Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1896-01-03
ME AN JERRY.


Many's tn time, when I'd open O. it,
p'raps an hour fore eatin time, an see,
right on top. tn two pieces o corn bread
an meat, as wuz all Aunt Maria lowed
me fer dinner.
We'll, in course, artcr awhile, we grow
up, me an Jerry. We got ter DO too big ter
be loiterin along tn road and in and on
our ways ter school | wuz thought ter be
mighty fine gal in them days-leastways
all tn chaps around about seemed ter look
upon mo as sooh l wuz, know, two
inches or moro taller nor Jerry, although
he sod rs he know'd / wasn't.
Ono eVonin, I rcmcmhcr we'll, mo an
Jerry had had quite Il ruauss, lie a-snyin 1
wuzn't no taller than he, ia / a-sayin diff
fOrcnt. While we wua h-fussn Joe Pill
more comes alon;, an lac $50 l war right,
IN jerry war wrong. l felt l could "a
knocked his head off fer sayin so. ,Ioo Pill
moro was a rcdhcadcd boy, one o. tn
greatest bulliGs in our parts. How 1 did
dCspiSo his frCclslcd face an great, google
eyes ter bo shurel But l mado out as
how l wuz mighty fond o. him that evcnin
till managed ter let i'm know rs 'ow it
war only put on, jest ter rile Jerry.
jest rs I'd a-been a-tellin o. Joe what a
sneak l thought i'm, an 'ow didn't care
a straw fer i'm, an he'd gone off sort q
sulky, an 1 was a-leanin on the gate sor-
rowful, l see Jerry a-comin along.
Strengthened myself up to my full inches,
but makes believe 1 didn't sec i'm, but
jest as l wuz II turnin ter go inter tn house
Jerry stops at the gate an begins ter lift
the latch sort o. restless an SEE, "Miss
Marg'ret." Il was jest turned II, an 'ad
given em all round ter understand as
was gro'n up, an wished ter be treated as
such.) OF course 1 turns as Jerry SEE ter
me- Miss Marg'ret." (Altho thought
it did sound kind Of curtis a-comin from
Jerry. But turns an SEE, Did you speak,
Mr.. Jeremiah Thompson" Then he stands
an looks quite seri' us, me a-callin of i'm
by his full professional name, circum-
stance which never happened befor'. Then
he SEE, Eyes, Marg ret, " an his voice sort
o. shook. felt real sorry fer i'm. So
goes close up ter tn gate. He SEE again
quite low an solem', but soft an fond like:
Maggie" he seq again. "Forgive me.
l didn't go ter hurt yer feelin's, not fer all
tn world wouldn't. But Of you'll only
stop a-goin with that Joe Fillmore I'll let
yer be tn tallest an biggest an prettiest
an dearest an everthink else, as you know
you are an allus was an allus will be ter
me"
On that he opens tn gate an takes my
hand. Il felt relieved that it was evenin,
an he couldn't well see my face, fer l
know it was as red as tn canashuns in
our garden.) Then-well we walked up
an down outside tn cato until tn moon
cum up Us bright as day. an aunt she call
cd out siveril times fer mo ter cum in like
"a decent gal, but Lor', we didn't hear moth
in but ourselves an each other that evenin
me an Jerry.
When 1 did feel that perhaps it was
nearly mornin an begun ter say good
night, Jerry holds my hand tight, so as
jest couldn't git it away, an sez:
Maggie, couldn't yer give me jest one,
jest oneY"
stoops down (my heart a-thumpin, all
tn world like tn old engine ter tn milD
an l plucks tn prittiest rose in my gar
den.
There's jest one, Jerry" l SEE, an
'ands it to i'm. Its sweet, Maggie,
know" he seq, an of course looks up inter
his face, but lik' flash o. lightenin he
gave kiss, right on my lips, which near
ly TUX my breath away
After that night we wuz good friends
right along fer years, until that dreadful
time when all us wimmin folks was worn
out with anxiety an wonderin, a-lookin fer
our husbands an lovers who'd gone ter tn
war. When we parted All, that night
we parted Me an Jerry, we never thought
but tn promises we made ter each other
we'd live ter keep.
Fer months | waited. Sometimes I
heard where his regiment wuz stationed.
Once heard that fer something wonder
full he'd done Jerry had been promoted.
All, how proud l felt-my true, brave
jerry Then bad news Came-that he
wuz wounded. Then, again, that he wuz
shot an killed. Fer ten weary months
mourned fer i'm, my heart a-bleedin day
by day, until felt no life left in my body,
with no more tears ter shed fer i'm. Then
tn news came that he wuz Twin, but "a
prisoner, an few lines had from his own
dear hand. have the little slip o. paper
yet, although tn lines he writ have faded
years ago. But, no MATTER tn words are
writ deep on my heart that he wuz a comm
home, but that he only lad one and ter
offer me, as t'other wuz shot away with
his arm. l writ an told i'm how didn't
hGOI VI ub ulull ndNb lOIlb dU All, 81 long
as his heart wuz safe. I'd havL i'm jest
tn same. After that months an years went
by, but l heerd nothin more o. Jerry
They tolled me he wuz dead. Years after
tn war wuz over l looked fer him ter cum
in any mint an say: eve cum back ter
ye, Maggie! I've cum back" I've fan
oied it time an again, rs I've set with my
knittin alone, what it would be fer me ter
look up an see him a-comin up tn little
strip o. garden, with his one hand stretched
out ter me. go over in my mind what
that day'd DO ter we, all alone by'Ourselvos
me an Jerry. I've lived over an over tn
happiness, till at times feel happy in tn
thinkin.
pmA-kcepin up an a-helpin others along
an oftGntimes | see folks not so happy as
myself whose lives seem empty, an
whose hearts are broken, COS they've let
all tn love 90 out o. 'em.
keeps myself us bright an young as 1
ken in ci>io no should cum home an find
M a