Page:The Story of Aunt Becky's Army-Life .djvu/69

Rh were keeping house. Her furniture must have been quite in contrast to that which was waiting them when the war should be over, in the old home—one cross-legged table, two chairs, a camp-stool, a trunk, and a bed in the corner completed the inventory. When we took our tea, the trunk was drawn up to the table to make the third seat, soldiers making but little display for company.

Mrs. Gordon did the cooking over a huge open fireplace. I could have imagined myself in some pioneer settler's cabin, if the room had been walled with unhewn logs, and the ceiling unplastered; as it was, I remembered how many comfortable afternoons I had been out to tea with a neighbor, when we had no war items to talk over—no hopes and fears for the dear ones in peril to express, and I wondered if any of them ever proved any pleasanter or more profitable than this.

I had but little acquaintance with Mrs. Gordon previous to this visit, but knew she was thoroughly good, and eminently womanlike.

A "molasses lick" was a moral feature in our winter entertainments, and Dr. French and I were invited to attend one at the boarding-place, by Lieut. Waterford's wife. We went, of course, and waited patiently until eleven o'clock, and finding out that the molasses was not likely to come to the "licking" point till past midnight, we returned home without it.

At Christmas Mrs. Major Morell sent us a turkey for our dinner, and we had a feast. Private Close