The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-01-12

he wuz the warrior Bill allowed ca wuz
goin' to be; our boy wuzn't the kind to
run They tell me there wuz bullet
holes here, an here, an here-an over
his breast We always knew our boy
was hero!
from that time on leetle Lizzie wuz
our daughter-our very daughter, all
that wuz left to US Nv our boy. She
never shed tear; crep' like shadder
round the house an up the front walk
an through the garden. Her heart
wuz broke. You could see it in the
leetle lambkin's eyes an hear it iu her
voice. Wanted to tell her sometimes
when she kissed me and called me ia
ther"-wanted to tell her: "Leetle
Lizzie, let me help yer bear yer load.
Speak out the sorrer that's in yer
broken heart; speak it out, leetle one,
an let me help yer bear yer load"
But it isn't for q man to have them
feelin's-leastwise, it isn't for him to
tell Nv EN-. So held my peace and
made no sign.
She Jest dropped an pinned an died.
One mornin' in the spring she wuz
standin' in the garden, an all at onct
she threw her arms up, 30, and fell
upon her face, an when they got to
her all tibet wuz left to us Nv leetle
Lizzie wuz her lifeless leetle body. I
can't tell of what happened next-uv
the funeral an all that. said this
WIZ in the spring, an so it wuz all
around US; but it was cold and winter
! here.
One day mother sez to me: "Reu.
ben," sez she, softlike, ''Marthy an I
is goin' to the buryin' ground for a
spell. Don't you reckon it would be q
good time for You to step over an sec
Bill while we're gomez"
'Mebbe so, mother" sez I.
Why did mother send me over to SEQ
Bill? I'd better stayed to homel I
felt myself chokin' up. If 1 hadn't
took a chew Nv terbacker, I'd ave
been cryin' in minute!
The nearer got to Bills the worst
hated to go in. Standin' on the stoop,
could hear the tall clock tickin' sol.
emily inside-"tick-tock, textbook"
Jest as plain as II wuz sittin' aside Nv
it. The door wuz shet, yet knew jest
what Bill wuz dom, he wuz settin' in
the old red easy chair, lookin' down at
the foor-like this. Strange, amt it,
how sometimes when you love folks
you know jest what they're doin' with
out KNOWN anything about it!
There warn't no use knockin', but I
knocked three times, SO. Didn't say .
word; only jest knocked three times
that away. Didn't hear no answer
nuthin' but the tickin wv the tall clock,
an yet knew that Bill heard me an
that down in his heart he was sayin'
to me to come In. He never said a
word, yet knowed all the time that
Bill wuz sayin' for me to come in.
opened the door, keerful like. an
slipped in. Didn't say nothin'; jest
opened the door softly like, an slipped
In. There set Bill jest as knowed he
WIZ settin'; lonesome like, sad like;
his head hangin' down; he never
looked up at me; never said a word
knowed 1 wuz there all the time, but
never said word an never made a
sign.
Jest two Of men, that's what we wuz;
an we had been boys together!
Well, I stood there a spell, kind Nv
hesitatin' like, neither Nv US sayin'
anything, until bimeby Bill he sortuv
made a sign for me to set down. Didn't
speak, didn't lift his eyes from the
floor: only made a sign, like this, in
weak, tremblir' way-that wuz all.
An set down, an there we both set,
neither Nv us sayin' word, but both
settin' there. lovin' each other an
sympathizin' as hard as we could, for
that is the way with men.
Bimeby, like we'd kind Nv made it
up aforehand, we hitched over closer,
for when folks is in sorrer an trouble
they like to be closte together. But not
a word all the time, an hitchin' closer
an closer together, why, bimeby we set
side by side. So we set spell longer,
lovin' an sympathizin', as men folks do;
thinkin' Nv the old times, Nv our boy
hood: thinkin' Nv the happiness Nv
the past an Nv all the hopes them two
children had brought US! The tall
clock licked, an that wuz all the sound
there wuz, excep' when Bill gin a sigh
an l gin sigh, too-to tighten the
load, ye know.
Not word come from either Of US;
twas all we could do to set there, lovin'
each other and sympathizin'!
All at oncet-for we couldn't stand IL
no longer-all at oncet we turned our
faces t other way an reached out, so,
an CROPPED with our hands, this away,
till we found and held each other fast
in clasp of tender meanin'.
Then-God forgive me if 1 done a
wrong-then wisht l wuz q woman!
For, bein' woman, could have riz
up, an. standin' so could have cried:
Come, Bill! come, let me hold you in
these arms; come let us weep together,
an let this broken heart of mine speak
through these tremblin' lips to that
broken heart Nv yourn, Bill, tellin' We
how much 1 love We an sympathize
with ye!'
But-no! I wuZ not a woman! l WI,
a man, an bein' man. must let my
heart break; must hold my peace, an
l must make no sign.
Magical in its splendid work. DR..
Prices Raking Powder was never