Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-08-26
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, Remembered Love !,
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I'm an old woman now-leastways so
they sez, although | don't feel bit like
one-but | guess il must he more'n so
year sence me an Jerry was chillen ter
gcther. All. how TIL til leslew fly, ter be
shure. 1t don't seem more'n las week
sence men Jerry went and n and
through tn pine grove every mornin reg
lar ter tn little yaller schoolhouse at tn
end o tn lane. he a-carryin my bucket
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
Well, in course, arter awhile we grow d
up, me an Jerry. We got ter lie too big
ter be loiterin along tn road and n
and ON our ways ter school. | wuz
thought ter he mighty fine gal in them
days-leastways all tn chaps around
about seemed ter look upon me as sech.
/ wuz, | know, two inches or more taller
nor Jerry, although he sed as he know'd
I wasn't.
One evenin, l remember we'll, me an
Jerry had had quite a rucuss, he a-sayin
l wuzn't no taller than he, an l a-sayin
different. While we wuz a-fussin Joe
Fillmore comes along, an he sez | war
right an Jerry war wrong. l felt l
could "a knocked his head off fer sayin
so. Joe Fillmore was a redheaded boy,
one o tn greatest bullies in our parts.
How l did despise his freckled face an
great, google eyes, ter be shurei But /
made out as how l wuz mighty fond o
him that evenin till / managed ter let i'm
know as 'ow it war only put on, jest ter
rile Jerry.
Jest as I'd a-been a-tellin O. Joe what
sneak l thought i'm an 'ow didn't care
a straw fer i'm, an he'd gone off sort a
sulky, an | was a-leanin on the gate sor-
rowful, see Jerry a-comin along.
Strengthened myself up to my full inches,
but makes believe | didn't see i'm, but
jest as / wuz a-turnin ter go inter tn
house Jerry stops at the gate an begins
ter lift the latch sort o restless an sez,
"Miss Marg'ret." Il was jest turned IL
an 'ad given 'em all around ter under
stand as l was gro'n up an wished ter
be treated as suchl OF course turns as
Jerry sez ter ME. Miss Marg'ret." (Al-
tho l thought it did sound kind curtis
a-comin from Jerry. But l turns an sez,
did you speak, Mr.. jeremiah Thomp-
son" Then he stands an looks quite Sc
ri'us, me a-callin of i'm by his full profess
sional name. circumstance which never
happened befor'. Then he sez. Yes, Mar
g'ret," an his voice sort O. shook. l felt
real sorry fer i'm. So goes close up ter
tn gate. He sez again quite low an SOL
EN-, but soft an fond like:
maggie" he seq again. Forgive me.
I didn't go ter hurt yer feelin's. not fer
all tn world wouldn't. But ef you'll on
ly stop a-goin with that Joe Fillmore I'll
let yer be tn tallest an biggest an pret-
tiest 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 !
know it was as red as tn canashuns in
our garden.) Tben-well. we walked up
an down outside TIL gate until TIL moon
cum up as bright as day. an aunt she
called ont siveril times fer me ter cum in
like decent gal. but Lor, we didn't hear
nothin but ourselves an each other that
evenin-me and Jerry.
When | did feel that perhaps it was
nearly mornin and begun ter say good
hiSuly uOlu6 lily udllu u. so as
jest couldn't git it away, an sez:
Maggie. couldn't yer give me jest one,
jest one?'
stoops down tiny heart a-thumpin all
tn world like tn old engine ter th' miID
an l plucks tn prittiest rose in my gar
den.
There's jest one, Jerry" | sez, an
'ands it to i'm. ITS sweet, Maggie, /
know" he sez, an of course | looks I'D
inter his face, but lik' fash o. lightnin
he gave kiss. right on my lips, which
nearly 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, Ah, that
night We parted! Me an Jerry, we never
thought but TIL promises we made ter
each other we'd live ter keep.
Fer months | waited Sometimes l |
heard where his regiment wuz stationed |
Once heard that fer something wonder |
full he'd done Jerry had been promoted. |
Ah, 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 / |
fer i'm. my heart a-bleedin day |
by day, until l 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 a few lines had
from his own dear hand. l have the lit
lie slip O. paper yet. although tn lines he
writ have faded years ago. But, no mat
.er, tn words are writ deep on my heart |
hat he wyz a-comin home. but that he
,nly 'ad one and ter offer me, as t'other
WIZ shot away with his arm. l writ an
old i'm how | didn't keer eff he didn't
lave none at all, so long as his heart wuz,
afe. I'd have i'm jest tn same. After
hat months an years went by, but
leerd nothin more o Jerry. They telled
ne he wuz dead. Years after tn war
vuz over looked fer him ter cum in any
mint an say: ''I've cum back ter ye,
dsggie! I've cum back" I've fancied
time an again, as I've set with my
nittin alone, what it would be fer me
er look up an see him a-comin up tn
title strip O. garden, with his one hand
tretched out ter me. go over in my
lind what that day'd be ter we, all alone
y ourselves-me an Jerry. I've lived
yer an over tn happiness. till at times 1
eel happy in tn thinkin.
l keeps myself as bright an young as l
en- in case he should cum home an find
le a-lookin not so young nor so tall as |
yuz when he left me.-Exchange-