Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1901-05-18
How Joe Lost
His Arm.
BY PAUL GRANT.

1
And twas there that met my Julia 80 trhe,
And rowed her about in my g9Intres canoe
Singing, Roe away, row Ger the Waters SO blue.
Like feather wen float in my gumtree
The clerk of the Pretty Jane had a
mellow voice. and blended sweetly
with it was little Jennie's chGldis
| treble.
He sat upon the deck OF the w
steamboat, gazing around on the bit
waters of the Tombigbee as the. y
danced on them, gazing intently a!
smiling absently to himself.
He was a man of about 80, and IFS
right coat sleeve was empty and pin
! ned upon his heart.
Little Jennie leaned upon his knee,
staring him intently in the face in q
way that children have. She pushed
| her broad brimmed hat back from her
eyes so that she might stare the bet
ter. The hat was queer1y shaped pail
metto structure, for this was in 1863,
and clothes were at premium. She
| was the child of.one of the passengers
and between her and the clerk quite 3
| friendship had sprung up.
And did you sure enough meet your
Julia here on the TombigbeeY' asked
| the child, stroking the empty sleeve
with a plying touch.
Eyes, said the clerk, reused from his
reyerie and smiling down on the eager
little face; IL have often taken her
| rowing on the Tombigbee before the
war, when had my other arm"
How nice" said Jennie. "How nfceg
And IN gumtree cancer
well, l wasn't particular as to the
kind Of canoe SO it was canoe" said
he, smiling.
"And your Julia amt named Julia,
but Mary Jane. after all,' said the
child
"Yes," said he, 'but she's just as
sweet as If her name was Julia, though
'twouldn't fit in the song so we'll"
"No, you couldn't say, I rowed my
Mary Jane 50 true 'TwouId make the
song too long legged"
True" said he. laughing, "but that
makes no difference. l think of her
while sing It, SO that it seems as if &c
was her name"
"WeIl, Mr.. Perkins," said Jennie,
tell me why haven't you married your
Julia, if you've been rowing her around
in your gumtree canoe these ever SO
many years?" q
"You see," said the mate, smiling.
my Julia couldn't make up her mind
that she loved me till the war broke
out and l volunteered; then she said
directly she'd marry me. but twas too
lot 7 1,o/I f1 off Col,
''You had both of your arms then!''
interrupted Jennie; "you was born
with 'em?"
'Of course, child. Did you ever hear
of any one born with one arm? Nature
don't ever make no such cobbled, lop-
sided work as that"
"Well, if you had both of your arms
then, l don't see why she wouldn'E
have you"
"Bless you, child, everybody had
plenty of arms then: that was no in
ducement to take a fellow. But, as 5
was saying, when she found I was GO
ing off to the war and might get killed
then she found that she loved me-"
"She'd rather marry you than that
you should get killed." said Jennie. )
Eyes, think she ought, after you row
ed her around in the canoe"
"You are right" said Perkins, laugh
ing; but twas too late to marry her
then. We agreed that if ever / got
back safely, when the war was over
we'd marry"
Tell me, now, how you came to lose
your ARM said Jennie.
Twas in one of the great battles
around Richmond that year. / had
been in many fights before, but this
was about the hottest The enema
was bound to get the hill on which
stood. and we were holding on, Il
Derately. But at last the boys be-
to waver and give way. Then
colonel came out to the front, ann
rest of our officers followed him
they ran up and down the lines eAt
ing up the men.
Steady, my boys said the old col
1el; keep pouring it into ther
Steady! endorsements will soon ne
mere! Never let it be said that the EEle
broke where the Alabamians stOOdg
1.-THE whole air seemed black with
'hOS anu "A P4CSS OA OAS Ska&A2SN2
he colonePs cheek, and the blood kept
rickling down his face but he didn'E
Ieem to feel it. The firing grew 80 hOE
hat the men seemed fairly moved
Town, and the line began to WAIVER and
Freak. Suddenly, clear on our right.
here arose u tremendous YELL It grew
ouder and louder and ran down the
Inc toward us. Then, at hast, we saw
courier galloping down the line. 1
hall never forget how be looked. His
lack horse was all white with foams
nd Its TANKS were bloody from his
pur. He rode bareheaded down the
Inc as If he bore a charmed life, and
e kept waving his cap around his
cad and shouting something to the
nen, and as they heard him the way
ng line rallied and sent up deafening