Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1873-11-20
OLD BACHELOR JOHN.
By SAUL POTTS.

never was a taiker, and Tm most too old q bird
To be Parnin' Of new tricks, but take ye at your
word
That yed really like to hear tell the story of my
And why I'm Eettin' old and grizzled, m never had
wal-there amt much story to it, and don't pre-
No more " hero, than what you'd a bin, if you'd
bin me.
Folks that's married sometimes has a way of lookin'
On them that's single, though perhaps they
That there might be good for their lvin'
1t seems to me hash judgment-and kindly onfeel-
In too.
They sometimes call me Grabbed, and =" dried-up,
1t kindly CRATES upon me, like ereakin', rusty
For it makes me think of younger, happier days
N If things hadn't bin just as they was, what too
might bin.
It's nigh on nve-and-thirty year, since first come
Thought rd strike out for myself, it seemed to
Ny young heart was chock-fuI o. hope, and there
could have cut my pathway through the thickest
backwood's gloom.
Our family large T. home, and the old folks
hands was full;
their BOAT 1 a pull
Imean BY that, felt that if hghtened up their
Life wouldn't seem to them, perhaps, such a dread
ful uphill road.
never had much schoolin', youu know to hear
I've kinder picked up what know-perhaps know
s'cheese from chalk :"
Booklarnin' amt my strong pint, but Of poneerin
I've seen as much as most folks has, that's goin'
nowadays.
The first time come West, come through York
The railroad wasn't runnin' yet, and tallygraphs
IF you'd told folks that in thirty years news'd be
Clean round the airth they'd call ye one o. the big
IS said, pioneered along-a good deal o. the
The country was a settlin' up even at that early
We stopped first in Ohio, then looked at Michi-
But we thought that goin' further West would be a
better plan.
So We entered land at COMMENT price, in Southern
M brothers was adj1nin' mine-he's dead, m his
Is married carries on the farm, n lives up ON the
hill
And Lesrry mine one on tOO-bnt I'm unmarried
One whom loved, God knows how much, and she
It agreed that I'd go back and take her for my
Ma year or two, or's soon's fairly got start in
used to hear from Hetty pretty often. She could
hrst-rate kind o. letter, better'n mine mighty
Mine was always blotched and bungled, but for all
Every word inside come from my heart, and that to
It took month for letters to reach in them
days,
And when mails went by stage-coach it did seem a
But it's time makes distance seem so long, even in
And to them that's separated wide it's about's it
used to SEEM
Wal, I'd got some forty cleared-I built log
And got things h1ed as comf'table's could where
MI caiciased the next spring to go back to Var
And marry Hetty, m bring her home, minds
made up ont.
That winter pretty hard one, all the country
sich . one for heavy SHOWS and thaws, think a
Our mails was ali behind-hand, for the roads was
And q single line from Hetty was the only word I
had.
It was written weeks before, and in shaky kind O.
ASH she'd had very heavy ut o sickness, and
An it said said was :. John, nd desr. I'm az not WELL
when read it was's if clap o. thunder'd struck
me dumb.
"CouId come IN I'd like to the airthly power
could hold me back.
It didn't take very long my clothes and traps tc
travelled night and day, fast stagin' would
And ten days was quicker trip than two or three
is now.
And at the end of ten long days, reached my ma
One bright spring afternoon, just the was
I hurried past folks that knew, and them thai
When ali at onceR heerd the toll of the solemn
passin' bell"
MI knew that somebody dead-what2 MOI il
couldn't be
My Hetty that's just her age, the bell struck twenty
hurried faster, almost run, till reached the ole
M then / knew, without bein' told that I'd com,
home too late
M then there come blaekness, and can't remem
But they say for days and weeks lay, just hoverin
at deaths door,
got up on my feet again, and started back ou
West.
And now ye've heered my story, M why never hat
Do you wonder any longer that live this kind O
life?
Do ye wonder that my love went out like candle il
When Hetty died m in vim so d'ye think I'v,
sinned7
Perhsps may be so-gal- ay God forgive me if
But my heart for thirty years has laid with Hetty
And carry on my farm alone, and Pm waitin' fo
When the good Lord will call me, m III be read
to obey. -ChriStidn Union.