The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1895-10-18
29aisCcilaue0NG.
/ DAYOF MARTYRDOM

/ DAIOF MARTYRDOM
The colonel and the young reporter
were slipping their respective portions Of
cold bottle of beer and listening to the
whir Of an electric fan the other night
when the colonel grew reminiscent.
Away before the war" remarked
the colonel musinrly, 'twhen I was just
sproutiag NY first whisker-a spindle
shanked, truant playing product OF the
effete east-nav father sent mo out into
southwest Missouri to get braced up. l
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
body. I might say before going farther
that it did.
81 babe my mother a sorrowful good
by, away back i'll New York city, and in
due course of time I landed on the farm
of ny uncle. 1t WAS Il revelation. The
verduro clad hills, the broazes smelling
spicy and sweet, the cold water from
the we'll, wholesome food in large quail
titles, horses to ride and lovely pool
to 80 swimming in made a new boy OF
ne in Il week. Barring the fact that
was compelled to retire with the rest Of
the family at 8 oclock at night ard get
I'D al an hour il the morning when the
dew on the grass felt to my bare feet
like ice water, that farm was heaven. 1t
was two heavens when 1 got acquainted
with MalTin" Drake.
"MeIyiia Drake was about the four
teenth child of Il 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, mildcst mannered old man you
ever saw. His wife WAS skinny, sal
low, God fOTsaken looking, overwurked
woman, with no pleasure in store for
her but death. Both were handwriting
and honest, but they had some kind Of
a hCodoo On them. They were old resi-
Genters in that part OF the country, and
their ancestors had been there before
them, but rs far back DIS the memory Of
man could extend the brakes had al
ways been p0Or-as my uncle said,
pore rs shuck8. About all the brakes
seemed fitted Tor was increasing the
population and getting hold Of horses
that couldn draw anything but flies.
LAS I was saying, Melyina was about
the fourteenth of the Drake brood, and
she was Il dream. / guess she was about
16 years, big and sweet aud healthy.
Her cheeks were as rosy and clear as a
Missouri apple, and her eyes were big
and blue. And sine was so doggone in
nocent that / hope l may die if it didn't
use to embarrass me like thunder.
"ConseCue2lcesw was, got mashed Oh
Melvina, hard mashed [ don't be-
lieve Il stronger case Of calf love ever
deyelOped in this whole state Of Mis-
souri,. II ! saw one of my cousins or any
other boy talking to her, would so to
some secluded spot and cry and butt my
! soft noddle against tree. AT night
used to lie awake and dream myself Il
| hero. I used to imagine Melyina tear
ing down the road on IL fiery steed, with
certain death staring her III tho face,
! and me coming up unexpectedly, stop
| ping the horse and roscuiDg her, sustain
ing in the operation a broken leg and
sundry ether bruises. Then I'd imagine
Melyina nursing me back to life, and
| finally marrying re. My head was full
| Of such st2if.
Zone day, along i'll June, there came
out Cur way p wagon loaded with circus
| bills, Dasteno5s and bill stickera, and
they shattered the countryside with
signs announcing that the great E2ypto-
! AfricaDo Circa8 and Melag ari"s Was to
show IN town Oh the Fourth Of July.
| When ! left home, my father gave me
| go, and [ lad most OF it Left. | made
10 my mind that I would take MelNina
to the circus, and directly my dreams al
night took the form OF u monster lion
rushing ut her with open mouth and me
engaging the lion jnst rs is was ABOUT
to grab her, and choking him to death
with one hand.
1.-THE next time I saw Melvina-I
used 10 sse Ler every day; III fact, l
came pretty near being with her all the
time-I asked her if she'd go to the cir
Gus. | Thought she'd faint. Her eyes
pened wide, and so did her mouth, and
! astonishmcnt was engraved on every
line Of her countenmce. she was so
overcome with jog that she just sat
down and cried. l sat down, too, and
that was the first time | ever kissed her.
"Yonng man, that kiss is Il sacred
memory with me. l have experienced a
COED many sensations in my time, but
| = =. l,anlc0,,,o
bux0nl southwest Missouri girl right
sosara on the soft, sweet lips, while the
tears from her heavenly eyes are running
down and making pearly drops on your
budding nlustaoha, is something better
than all OF them put together
"And when, like Melvina, she puts
her brown, bare arms around your neck
and kisses back - one of those long,
clinging kisses that Ella Wheeler Wilcox
writes about-wcrds are supertluous.
But have often wondered, since have
become calloused and cynical, where
Melyina learned to kiss. She was 3 rev
citation TO me.
FINALLY the glorious Fourth came
around, and got ready for the circus.
might explain here that had brought
q suit Of store cl.thcs and 4 pair of shoes
from tho cast with lie, but I had never
worn the clothes ON the farm and sci
dom wore the shoes Everybody down i'll
that section Vent barefootod, boys and
mon, ami ! did as the Romans did. Thit
Fourth Of Julgmoluins / put on q billed
shirt, my store clothes, my shoes and
socks, and I brushed and cleaned myself
antil was positively uncomfortable.
"After breakfast, followed by The
good natured hut cutting 'joshing' Of
my relatives, I started down the rcat
to meet Melyina. 1 had arranged viii
her to walk to town, figuring on th;
walk back in the moonlight, when W.