The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1895-10-26

grew reminiscent.
Away before the war;" remarked the
colonel musingly, when | was Just sprout-
ing my first whisker-a spindle shanked,
truant playing product of the cffete cast
my father sent me out into southwest Mis-
souri, to get braced up. | don't know what
was the matter with me, but was all run
down, and my father was convinced that a
season on the Missouri farm of my uncle
would prove beneficial alike to my mind
and my body. | might say before going
farther that it did
Il bade my mother a sorrowful good-by,
away back in New York city, and in due
course OF time | landed on the farm of my
uncle. 1t was revelation. The verdure
clad hills, the breezes smelling spicy and
sweet, the cold water from the well, whole
some food in large quantities, horses to
ride and lovely pool to go swimming in
made new boy of me in a week. Barring
the fact that l was compelled to retire with
the rest of the family at 8 o'clock at night
and get up at an hour in the morning when
the dew on the grass felt to my bare feet
like ice water, that fam was Heaven. 1t
was Heaven. 1t Vas two Heavens when |
got acquainted with Melvina Drake.
"Melvina Drake was about the four
tecnth child of a farmer living about two
miles nearer town than my uncle Her
father, solomon Drake, was the poorest
man in the county. He was poorer than
watered buttermilk, but the incest, mildest
hammered old man you ever saw His wife
was skinny, sallow, God forsaken looking,
overworked woman, with no pleasure in
store for her but death. Both were hard
working and honest, but they had some
kind of hoodoo on them. They were old
residenteTs in that part Of the country, and
their ancestors had been there before them,
but as far back as the memory of man
could extend the brakes had always been
poor-as my uncle said, ''poor as shucks -
About all the brakes seemed fit for was
increasing the population and getting hold
of horses that couldn't draw anything but
flies
Gas / was saying, Melvina was about
the fourteenth of the Drake brood and she
was a dream. | guess she was about
sixteen years, big and sweet and healthy.
Her cheeks were as rosy and clear as
n Missouri n,,nla aud har
big and blue. And she was so dog
.gone innocent that l hope l may die
If it didn't use to embarass me like
thunder.
"Consequence was, | got mashed on
Melvina, hard mashed | don't believe
a stronger case of calf love ever developed
in this whole state of Missouri. If | saw
one OF my cousins or any other boy
talking to her, | would 90 to some Sc
cluded spot and cry and butt my soft
noddle against tree. At night | used to
lie awake and dream myself hero. | used
to imagine Melvina tearing down the road
on fiery steed, with certain death staring
her in the face, and my coming up unex-
pectedly, stopping the horse and rescuing
her, sustaining in the operation broken
leg and sundry other bruises. Then I'd
imagine Melvina nursing me back to life,
and finally marrying me. My head was
full of such stuff
Gone day, along in June, there came
out her way a wagon loaded with circus
bills, pastepots and bill stickers, and they
shattered the countryside with signs an
nouncing that the great Egypto-Afrcano
Circus and Menageries was to show in town
on the Fourth of July. When left home
my father gave me $40, and had most Of
it left. l made up my mind that would
take Melvina to the circus, and directly
my dreams at night took the form OF a
monster lion rushing at her with open
mouth and my engaging the lion just as he
was about to grab her, and choking him to
death with one hand.
''The next time saw Melvina-I used
to see her every day. in fact, | came pretty
near being with her all the time-I asked
her if she'd go to the circus. l thought
she'd faint. Her eyes opened wide, and so
did her mouth, and establishment was en-
graved on every line of her countenance.
She was 80 overcome with joy that she just
sat down and cried. | sat down, too, and
that was the first time | ever kissed her.
''Young man, that kiss is a sacred mem
DRY with me. | have experienced a good
many sensations in my time, but the sensa-
tion of kissing handsome, buxom south
west Missouri girl right square on the soft,
sweet lips, while the tears from her Heav-
emily eyes are running down and making
pearly drops on your budding mustache, is
something better than all of them put
together.
"And when, like Melvina, she puts her
brown, bare arms around your neck and
kisses backbone of those long, clinging
kisses that Ella Wheeler Wilcox writes
about-words are superhuous. But have
often wondered, since | have become cal
loused and cynical, where Melvina learned
to kiss. She was revelation to me.
FINALLY the glorious Fourth came
around, and got ready for the circus |
might explain here that had brought