The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-12-12

money with Yankee thrift that would
have made him a. millionaire i'm any
large city of the world.
AS lit is, he is a frugal and chaste
bachelor so years of age, and owns a
thousand dollars worth of property for
every year he has lived.
Fer more than fifty years people who
knew him best wondered why he had
always lived bachelor. He had been
asked about 1T in a roundabout way
dozens of times, but never gave any
satisfactory answer. In summertime,
when visitors are here, he is teo busy to
talk about himself, and as soon as they
are gone checker playing comes in to
put a stop to personal "reminiscences.
Tom was sitting in an armchair bes de
abe office stove. At his right were the
village doctor, drummer and retired
Shlpmaster who had come into smoke
and play checkers. To the left were a
travelling agent for something and the
writer Over near the window a girl
was thinning the evening lamps and
getting ready to light up
Outside the red-eyed sun was putting
himself to bed in a hot of fiery blankets.
Tom had just hired a new boy about the
hotel who served in the double capacity
of ''frcnt" and "boots." This boy j m
was lately imported from PenobseCt,
which is not a summer resort town. and,
younger than those found in Gospel
Hymns No. 6.
AS Jim was musical, he soon picked
up several melodies which had come
down from Boston during the summer,
and went about the house singing them
at all times. This night, while old Tom
and his guests held a Quaker meeting
around the stove, Jim came in from
the stable roaring out:
There is only one girl in the world for
NEE,
Only one girl has my sympa-thee.
Tom took his hands from his face and
F-laened, cecltng his old ear to one
side like a. chicadee.
TRUE, true every word of it." said
Tom as the boy helped TO place the
lamps in their brackets and sang louder
than ever.
whats true?" asked the doctor.
"Wha,t Jim Is a-s.nging. Queer, ain't
it, how things come up?"
What has come up to you now?"
"Nothirg. l was thinking how strange
things come about in the world-that's
all. I've been saying what that says
nearly all my life, and 1 didn't know
a. word of 1T until this summer. 1T
seems as if the whole song was mine
belonging to me it fits my case so well.
I was in love once myself"
mo? 1 never heard of Ut, though they
said you had a secret somewhere. Tell
us about ~"
''There's no secret to 1T ait all, just
plain facts, which l amt ashamed OF.
If it will do you any good ITO know what
blamed fool I've been I'd as soon tell
I you as not"
OF course, everybody said lit would do
good, and when the old man had been
persuaded for a time The put his elbow
on the arm of his chair and said:
II liked the girls as well as any of
the young fellows in my day. There
xxul,.a nxylr
On the road to Blue Hill-that knew l
loved, and felt pretty sure she loved me,
too. | was 20 years old and poor. she
was about my age and her folks were
pretty well-to-do.
"If we got married, then she would
have ITO work hard, 50 / said to mysef.
I would keep a lookout for her and not
ask her to marry me until l was worth
S.. coo. Pretty soon had an offer TO go
ito South Carolina and get out hard pine
timber.
ed there two years and made nearly
$4,000. When / reached Castine with
my money / did not stop anywhere, but
hired horse and drove over to see my
girl AT the house they told me her
father and mother had died and she had
married an Orland farmer.
"'That was pretty tough, but, after
thinking It over, l said lit would do no
harm ITO go up and see her. l drove up
there the next day. They were awful
poor. She had one of her husbands red
flannel understands on instead of waist
when she came to the door, and SINE
was dreadfuly frustrated to see me.
Of course 1 didn't tell her what l came
home for-not a. word of 1T. l told her
| had made some money, and asked her
to take $40 of it for cid times sake
after that l gave the children 500
each as they came along, and helped the
family in other ways. When THE boy
gor big enough to go to work L founu
Jobs for them, and gave them nttle
money now and then. They are all DO
ing pretty well now, cutting stone and
ouarrying. Some of her girls worked
for me in the hotel until they got mar
ried. I've tried to be friend TO the
whole family"
sWhere is the man now who married
tbe pirl Won loved, Uncle TOMB" asked
the drummer.
"The poor cuss is dead
why don't you go and marry the
widow?'' -,
Lord love you, man, she died ten
wears before he did. Hard work ana
noyerty and bringing up children so n
wore her out, poor critter."
IF he had died first, would you nave
married her?"
Cant tell. Perhaps she wouldn't have
taken me. What I ought to have done
was to marry her in the first place.
By this time the lamps were lighted,
and the sun was fast asleep behind Bel
fast hills. Uncle Tom reached over the
desk and pulled out the checker board.
Five minutes later he was in the king
row in spite of all the doctor could do.
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