Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-10-10
A DAY OF 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 reminis-
cent.
Away before the war;" remarked
the colonel, musingly, when / was
just sprouting my first whisler-a
spindle-shanked, truant-playing prod
uct Of the effete east--my father sent
me 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 season on the Missouri farm of
my uncle would prove beneficial alike
to my mind and body. might say be-
fore going further that it did.
81 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 reve-
lation. The verdure-clad hills, the
breezes smelling spicy and sweet, the
cold water from the well, wholesome
food in large quantities, horses to ride
and lovely pool to go swimming in
made a new boy of me in week
Barring the fact that was compelled
to retire with the rest of the family at
nine 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 farm was heaven. 1t was
two heavens when l got acquainted
with Melvina Drake.
"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 skinny,
sallow, forsaken-looking, over-worked
woman, with no pleasure in store for her
but death. Both were Woodworking
but honest, but they had some kind of
a hoodoo on them. They were old res
identers in that part of the country,
and their ancestors had been there be-
fore them, but as far back as the men,
ory of man could extend the brakes
had always been poor-as my uncle
said-'pore 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. l guess she was
about sixteen years, big and sweet and
healthy. Her cheeks were as rosy and
clear as Missouri apple, and her eyes
were big and blue. And she was SO
doggone innocent that / hope l may
die IL it didn't use to embarrass me like
thunder
Consequence was l got mashed on
Melvina; hard mashed / don't be-
lieve stronger case of calf love ever
developed in this whole state of Mis-
souri, If 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 l used to lay awake and dream
myself hero. | used to imagine Mel
vina tearing down the road on fiery
steed with certain death staring her in
the face, and me coming up unexpect-
edly, 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
"One day, along in June, there came
out our way wagon loaded with ar
Gus bills, paste pots and bill stickers,
and they shattered the country side
with signs announcing that the great
Egypto-Africano circus and menageries
was to show in town on the Fourth of
July. When l left home my father
gave me ten dollars, and had most of
it left. l made up my mind that l
would take Melvina to the circus, and
directly my dreams at night took the
form of monster lion rushing at her
with open mouth, and me engaging
the lion just as he was about to grab
her, and choked him to death with
one hand.
"The next time / saw Melvina-I
used to see her every day; in fact, l
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 astonishment was en-
grayed ON every line OF her counte-
nance. She was so 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 sacred memory with me.
! have experienced a good many scnsa-
tions In my time, but the sensation of
kissing a handsome, buxom Southwest
Missouri girl right square on the soft,
sweet lips, while the tears from her
heavenly eyes are running down and
making pearly drops on your budding
mustache, is something better than al.
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 superfuous. But l
have often wondered, since l have be-