The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1891-01-29
HOW JOE LOST HIS ARM.

Singing. row away. row Ger the waters so blue,
Like a feather wen float in my gumtree canoe
The clerk Of the Pretty Jane had a
mellow voice, and blended sweetly with
1t was little Jennie's childish treble.
He sat upon the deck of the little
steamboat gazing around on the bright
waters Of the Tombigbee as the sun
danced on them, gazing intently, and
smiling absently to himself.
He was man Of about thirty, and his
right coat sleeve was empty and pinned
upon his heart.
Little Jennie leaned upon his knee,
staring him intently in the face in way
that children have. She pushed her
broad ,brimmed hat back from her eyes
so that she might stare the better. The
hat was queerly shaped palmetto
structure, for .his was in SO, and clothes
were At premium. She was the child
of one Of the passengers, and between
her and the clerk quite friendship had
sprung up.
"And did you sure enough meet your
Julia here on the TombigbeeT' asked the
child, stroking the empty sleeve with a
plying touch.
EYES," said the clerk, reused from his
reverie and smiling down on the eager lit
tie face; II have often taken her rowing
on the Tombigbee before the war, when
had my other ARM"
"How nice" said Jennie. "How nice!
And in a gumtree cancer"
"Well, wasn't particular as to the
kind of canoe, 20 it was canoe" said
he, smiling.
"And your Julia amt named Julia,
but Mary Jane, after all, said the child.
YES" said he, but she's Just as
sweet as if her name was Julia, though
'twouldn't fit in the song 80 WE'LL"
"No, you couldn't say, 4 rowed my
Mary Jane SO true 'Twould make the
song too long legged"
"True," said he, laughing, "but that
makes no difference. l think of her
while / sing it, so that it seems as if it
was her name"
well, Mr.. Perkins," said Jennie, "tell
me why haven't you married your Julia,
if you've been rowing her around in
your gumtree canoe these ever so many
years.
'You see," said the mate smiling, my
Julia couldn't make up her mind that
she loved Inc till the war broke out and
l volunteered; then she said directly
she'd marry Inc, but twas too late then;
had to go off to fight"
"You had both of your arms then!" in
terrupted Jennie; "you was born with
emp
"Of course, child. Did you ever hear
of any one born with one arm? Nature
don't ever make no such cobbled, lop-
sided work as that"
"Wel, if you had both of your arms
then, don't see why she wouldn't have
YOU"
"Bless you, child, everybody had
plenty of arms then; that was no in
ducement to take a fellow. But, as l
was saying, when she found was going
off to the war and might get killed, then
she found that she loved me-"
''She'd rather marry you than that
you should get killed." said Jennie.
Eyes, I think she ought, after you rowed
her around in the canoe"
"You are right" said Perkins, laugh
ing; "but twas too late to marry her
then. We agreed that if ever got back
safely, when the war was over, we'd
marry"
Tell me now, how you came to lose
your arm" said Jennie.
"'Twas in one of the great battles
around Richmond that year. had been
in many fights before, but this was
about the hottest. The enemy were
bound to get the hill on which we stood,
and we were holding on desperately
But at last the boys began to waver and
give way. Then our colonel came ont
to the front, and the rest of our officers
followed him, and they ran MP and down
the lines cheering up the men.
Steady, my boys, said the old colo
mel; keep pouring it into them. Steady!
Requirements will soon be here!
Never let it be said that the line broke
where the Alabamians stoodv
THE whole air seemed black with
shot and shell. A piece of one grazed
the coloners cheek, and the blood kept
trickling down his face, but he didn't
seem to feel it. The firing grew so hot
that the men seemed fairly moved
down, and the line began to waver and
break. Suddenly, clear on our right,
there arose a tremendous yell. 1t grew
louder and louder, and ran down the
line toward us. Then, at last, we saw
courier galloping down the line shall
never forget how he looked His black
horse was all white with foam and its
tanks were bloody from his spur. He
rode bare headed down the line as if no
bore charmed life, and he kept waving
his cap around his head and shouting
something to the men, and as they heard
him the wavering line rallied and sent
up deafening cheers. Then he galloped
by where we were and yelled:
Rally, men! rally! Stonewall Jack
son is in their rear, and giving eln sutr
Then we cheered, too, until we were
hoarse. The courier galloped on, and
presently our officer shouted:
Forward men; charged
Anu away VIC WeuJ, OOWu the 1Eu
and across field, right toward the
Yankee lines, yelling like Indians.
II held the colors in my hand, and
ran little ahead. didn't seem to have
any feet; seemed to fly. and the men
followed me. Right towaru the blazing
line we rsl.
'All at once saw the colonel, who
was riding by me, grasp the colors, for
they were falling. l looked and saw
that my hand, my whole arm was gone,
and hadn't felt it'll l grabbed the flag
in my left hand.
"T can carry the colors yet, colonel,
said. L don't feel any pain
81 ran on some fifty steps, when the
blood began spouting from my Shout
der. dropped. joe Ashe, one of the
color guards, snatched the flag, and they
all rushed on.
81 fell senseless. l never knew an
other thing till weeks after, when woke
up one day in CHR rorazo hospital and
found some funny looking ladies in black
bonnets, that the LJys called the sis