Show vohn ALLENS ONE LIE rhe mississippi anent for perverting the truth john alien had tho floor says tho washington post you know 1 never told but one llo in my liec said the that cured me it was lack in 1802 a day or two after the beconi battle of manassas I 1 was a small barq boy abouaf acen 3 ears old marching nith lees aricy boyard la ryland my feet became so sore from marching over the rocks that I 1 had 40 jail out of line and became separated irom my command and consequently from all commissary stores on which I 1 could draw tho countey tio often raided by both armies that it was difficult to get any thing to eat 11 as very hungry and thought I 1 should whan 1 I suddenly spied a ahonso road seemed toh aviT by the soldiers the faintly as just pitting down to a my special request m in J do not remember a dinner so much and not when I 1 would get any thima more I 1 tried myself and ate a very big dinner jn luct I 1 took on about three days rations I 1 loft this house and had gone about a half a milo when I 1 saw some nice looking ladies going toward a hospital with a covered basl cefi I 1 was sure they had something for tho sick soldiers and while I 1 did not feel that I 1 could eat any thing more then I 1 thought I 1 had better abo some provisions for tho future and that I 1 might get something to take along in my haversack I 1 was small for my age and a rather hard specimen you would never ade I 1 would havo developed ui specimen 0 manly beauty you now see before you I 1 approached these kindhearted kind hearted ladies and putting on my hungriest nd roost pitiful look said ladies can byoir tell me where a poor soldier had a mouthful to cat days can get soni ething to kee you sh donld have seen tho look of sympathy om thear us they said dooboy starve and opening their 1 baick als in which they 0 of gruel they began to feed me on gru clout of a spoon ao 20 tv phan T wasa child ahey used to feed gruel when 1 was sick and things eatable but having told ohp story about my hunger cat it well I 1 never punished for n story as I 1 was for having to oat that gruel on my dinner but I 1 havo often may be it was it broke mo from telling 1 ies I 1 have never told one broco oil r I 1 |