page 277 and 278 of The Autobiography of James Robert Maxwell: Ordered to Mobile—Visits Evans Family

We could, a few daily, get permits to visit the city, where there were restaurants and dance halls for those so inclined, and oysters were cheap. Real coffee and cream was scarce. What was called coffee was made of parched rye or okra seed, or even burnt corn, with a beaten raw egg to take the place of cream. But fried ham and eggs were still to be had and fried chicken was not very scarce.

One afternoon my friend Thomas Alexander Dearing and myself, dressed in the best we had, got a pass to visit the city where, after we had tried out as many oysters as we cared for as a supper, we made a call on Miss Augusta Evans and her two younger sisters, Miss Sally, and I forget the name of the other. The family were living over the wholesale grocery store of the father, having moved all their household goods from their fine residence in the suburbs for economy and safety's sake.

When we were ushered into their reception room up stairs we found ourselves in company of quite a reception of Confederate soldiers, from generals down to lieutenants, and a few from the ranks, as we were. We were cordially received by Miss Augusta (her parents and our parents were business friends of long standing) and introduced all round, and finally turned over to the two younger sisters to be entertained. One of the of— ficers was Captain Tom Prince, on crutches from a wound, who had been a cadet in a higher class of the university when I was there in 1861 and spring of 1862. Everything was as pleasant as could be. The young ladies, about 16 and 17 I judge, just suited us and we passed the evening pleasantly with different games, backgammon and cards, until the clock showed that we must go to reach camp before taps, when our permit expired. Miss Augusta excused herself from her own particular guests and accompanied her sisters to the door, where she bid us good night, hoped we would call again when we could; said also, “I hope you young gentlemen will not form an opinion of the meteorology of this section of Alabama by what you have seen since you have been here.” Alec said, “Yes'm.” I said, “It has been pretty tough.” Then we bid good-night and away we went.

On the sidewalk, after leaving their door, Alec said, “Jim, what in the devil was it that woman said as we left?” “Oh,” I said, “she hoped we would not judge the climate of Mobile by what we had seen since we came there.” “Well, why couldn't she say so?” says Alec, and we had a good laugh.

Miss Evans’ Novels

It was one of her faults. In her novels, “Inez,” “Beulah,” “Macaria,” “St. Elmo" and “Vashti" her language was rather simple in the first and kept growing more learned and extravagant till the last one. The extravagance showed up in description of persons and things. * º

In “Macaria” she portrayed a very learned young woman given to the studies of the stars in astronomy, with an observatory at the top of her father's house, equipped with a telescope and other appliances. In one of her tantrums she is portrayed as striding to and fro over the floor with her hair loose and “making a rippling noise over the oil cloth that covered the floor,” something no one ever did see in hair on the head of any human being.