Mr. Foster went to the door. There, sure enough, stood a good, strong mule, as docile, as quiet and sedate, as though he had not hauled the artillery into the fight, and stood near the big guns amid the thunders of battle; for Ben said, with great pride,-- “Dis mule is one uv dem best mules dat pulled de big guns ober de hills. Oh, he’s an awful strong hos!” Little Ben sat on a board placed as a seat at the front of the wagon, his white, even teeth showing from ear to ear, and his eyes sparkling with gladness. Ben managed to buy a lot on a back alley and build himself a shanty and a little stable for the government mule. Judging from his thrift, he is, no doubt, if alive, one of the wealthy colored men of Richmond now. COULD YOU GET ME A RAW ONION AND SOME SALT? A little company of my best workers were sent to Wilmington, N.C., in charge of my secretary, Mary Shelton, in the spring of 1865, to care for the sick being gathered there, and the half-starved prisoners being sent in for exchange. The dangers and hardships of the journey were very great; but after many delays they finally reached there and were able to render valuable service. Among these chosen workers was Amanda Shelton, now Mrs. Stewart of Mount Pleasant, Ia., who, strong of body and courageous of soul, was untiring in her ministrations. One day, as she walked among the hundreds of the sick and half-starved men, ministering to them as best she could, the surgeon of the ward called her attention to a soldier who lay as one dead. “That man,” he said, “is starving to death. We can’t get him to eat anything. If you can tempt him to eat he may possibly recover.” Miss Shelton went to the soldier, and tried to get his attention; but he lay with closed eyes, in seeming indifference. She tried to tempt him by mentioning every delicacy she could think of; but he shook his head and moaned impatiently. As she remained standing beside his cot, trying to think of something else, he opened his eyes, and, looking her earnestly in the face, asked in pitiful, appealing tones,-- “Say, miss, don’t you think you could get me a raw onion and some salt?” “Yes, I think I can,” she answered, and hastened away to try to find some onions. Fortunately, a lot of supplies had just come in, and a sack of onions was among the goods received. She hastened back with an onion in her hand and a cup of salt. He seized the onion eagerly, and began eating it as one would eat an apple or a peach, dipping it in the salt cup each time as he ate greedily. The onion and salt was the balm of life to him; and from that time he began to amend, and was soon able to be about the ward and eat everything the surgeons would allow him to. “Oh, that onion did the business for me! If I ever get home I will raise a big lot of them,” he said. Shortly afterwards he was shipped North, and as the war soon afterwards closed, no doubt he reached his home safely. MEN WHO COMMANDED THEMSELVES AND DID NOT SWEAR.