Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1871-09-07
The wo Kisses.
AN OLD MANS STORY.

AN OLD MANS STORY.
IAM, an old man; SO old am /
that, looking back, life seems very
long, and yet SO short, that | do not
know whether many things did not
happen in dream. l am hale, and
hearty, and merry, for the matter OF
that; and when i laugh, my laugh
rings out clearly and loud, they say !;
so much so, that it makes the people
around, especially my grandchildren,
and nephews and nieces, laugh too.
And when laugh the old times come
back when others, who are silent
now, laughed with me, and then am
suddenly still, and the laugh dies
away; and when I think Of it, its
empty echoes fill my brain just as if
it were sleep-laughter in dream.
When I stop laughing so suddenly
for the merriment and enjoyment,
and, for the matter of that, the grief
and pain of old men, are short and
sudden, like those of children-my
grandchildren, and nephews, and
nnieces have great difficulty to stop
too; and they choke and nudge each
other, and say: THAT is a good
story, uncle : almost as good as the
story you told us yesterday
Told yesterday! Let me see what
it was I told. yesterday. How long
ago it seems it must be longer ago
than the time when 1 was only TWEEN
ty years old, stalwart, brave fel-
low, in yellow breeches, black leg
gings, a heavy, brass-bound, leather
Helmet. with a plume tipped with
red, and a clanking sword, which |
now could not lift with my two
hands. I was royal volunteer then,
prepared to resist the French; and l
and some of my companions were
enoamped in white tents on the coast
of Kent.
Yes, people think me very merry;
And so, thank heaven, l am for |
try to stand upright, four-square to
the world, as man should; but be-
ing an old man, l have blank places
in my heart now where no love
grows; barren spots in my memory,
and chilled and numbed parts in my
feelings whereto l cannot look back,
and whereon I dare not tread and
touch, lest sudden pain should come
back, like the shooting of an old, old
wound.
Been in love? Yes, I should think
1 have; how else could Ihave gtand-
children, those people who laugh SO
hearty when laugh, and make me
tell how old am a score OF tunes
and say how we'll I am looking.
Been in love? think was talk
ing of that, was I not? Yes, been
in love Well, we did love when !
was young fellow, and | recollect
my Alice, and I recollect her as |
loved her when she was very young,
and as love her now. I think she
could do anything but drink and
smoke or tell an untruth, or 40 a
wrong action. Her face was sweet
oval I; her hair a very dark brown,
nearly black; and her eyes were a
deep blue, full Of merriment at one
moment-ay, at all moments, except
when she heard a sad story or was
touched with pain for any one else,
and they grew deeper and deeper as
they filled with tears. Not for her
self. She never cried for herself that
I know of, for she never had a day S
illness. But she was terribly cut up
when her brother died, and that you
see was how l knew her. Her broth
er was my right-hand man in my
company. Manys the time he stood
shoulder to shoulder to me, good at
drill, good at song-good at any-
| thing. He used to live near the
coast; and, indeed, he joined us, and
I was one of his tent-fellows, and mis-
| chum.
Well, he knew people that / knew
and we were soon friends; and he
: took me home to show me Alice
He was always talking about her
3 and she about him; and when he
was there, scarce a look did she give
me. Her brother-his name was Joe
and mine too-could do everything
and was the be-all and end-all of the
world, used to think and so ONT
i day l tried to run with Joe, and Jot
!. beat me, and Alice laughed; anc
, then shot against Joe, and he bea
me too, and she laughed the more
and l wrestled with him and threw
him she didn't laugh then, but rar
to see whether he was hurt, and said
it wasn't fair for Joe to tackle a ble
t fellow like me, although ne was nigf
J, an inch taller. In short, could no
! please her anyhow.
J. Well, it was one day when W.
r heard that the fat-bottomed boats 0
old Boney were not coming over, ant
b that the army of Boulogne had melt
: ed, bit by bit, away like a snow
drift, that we made night OF it
Ay, it was night, too and, being
hot and in summer, we must neeo
+. keep up the fun till the sun came W
a over the seacoast, looking red ant
It angry at our folly. Well, Joe and
: the two Joes, as they called US
}, ran down to the beach and WASHED
: our hot faces. and plunged in tn
fresh, salt waves, and were in a min
}, }, ute as fresh and merry as larks. Ane
after dressing, Joe must needs take