Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1894-05-30

look from my book and find him sob
bling Historically. ] did rot interrupt
his grief, thinking that it was but the
natural result of physical weakness
But one day when l was about TO read
to him his favorite poem The Lady
of the Lake, he begged me to defer
it. lie was unusually pale and
thoughtful on this occasion On the
previous night he had been in great
pain, and exceedingly restless.
George, " said he, in serious tone
Il am going to write Brooms that our
engagement is off, and tell her why I
am only half man now" and he made
a droll feint of taking off his shoe from
the foot that had been amputated IF
was to insist on marryin' her she
would be dreadfully disappointed be-
cause Brooms is the proudest woman l
ever did see, 1t would cut her to the
quick to know that she had to be the
wife of a one-legged man, I'm sure
she would be too much ashamed to
walk out with husband who always
had to carry a crutch. Yes, I'm going
to give Brooms her freedom
An interval of silence followed and
then | commenced to reason with him.
but he shook his head stubbornly, and
would not listen. lie requested me to
get pen and paper and write down his
dctation 1t was useless putting him
named after me. If Tom was a longer
off; be would call another shipmate if
! refused so | brought writing ma
terials, propped him up on the pillows,
and indited the following, substan-
TALLY, as it came from his lips:
My DARLING BRooMs: | address
you thus for the last time. have met
with au accident, and only have one
leg left to meet another of like nature.
am very sorry for both our salles that
all this has happened, because through
the loss OF nv limb | must lose
you. for / know you have enough
sense not to care for only half
d man. Burn up my letters and
picture. The latter, | believe, is full
length, and no longer correct like
ness. Keep the parrot l brought you
from the South seas, by which to re-
mem Der me as / once was when l gould
climb to the main top quicker than
any jolly tar aboard the Natalie.
hope by the time l get back you'll be
married and settled down, with baby
name l would insist upon you splitting
it in two, just because-but never
mind why. Brooms, you'll make some
solid man the sweetest little wife on
earth. There, good-b by, Brooms. L
could add to the brine of the old sea
If / were leaning over the deck rail.
As it is I'm wetting a handkerchief,
and my friend who writes this for me
is witness. Brooms, I'll never for
get you, and au your friend always
Tom
Tom managed to scratch down his
own signature. He requested me to
mail the letter. and sinking back in
the folds of the pillows exhausted, was
soon in slumber.
did not dare detain the note. After
struggling against strong desire TO
do SO, took it ashore with me in the
afternoon.
Tom was calmer after that; he
seemed stoieally resigned. He refused
to take any more thin broth, and de-
manded something to eat" His irri-
liability was sign of improvement in
health Toms bluntpess sometimes
might have been mistaken for anger.
One morning about two months
afterward he surprised every body by
calling for his clothes and the crutch
that had been provided for him. Hav-
ing been up in a chair several times,
we assisted him into his clothes, and
had the satisfaction of seeing him tot
ter on de X.
That afternoon he received a letter