Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1876-03-18
It Might Have Been.
A Story L5t.

All, how time does take the romance out OF
our lives and leaves us high aud dry on tho
lee shore of conceit.
Il docs not seem so many years ago that
Mary Jane and me attended the same country
school.house, divided the same apple, chewcd
tbe same piece Of gum, and slid down bill on
the same sled. 1t does not seem many years
since we stood together and pledged each other
by all the faithful promises we knew that A.
round th, same love our young hearts should
ever twine.
Fate called US away from our early hons
and separated us from Mary Jane. Distant
lands sent forth call for us and we went.
And the partiug-the tears shed-thc las.
embrace-the promises renewed under the
I flaming branches OF tic ola oak tree. All !
how fresh they are in our memory even to this
( day
/ Mary Jane could not he expected much as
she Lowell us, to spend her time mopins and
mousning. She must go TO singing school, TO
pairing bees and to candy pulls. We arranged
/ all that. Perhaps we were selfish in select
/ ing Tom Jones 10 do escort duty for US, Tor
Tom was basblul, freckled, little lame,
slightly cross-eyed, ard anything but girls
-bsy4A He was good fellow, Ton was, aud
/ if we had been half-witted we must have seen
! the intelligent twinkle in his eyes as he pro-
missed to do his duty well.
Those letters we received What tale oil
/ love they told How miserable Mary Jane
was. and how different the enjoyment was with
4 Tom Jones instead of the absent one by her
! side How we wept over those lines
Gradually those letters Of Mary James did
not make US weep. There seemed rather
more Of Tom Jones in them than we liked, AMI
we wrote cruel. wicked letter. telling Mary
Jane that il she thought so much Of Tom
Jones to take him. 1t was the last thing in
the world we meant, but jealousy IL blind
braQgart, you know, and VIC were JEALOUS.
1t was too true, alas and the next thing
we heard was that Mary Jane and Tom Jones
were engaged. We smashed up her dasuerro-
type aud burnt the hair chain she made us
with her own hands, tore up her letters. and
drew a picture Of an Indian on the broad
prairie. with his victim tied to tree aud tho
fago,s heapod up all about bin, ready TO bc
set on fire. The victim very much resembled
Tom Jones-the Indian was-ourself.
The other DAY as We stood by tie pOst-oilice
family wagon drove up, and for the FIRST
time in many years We saw Mary Jane. How
very stout she bad grown, aud how coarse
those features and how very red that auburn
f hair that was so soft as it twned about ouf
fingers There was young Tom and young
Ezekiel. and still younger Hezekiah, aud
pug nosed freckled-iaced girl, and pair Of
/ twins. There was old Tom Jones, too, moro
awkward, laracr, more cross-eyed hor,lier than
ever
And ub.n Mary Jane scoldcd Tom for not
helping her out Of the wagon, the notes that
once SO much reminded us Of the nightingale
now sounded ike raft scraping against tho
aLutment Of bridge in spring fresbet.
Then we thought Of what the poet wrote
"Of all sad words Of tongue or pen,
The saddest arc those-it might have been
we DO not hate Tom Jones as badly as we
once did Chicago Lsdder.