wose he asked suddenly 225 Home from the war . 253 I N WAR-TIMES AT LA ROSE BLANCHE. CHAPTER I. - MARCHING ORDERS - W E L L, Dandy Please, Marse, I wants to go to de war long o Marse Tom. We were all out Qn the high veranda at La Rose Blanche my pretty fragile mother rocking softly in her low chair and my father sitting on the steps at her feet. And great-uncle Selden, who had come up from the city to say good-byfor his battalion had marching orders from the front, as everybody was then vaguely saying and great-uncle Seldens black, woolly-headed little body-servant, Frederic. And my brothers, Tom and Hartwell, in their bran-new uniforms allspangled with brass-buttons. And cousin Nellie Branscome, who was swinging in a hammock under the rose-vine and strumming upon her guitar-her brother Wesley was down in the summer-house pouting because he wasnt old enough to have a uniform and go to the war And Captain Brion and Tom Dennison, who were under the rose-vine with cousin Nell. And Mandy, myself, and the four little boys. It was a soft warm afternoon in March. The orange-trees were in bloom, and so were the roses and the honeysuckles and the violets, and a little breeze that came up from the river brought in all their blended sweets. The birds were singing in the magnolia-trees that shaded the broad avenue leading down to the front gate and yellow and gold-dusted butterflies were zigzagging about the flower-dotted lawn. Overhead the sky was blue - oh so blue, and away over by the sugar-house, where we could see the snow-white tents of the camp, with the flag fluttering from the tall flag-staff, there was a delicious purple haze that seemed to melt into a low-lying mass of white cloud hovering about the edge of the swamp. . The carriage was drawn up at the foot of the long sweep of steps, with Uncle Joshua on the drivers seat and two or three horses, saddled and bridled, were also waiting for everybody, except we chillun, was going over to the camp to visit the Selden Rifles. Dandy had led around one of the horses and after standing a moment at its head, he had dropped the bridIe and walked boldly up the steps and stood with his brimIess hat in his hand before my father. Then it was that my father said Well, Dandy and Dandy said Please, Marse, I wants to go to de war long o Marse Tom. My father shook his head. Dandy was onlythirteen years old. It is true that my brother Hart was but two years older, and even my big brother Tom was little more than sixteen...