. Recollections of a Rebel surgeon, and other sketches : or, in the doctor's sappy days . after Vicksburg fell, the most comicalold lady you ever saw. She was generally called,by everybody, Sister Nick, or Old SisterNick. She was a lone widder woman, sheused to say, and she had several slaves. Her piety was something awful. It wassimply overwhelming. She had a son, an onlychild, whom she affectionately called my littleJimmie, who having been slightly woundedonce, by pure accident no doubt, for he was notof the kind to go where people get hurt—not if 1can help it, he used to say—was now on deta
. Recollections of a Rebel surgeon, and other sketches : or, in the doctor's sappy days . after Vicksburg fell, the most comicalold lady you ever saw. She was generally called,by everybody, Sister Nick, or Old SisterNick. She was a lone widder woman, sheused to say, and she had several slaves. Her piety was something awful. It wassimply overwhelming. She had a son, an onlychild, whom she affectionately called my littleJimmie, who having been slightly woundedonce, by pure accident no doubt, for he was notof the kind to go where people get hurt—not if 1can help it, he used to say—was now on detailservice, doing hospital guard duty. Jimmie was agreat big six-footer, strong as an ox, and hadgreat shocks of fiery red hair, heavy eyebrows,white eyelashes, and keeping his mouth open con-stantly he had a startled, idiotic appearance; 208 OLD SISTER NICK. looked more like an astonished hog than anythingI can think of. He had freckles on his face thesize of a dime, and great warts on his hands thatrattled like castanets. Oh, Doctor, dont make fun of your friendthat wav, I THE I^ORD WILL PURVIDE. Its a fact, said the Old Doctor, and he shookwith good-natured mirth at the recollection. But Jimmie was a good boy, as his motheroften declared. The Lord will purvide, she used to say, asshe sat knitting socks for Jimmie—she was eter- 209 RECOLLECTIONS OF A REBEL SURGEON. nally knitting—and I reckon Jimmie had as manysocks as Bud Zuntz had undershirts, and likeBuds shirts they were, as Ruth McEnery Stew-ard says of them, all Ma-knit. Ef He willonly spare me my little Jimmie, I will alwaysbless and sarve Him. Jimmie and I used to go fishing together;good fishing about Lauderdale; tell you a goodone about it some day, if you will remind me. Sister Nick was a little pudgy old lady withsmall gray watery eyes, a little dab of a nosethat looked like it had been stuck on after shewas built, as an afterthought; thin brown hair,turning gray, parted in the middle, and woundinto
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectconfede, bookyear1901
