At length the gray gables of the little mill house came into view, and
Mammy, feeling in her pocket to assure herself that the gold piece was
safe at hand, went boldly forward, telling herself that, if she spoke
politely, the Yankee guard would not shoot her. So she went on until
the little mill came into full view, but with no guard or any other
object to inspire fear. All seemed quiet, and the place quite
deserted. There were footprints about the door, and broken bushes
showed the trampling of both men and horses, but now all was very
quiet. The old mill house looked very peaceful, with the yellow
autumnal sun shining upon its moss-grown roof, with no sound to break
the deep silence, save the low, continuous warbling of a solitary
mockingbird which, perched upon an overhanging bough, seemed to review
its past joys in low, sweet notes of retrospection.

Upon seeing that the place was quite deserted, Mammy paused, and,
after looking around to satisfy herself that this was really the case,
ascended the steps and, lifting the latch of the door, looked into the
outer room.

"Thank God!" she murmured, upon finding it empty. "Thank God! dey's
all took deyselves off to town an' lef' him here, locked up by
hisself. It raly is 'stonishin' to think how foolish dem creturs is;
dey mout ha' knowed as someon' would ha' come an' let him loose."

While thus thinking, she had crossed the room, and was now endeavoring
to open the door, which gave admittance to the inner and larger
apartment. Finding, as she had anticipated, that this door was
fastened, she first called to the prisoner within, and, when no answer
was returned, she shook the door until at length the crazy old lock
gave way and the door creaked slowly back upon its rusty hinges.

"Honey, whar'bouts is you?" Mammy questioned, as, pausing upon the
threshold, she peered into the obscurity beyond. The windowless room
was dark, and Mammy, after again calling, groped her way in, straining
her eyes into the gloom, but unable to discern any object. Then,
suddenly, the deep silence and the gloom smote upon her senses, and a
great horror came over her. She turned to rush from the room, when her
eyes, grown more accustomed to the darkness, fell upon an object which
froze the lifeblood in her veins. It lay almost at her feet. She
stooped and bent over it, with thick, laboring breath. Very still it
lay, with set white face and wide-open, unseeing eyes.

WAR REMINISCENCES