The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1895-10-05
A DAY OF MARTYRDoM.

The colonel and the young reporter
were slipping their respective portions
Of a cold bottle of beer and listening
20 the whir of an electric fan the other
night when the colonel grew reminis-
cent.
AWAY before the war" remarked
the colonel, musingly, ''when I was
just sprouting my first whisker--a
spindle-shanked. manipulating prod
uct of the eifete east--my father sent
1ne out into southwest Missouri to get
braced up. l don't know what was
the matter with me. but / was NIL run
down, and my father was convinced
that season ON the Missouri farm OF
my uncle would prove beneficial alike
70 my mind and body. might say be-
fore going further that IL did.
II badc my mother a sorrowful
good-by. away bacls in New York city,
and In due course OF time landed on
the farm OF my uncle. IL was reve-
lation. The verdure-clad hills, the
breezes smelling spicy and sweet, the
cold water from the we'll, wholesome
food In large quantities, horses to ride
and "a lovely pool TO go swimming in
made new boy of me In week.
Barring the fact that was compelled
to retire with the rest OF the family at
nine o'clock mt 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 farm was heaven. 1t was
two heavens when l got acquainted
with Melvina Drake.
s'Melvina Drake was about the four
teenth child OF 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-mannered old man
you ever saw. His wife was a skinny,
sallow, forsalSen-loolSing. over-worked
woman, with no pleasure in store for her
but death. Both were Woodworking
but honest, but they had some kind of
hoodoo on them. They were old res
identcrs in that part OF the country,
and their ancestors had been there be-
fore them, but as far back az the mem
DRY of man could extend the brakes
had always been poor--as my uncle
said-'porc as shucks' About all the
brakes seemed fitted for was increas-
ing the population and getting hold OF
horses that couldn't draw anything but
flies
'As was saying. Melvina was about
the fourteenth OF the Drake brood, and
she was dream guess she was
about sixteen years, big and sweet and
healthy. Her cheeks were as rosy and
clear as :; Missouri apple. and her ewes
.. III A..I oh 30.
doggone innocent Mat / hope 1 may
die II II didn't use 10 cmbarrass me like
thunder
consequence was got mashed on
Melvina; hard mashed. l don't be-
lieve stronger case OF calf love ever
developed In this whole state OF Mis-
souri,. IL l saw one of my cousins or
any other boy talking TO her would
go to some secluded spot and cry and
butt my soft noddle against tree. At
night used to lay awake and dream
myself hero. i used to imagine Mel
VIVA tearing down the road on n fiery
stecd with certain death staring her In
the face. and me coming up uncxpect-
edly, stopping the horse and rescuing
her, sustaining la the operation "A
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.
''Onc day, along in June, there came
ont onr way wagon loaded with cir
Gus bills. paste pots and bill sticlxers,
and they slathcred the country side
with signs announcing that the great
Egypto-Africano circus and mcnagerics
was 10 show IA town on the Fourth of
July. When left home my father
gave me ten dollars. and had most OF
IL left. l made mp my mind that
would take Melvina 90 the circus, and
directly my dreams at night took the
form OF a monster lion rushing at her
with open mouth. and me engaging
the lion just as he was about 90 grab
her, and choked him to death with
one hand.
ss.rhe next time l saw Melvina--I
used 10 sec her every day; In fact.
came pretty near being with her all
the timc---I asked her u she'd 90 to
the circus thought she'd faint
Her eyes opened wide, and 40 did her
mouth, and astonishment was en-
gravcd on every line of her counte-
nance. one WAS 80 ONcFcoiuc Win JOY
that she just sat down and cried I
sat down, too. and that was the first
time | ever kissed her. Young man,
that kiss h sacred memory with me.
have experienced good many scnsa-
tions In my time. but the sensation OF
kissing handsome, buxom Southwest
Missouri girl right square on the soft.
sweet lips. while the tears from her
heavenly eyes arc running down and
making pcarly drops on your budding
mustachc. Is something better than all
OF them put together. And when. like
Mclyina. she puts her brown. bare
arms around your neck and kisses
backbone OF those long. clinging
kisses that Ella Wheeler Wilcox writes
about--words arc supcr1uous. But
hnve often wondered. aimee have boz