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010 - Ch9 - An Incident by the Way · Prison Life in Andersonville

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  Speaker 1: Chapter nine of prison Life in Andersonville by John Levy Miley.
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  Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by
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  Speaker 1: Jeffrey Smith, New Orleans, Louisiana. An incident by the way,
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  Speaker 1: a steamboat on the northeast branch of the Cape Fear
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  Speaker 1: River carried our paroled men from the station held by
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  Speaker 1: General Terry to the city of Wilmington. One of the
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  Speaker 1: principal mansions was owned by a doctor Wright, who had
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  Speaker 1: fled with his family on the approach of the Union troops.
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  Speaker 1: His fine residence was converted into a hospital for the
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  Speaker 1: arrivals who were sick. During the ride from Goldsboro on
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  Speaker 1: top of a freight car, the rider was taken ill
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  Speaker 1: and was barely able to walk the steamer plank at
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  Speaker 1: the point of trans After resting in the Little Country Church,
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  Speaker 1: he was taken to the Right House hospital and assigned
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  Speaker 1: a straw bed on the floor of a room in
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  Speaker 1: the third story. Soldier nurses proceeded to take off his
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  Speaker 1: infested prison rags and to give him a sponge rub.
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  Speaker 1: He fainted under the process and had a run of
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  Speaker 1: fever during which he was delirious. When the point of
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  Speaker 1: death was apparently reached his vitality took a turn for
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  Speaker 1: the better, and he rapidly improved. On the floor of
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  Speaker 1: his room were twelve narrow straw beds, having a succession
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  Speaker 1: of occupants, who, with a few exceptions, were soon transferred
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  Speaker 1: to their final resting places. Many of the ex prisoners
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  Speaker 1: having died from the effects of the too early use
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  Speaker 1: of solid food. The physicians be came extremely cautious and
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  Speaker 1: limited the sick to small quantities of the most simple preparations.
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  Speaker 1: During the writer's convalescence, his ravenous hunger was unsatisfied by
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  Speaker 1: the slender allowance. It happened that his bed ended up
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  Speaker 1: to a window, and his favorite occupation was to sit
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  Speaker 1: on his pillow and watch the proceedings. In the yard
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  Speaker 1: below here was a servant's cottage occupied by two colored
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  Speaker 1: women who evidently had excused themselves from flight with their master.
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  Speaker 1: The older one moved about with quiet dignity, and doubtless
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  Speaker 1: had been the mama of the family. With evident pleasure.
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  Speaker 1: She watched the new life and movement around her, and
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  Speaker 1: held in restraint her young and vivacious companion. In the yard,
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  Speaker 1: soldier cooks prepared in large kettles great quantities of beef soup,
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  Speaker 1: which was ladled into pails, carried to the kitchen, and
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  Speaker 1: served to the patients throughout the building. A young artillery
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  Speaker 1: man from Olian, New York, lay on a straw palette
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  Speaker 1: alongside that of the writer. The one was called Olianne,
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  Speaker 1: and the other Michigan. From his post of observation at
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  Speaker 1: the window. The latter one morning watched the handling of
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  Speaker 1: the soup below with an interest that could not be concealed.
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  Speaker 1: Say Michigan, what are you looking at, inquired Olianne. I
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  Speaker 1: am looking at them pouring out the soup, was the reply,
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  Speaker 1: and say oleanne I wish I could have a good
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  Speaker 1: smell of it. Smell of the soup, said Olean, contemptuously.
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  Speaker 1: If I was a wishing, I'd wish I had some,
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  Speaker 1: and not just a smell. Upon this sagacious remark, a
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  Speaker 1: number of the occupants of the other beds passed the
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  Speaker 1: wink or laugh with a feeble hacking sound, their pinched
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  Speaker 1: faces brightening with a sense of mirth. The practical wisdom
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  Speaker 1: of the suggestion was not lost upon Michigan, who said,
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  Speaker 1: if I was a little stronger, I would take my
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  Speaker 1: cup go down the stairs and into the yard, and
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  Speaker 1: I would say, boys, I'm awfully hungry, Please give me
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  Speaker 1: some soup. A a ah, laughed Olean. Say Michigan, I'll
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  Speaker 1: bet you five cents you can't walk the length of
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  Speaker 1: your bed and touch the doorknob. Upon this challenge, the
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  Speaker 1: other patients from their pillows exchanged glances. Several braced up
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  Speaker 1: on the elbow and discussed the possibility of one of
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  Speaker 1: their number leaving his room without permission to forage for refreshments.
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  Speaker 1: The consensus of opinion was that he could not succeed.
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  Speaker 1: Who are you talking to? Vigorously responded Michigan. You think
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  Speaker 1: I can't do it, I'll show you what I can do.
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  Speaker 1: Grasping the projecting window molding, he helped himself to his feet,
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  Speaker 1: carefully balancing his trembling steps along the narrow space between
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  Speaker 1: the beds on the floor, and triumphantly grasping the knob
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  Speaker 1: of the door. Exclaimed there now, Oleanne, I've done it.
