Birmingham age-herald., 1894-12-30

wuz at our house all the time; called Lizzie "mother;" was contented in her woman's way, willin' to do her part, waitin' an watchin' an prayin' for him to come back They sent him boxes of good things every fortnight, mother an leetle Lizzie did; there wuzn't a minute of the day that they wuzn't tallsin or thinkin' uv him.
 Well-ye see-I must tell it my own way-he got killed. In the very first battle Cyrus got. killed The rest uv the soldiers turnt to retreat, because there wuz too many for 'em on the other side. But Cyrus stood right up; he wuz the warrior Bill allowed he wuz goin' to be; our boy wuzn't the kind to run. They tell me there wuz bullet holes here, an here, an here-all over his breast. We always knew our boy was hero!
 From that time on leetle Lizzie wuz our daughter-our very daughter, all that wuz left to us uv our boy. She never shed tear; crep like shadder round the house an up the front walk an through the garden. Her heart wuz broke You could see it in the leetle lambkin's eyes an hear it in her voice. Wanted to tell her sometimes when she kissed me and called me fla ther"-wanted to tell her: "Leetle Lizzie, let me help yer bear yer load. Speak out the sorrer that's in yer broken heart; speak it out, leetle one, an let me help yer bear yer load"
 But 1t isn't for a man to have them feelin's-leastwise it isn't for him to tell uv 'em. So held my peace and made no sign.
 She jest dropped an pined an died. One mornin' in the spring she wuz standin' in the garden, an all at onct she threw her arms up, so, and fell upon her face, an when they got to her all thet wuz left to us uv leetle Lizzie wuz her lifeless leetle body. I can't tell of what happened next-uv the funeral an all that said this wuz in the spring, an so it wuz all around us; but it was cold and winter here.
 One day mother sez to me: "Reu- ben," sez she, softlize, "Marthy an I is goin' to the buryin' ground for spell. Don't you reckon it would be good time for you to step over an see Bill while we're gone?"
 "Mebbe so, mother" sez I.
 Why did mother send me over to see Bill? I'd better stayed to home! 1 felt myself .chokin' up. If I hadn't took a chew uv terbacker, I'd ave been cryin in minutel
 The nearer got to Bills the worst hated to go in. Standin' on the stoop, could hear the tall clock tickin' sol emnly inside-' 'tick-tock, tick-tock," jest as plain as if wuz sittin' aside uv it. The door wuz shet, yet knew jest what Bi'l wuz doin', he wuz settin' in the old red easy chair, lookin' down at the 1oor-like this Strange, ain't it, how sometimes when you love folks you know jest what they're doin' with out knowin' anything about it!
 There warn'tno use knockin', but knocked three times, so.S Didn't say a word; only jest knocked three times that away. Didn't hear no answer nuthin' but the tickin nv the tall clock, an yet knew that Bill heard me an that down in his heart he was sayin to me to come in. He never said word, yet knowed all the time that Bill wuz sayin' for me to come in.
 opened the door, keerful like, an slipped in. Didn't say nothin' jest opened the door softly like, an slipped in. There set Bill jest as knowed he wuz settin'; lonesome like, sad like; his head hangin' down; he never looked up at me; never said word knowed I wuz there all the time, but never said word an never made sign.
 Jest two ol men, that's what we wuz; an we had been boys together!
 We'll stood there a spell, kind uv hesitatin' like, neither .uv us sayin' anything, until bimeby Bill he sortuv made sign for me to set down. Didn't speak, didn't lift his eyes from the floor; only made sign, like this, in a weak, trembliI' way-that wuz all. An set down, an,theresw we both set, rsither uv us sayin' q word, but both set,fI' there. lovin' each other an sympathizin' as hard as we could, for that is the way with mon.