The Leopard's Spots

was a mud-thatched wooden chimney at each end, and from the back of the hallway a kitchen extension of the same material with anothe

. Colonel Gaston’s Nelse come last night. Yer Pappy was in the Colonel’s regiment an’ Nelse said he passed him on the road comin’ with two one-le

forgot—’s been so long sence

lin’ at me, an’ his eyes twinklin’ over somethin’ funny he’d seed or thought about. When he was young ev’ry gal around here was crazy about him. I g

ow ridin’ er ole hoss!” cried the gi

off her head and fairly flying across the field to the gate, her cheeks af

where once was a leg. His face was pale and stained with the red dust of the hill roads, and his beard, now iron grey, and his ragged buttonless uniform were covered with dirt. He was truly a sight to scare crows, if not of interest

he sobbed as she threw her arms around his neck, drew h

l break my new leg!” cried

you another one,” she la

smashing my game shoulder. Go

see,” cried the delighted woman

hance at my young one.” Tom’s eyes were devo

you are to see him!” said Tom, gathering her in

strong arms of his wife were about him

ut to pieces. You’re so weak, Tom—I can’t believe it. You were so strong. But we’ll take care of you.

moments with a smile

four years sleeping on dirt and living with men and mules, and fightin’ and runnin’ and diggin’ trenches like rats and moles, killin’ men, buryin’ the dead like carrion, h

s there’s a piece of you left big enough to hold on to—I’ll work for you,” and again she bent low over his pale

ed her aside and

out at the gate by this time waiting for us to get through huggi

his feet and met

the handsomest one I ever set eyes on. Now, Annie, put the big pot in the little one

d sweet potatoes carefully saved in the mound against the kitchen chimney. There were turnips and greens and radishes, young onions and lettuce and hot corn dodgers fit for a king; and in the centre of the tab

d stories of days and nights of hunger and exhaustion, whe

d in seven states, did you know that?”

agree to that, s

re way up in Virginny ‘stead o’ bein’ so close to home. You see he let us ride hi

ld did you get that h

yin’ and wonderin’ how I’d get home with that stump of wood instead of a foot, when along come a chunky heavy set Yankee General, looking as glum

y,” I says, “at Ham-bright,

going to get

o see ’em so bad I can taste ’em. I was lookin’ the other way when I said that, fer I was purty well played o

ed out to him, ‘Go bring the best horse you

d I was all choked up and co

en you get home. I’ve known what it was to be a p

y heart,” I says as quick as I could find my tongue, “if i

man, you know the reason I named that hoss, ‘General Grant.’ It may be I have seen fin

se and looked wistfully down t

id the older of the two soldiers. “We’re powerfu

din’ on the side o’ the track eatin’ grass.

e. They looked down the long dusty road stretching over hill and valley, hundreds of miles so

e’ll get along somehow—we can’t take yer hoss. It

e? Didn’t you see my little gal with eyes jes like her daddy’s? Don’t you see my cabin standin’ as purty as a ripe peach in the middle of the orchard when hundreds of fine houses are lyin’ in ashes? Ain’t I g

d the soldier, with more of cheerf

im?” So with hearty hand-shakes they parted, the two astride the old horse’s back. One had lost his

they both cried in the sam

k to the home. “It’s all right, it’s all right,” he muttered to himself. “He’d a co

ank in the beauty and glory of the spring his soul was melted with joy. The fruit trees were laden with the promise of the treasures of the summer and autumn, a cat-bird was singing softly to his mate in the tree over his head, and a mocking-bird seate

es, while a sense of ineffable peace filled his soul. “Peace at last! Thank God! May

his tail and whining for a

only one left. You’ll have to ch

d his master’s hand apparently

king, and Tom rose in haste as he recognised the sturdy tread of

gion didn’t stand the wear and tear of war. You’ve come out with your soul like gold tried in the fire. Colonel Gaston wrote me you were the finest soldier in the regiment, and that you were the only Chaplain he had seen that he could consult for his own soul’s cheer. That’s

s, a wonderin’ what had become of my ole woman and the baby, to recollect that you were here, and how often I’d heard you tell us how the Lord tempered the wind to the shorn lamb. Annie’s been telling me who watched out f

y man in the church. You will need all your faith now. It seems to me that every second woman I know is a widow. Hundreds of families have no

es all this as plain as you and me. As long as He is i

antry?” asked

breath of them flowers, and it all comes over me that I’m done killin’ men, and I’m at home, with a bed to sleep on, a roof over my head, a woman to pet me

ay a few things like that, and the folks will believ

n the garden. Irish taters’ll be big enough to eat in three weeks, and sweets comin’ right on. We’ve got a few chickens. The blackber

g, giving myself in sympathy and help to others, I’m famished now and

en I recollect I’m nothin’ but a poor white man. I’ll remember your words

ostrated over the death of the Colonel and is hanging between life and death. She is in a delirious condition all the time and mus

e was the bravest man that ever led a regiment, and he was a father to us

d a Christian as you are should hate a nig

Somehow, we always felt like they was crowdin’ us to death on them big plantations, and the little ones too. And then I had to leave my wife and baby and fight four years, all on account of their stinkin’ hides, that never done nothin’ for me except make it harder to live. Every time I’d go into battle and hear them Minie balls begin to sing over us, it seemed to me I could see their black ape face

l twelve o’clock. I’ll go down with you from the church to-night,” said