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  Speaker 1: I've done it. Where's your five sents? Oh? I haven't
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  Speaker 1: any five cents, replied Oleanne. But say, Michigan, you would
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  Speaker 1: look mighty fine going down those stairs, wouldn't you. Thereupon
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  Speaker 1: the observing comrades laughed in great glee and weakness, like
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  Speaker 1: little children. A very trifling incident amused them. They nodded
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  Speaker 1: their heads at each other and exchanged approving glances. Our
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  Speaker 1: regulation costume was a gray army shirt, drawers of like material,
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  Speaker 1: and a pair of socks. Thus appareled. Michigan opened the
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  Speaker 1: door into the hall, peered over the railing down the
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  Speaker 1: two flights of stairs, and, seeing the coast clear, worked
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  Speaker 1: along to the nuwell post and carefully lowered himself one
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  Speaker 1: or two steps. Thinking discretion might be the better part
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  Speaker 1: of valor, he tested his strength for the return by
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  Speaker 1: trying to retrace the steps down which he had come.
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  Speaker 1: He was quite unable to lift himself on the rising,
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  Speaker 1: so must needs continued down the two flights, resting his
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  Speaker 1: weight on the rail. Dizzy and breathless, he stood by
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  Speaker 1: the stair post on the main floor. At this juncture,
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  Speaker 1: the hospital steward suddenly entered and was amazed to find
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  Speaker 1: a very weak patient in a state of migration. What
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  Speaker 1: are you doing here, he hurriedly and angrily asked, what
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  Speaker 1: room do you belong to? And who said you might
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  Speaker 1: leave it? Oh? I'm just taking a little exercise was
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  Speaker 1: the reply. The steward rang for an attendant, and with
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  Speaker 1: an oath, said, no more of this. I will order
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  Speaker 1: a man to help you to your room, and there
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  Speaker 1: you stay. But no helper appeared. So our hero summoned
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  Speaker 1: all his determination and walked through the hall to the
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  Speaker 1: back porch. Here a stack of plain coffins greeted his view,
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  Speaker 1: and he fancied that one of them belonged to him.
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  Speaker 1: Going down the veranda steps, he held to the rail,
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  Speaker 1: and coming into the full rays of the sea, un
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  Speaker 1: turned faint, and for a few minutes was helpless again.
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  Speaker 1: He summoned all the powers of his will and started
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  Speaker 1: down the gravel walk towards the servant's cottage. Reaching the
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  Speaker 1: porch of the same, he sank, exhausted on the steps,
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  Speaker 1: with head resting against the corner post. Just then the
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  Speaker 1: old mama came out of her room and caught sight
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  Speaker 1: of the wasted form and pale face of the would
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  Speaker 1: be soup hunter. Gazing pityingly upon his emaciation, and speaking
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  Speaker 1: to her assistant, she exclaimed, Dinah, dinah, come ya, come
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  Speaker 1: yea look at our po white child. He bleached so
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  Speaker 1: white as linen. Then addressing him, She said, why you
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  Speaker 1: come from? Why you come from? Oh, Auntie, he gasped,
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  Speaker 1: I came out of the hospital to get some soup
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  Speaker 1: and I can't get any further. Auntie, give me something
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  Speaker 1: to eat. I'm awfully hungry. Dinah, dinah, she said, go
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  Speaker 1: to the cupboard and get a big slice up to
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  Speaker 1: conge pone Just slip it under your apron and bring
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  Speaker 1: it yeah to me. Passing the generous slice under her
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  Speaker 1: own apron, the old mammy stood by the veranda post,
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  Speaker 1: looking the meanwhile intently at a distant object, as if
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  Speaker 1: oblivious to all near concerns. Thus, she partially screened the
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  Speaker 1: invalid from observation, and, reaching the portion down to his hand,
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  Speaker 1: tenderly said, Darna, honey, you eat that bread. No second
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  Speaker 1: invitation to indulge his famished appetite was needed. The slice
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  Speaker 1: of cong ponees speedily disappeared, strange to say no. Inconvenience resulted.
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  Speaker 1: The food aroused the dormant vitality, and the young fellow
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  Speaker 1: eagerly exclaimed, Auntie, Auntie, that was so good, Give me
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  Speaker 1: some more, No, honey, she said, decisively. Did doctor see me?
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  Speaker 1: Do dis Yeah? I don't go sa Then the invalid
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  Speaker 1: began to cry hysterically. The sympathy of the kind old
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  Speaker 1: heart was still further aroused, and spreading her great hand
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  Speaker 1: on his head, she said softly, po, child, Po child,
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  Speaker 1: he want to see hi? Mutter mother, Mother. How that
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  Speaker 1: word stirred his heart and aroused his memory so weakened
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  Speaker 1: by suffering physical vigor from the dark hand upon his
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  Speaker 1: head was surcharged with vitality that probably stimulated the depleted personality. Again,
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  Speaker 1: the young man asked Auntie, Auntie, give me some more,
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  Speaker 1: and again came the reply, no, honey, did doctor see me? DoD?
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  Speaker 1: Is he send me off? Asseur? Meanwhile, Olean was pressing
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  Speaker 1: his face against the third story window to see how
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  Speaker 1: Michigan was prospering in his quest for soup. A soldier
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  Speaker 1: nurse approached the cottage, and Auntie, who seemed to be
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  Speaker 1: on good terms Withal, interceded for her guest. This young
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  Speaker 1: child done come down for a walk. He done tired out.
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  Speaker 1: You'll help him back, won't ya, Masa? And he did?
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  Speaker 1: End of Chapter nine