The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-01-01
I'll be at Home Christmas.

"Glad to hear it, Jack. I knowed
ye'd pull through"
"Waal, l calclated that ole army
wound would drift me under. l come
nigh THROWN up my claim.'
1.-The lead was gittin mighty blind,
Jack. / tried t. ak ye last night whar
yer folks war, spectin to send EN- yer
last words afore mornin.'
"Pard, haint heerd of EN- fer fif-
| teen years. wus allus wild. Kin ye
write, messmate?'
"Waal, only sorter.'
"Git tn tools an I'll word it fer ye.
Next weeks Christmas. I'm goin to
write my ole mother I'll be home.
Draw close to my bunk, pard. Thar,
now ye ready.
"All staked out, Jack. Turn it on
Slow
''ln course. Fust-my ole, throwed-
off mother
Jack, | haint up in styles, but that
| sounds kinder"
Its jes TIL thing. l run away from
her, messmate. Now foller tn lead
close-Tll be TO home Christmas. I
haint fergot ye, God bless ye. ITS
/ fifteen year Christmas yer boy run OFF
to the war-crawled out thehouselike
n Injun. But resked one lool, atyer
lovin face. I've carried it, like q picter,
all these years-that dear face, lookin
like when you told yer wild boy to say
his prars. Somehow it showed up in
all the bad places and kept me from
goin clean down. When | got reckless
that face come an follored me as a
still prar---'
'Shut down, Jack. Thar, guess th'
sun got in my eyes. Perceed."
| 9TH night afore tn battle at Look
out Mountain yer face come to me
with tears on the cheeks. | was shot
next day an lett fer dead. But pull
ed up arter while, an drifted west into
tn mines. It's made yer boy rough,
but thar's gold in the quartz yit. Nur.
When ] started fer th' lower level, it
allus come to coax me back. If got
broke an everything went agin me,
that face come smilin' to cheer me up.
1t riz before me in tn gamblln' hells,
and | couldn't play; it would come
tween me an tn barkeep, an look SO
white an pleadin' Icouldn't swoller
tn drinks; it met me at the door ol
the dive, an looked so sufferin' an
tearwet Icouldn't go in, Evrywhar
drifted all them years that face fol
Tered ME like an angels, cheerin' me il
sorrer, savin' me from the bad
"Turn it off, Jack. Somehow my
eyes waters lookin at the letters SC
keerfully. Perceed."
81 hev been sick my ole army wounc
broke out an nearly took me over tn
range. That face has been with me
soothin' tn pain when death mad.
!; everything look dark. Yes, Pm com
in home with all OF yer boy that fac
has saved-comln to take keer of We
| hev plenty of dust, an now Pm com
in to that face; comm back to be nea1
it an make it tn peacefullest face il
!, all them diggins. Ye shan't know {
want nor do anything; only Jest b,
near me with that face. Goodbye til
l come. God bless ye. Don't fergit
I'll be at home Christmas.
aJAcK."
Chow will that pan, messmate?"
"Jack-I-thar! Some drops fel
. an blurred Id ack-l-ye see
'Pard-"
"Why, jack What's th' matter
, Worse agin2"
"Pard-that face-tell- -her--"
"Jack, don't yc know me? Speal
to yer ole pard. Whar must l scnt
: it-whar is she? Dead! Poor Jack
yell be home at Christmas sur
: enough. May that face be among tn
angel ones that welcomes ye'
The big, SCARED hands closed thu
, eyes with u gentle touch. Somethin.
! fell on the calm fale just as, a momen
/ before, it fell upon the letter; thel
Jack pard went out
The sun shimmered down through
/ crevice and pictured on the cabin wall
over the dead, what seemed a moth
t er's face looking smilingly down upol
: her sleeping boy. Fancy would sa,
, it was "that face. Chicago Current