Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1901-06-01

AMNNMS
with the telegram. lowed at sumpin'
wuz up soon's | saw i'm. Ma wuz
kneadin' dough, an stood in the stoop
just benin me. ODE JUS said Jerry
got the telegram opun somehow. 1t wuz
In a strange handwrte, an seq, 'Cap'n
Jeremiah BraXton was killed in the first
charge. jes turned round to ma She
put 'er hans agin the door, sort a-trem-
bin, an then went in. | heerd her go-
in sort a slow-like up the front stairs
1t wuz awful hard, stranger: awful hard
Purity soon ODE SimcoX rid off arter
the gals to tell 'em to come up. found
ma a-kneelin at the little ole carpet
covered box where thet boy Jerry used
to kneel at family prayers. Seemed like
l Jes couldn't stan it nowhow | stood
theer an 'membered nigh about every
thing from tn time tibet boy wuz born'd;
how ma laid out tibet he wuz to be our
foundation, an named him Jeremiah;
an then when he listed how he TUX her
up in his arms right fore the kernel an
the major an all the boys down ut the
gate. | saw it all onct more then jes'
kneeled down by ma and put my arm
round her an jes, repeated what Job
SEE, The Lord giveth and the Lord
taketh away, blessed be the name of the
Lord"
Here the young man found it con-
venlent to wipe the cigar smoke out of
his eyes.
We'll, the gals cum in shortly an
made thur ma go to bed, an put theer
arms 'roundme an said, Poor daddy, poor
ole daddy same time they bein' fearful
bout their own two men. Shortly afore
dark up Gums Parson Hale, as thought
to give spiritual comfort, and so | TUX
him right up to ma | wuz standin' ON
the front stoop when | heard ma sort a
break out as though she's mortal hurt
an heerd her moann', Oh! my first
born'd and now my youngest, my baby,
my baby l tell We, boy, l felt turnin'
to stone. l know'd then what twuz.
Thet boy, Sam, on'y eighteen year COM
in fall jes' as full o. pranks as pup
dog, sing like a bob-o-link spell down tho
whole school or recite Classy bianky' and
Lucy Gray It'll We couldn't keep your
tears back. Sho, you'd LATED yursef
sick the time he rugged up in his sister
Rubys clothes and went over to Mis-
Skaggses to hire out An, he want
ashamed to warsh dishes 'ner kiss ma
right afore company emmy where, no,
sir"
Here the old man choked up again, and
two big tears zig-zagged down his tanned
cheeks.
las | wuz sayn, it cum too quick fur
me, boy. | kind O s'posed luved tibet
boy leetle more'n the others, ennyway
| clean furgot my raisin and my bein'
the seenyer deacon and a class leader,
fur jes' hatchery throw'd my hans up
an'-an | cursed Gawd. | did. son, |
did jes' thata." There was a tone of
horror and awe in the tone with which
he confessed to this sin of thirty years
back
NV course, I've prayed fur forgive
ness ever since, an feel like | got it, too,
but jes' then the devil wuz in me. An
would ye believe it, tibet boys ma she'd
got up an come down to find me an wuz
standin' right theer an heerd it all.
When | turned AMI seen her | jes' stag
gered an fell down afront of her Then
she kneeled down an put her arms aroun'
me as l had done in the mornn' with
her.
I'VE got through it all somehow, by
the Lords help, and when along later
news cum that Leander wuz took too,
ina she jes' turned to me with sort Nv
resigned smile on her face, an / low I
jes' smiled back ennyhow me an her
an my two darters, both widders, with
boys whose fathers never seen them,
looked to Parson Hale, an the parson
he talked and prayed right there, better'n
| ever heerd i'm in the pulpit. An now
when Decoration Day comes 'rOun', ma
she was seventy-four last March-goes
up to our room an gifts out the picturs
and things belongn' to the boys and lays
'em out on the table, and then she puts
flowers with 'em and flags all 'roun' their
picturs that hang on the wall, and tries
to keep cheerful, but she won't never
cum down to see the boys marchin', nor
go to the graveyard that day."
"But Lishe and Wash, the two that
cum back, belong to the post, and | jes'
hatchery have a powerful lot o. pride in
seem them with the other fellers"
Here the deacon grasped the young
mans arms, and, pointing to the front Of
q line of VETS" exclaimed delightedly:
Thar they air, thar they air!-them two
right under that flag, an eff | do say 1t
as oughtn't to, them two boys constitoot
a heap o me an their mas prider
The young man looked and saw two
soldierly men, gray-haired and gray
bearded, stepping off proudly to the old
familiar flies and drums, despite the war
legacy of stiffened jointe. The two
boys" despite their grayness, their halt
ing steps, were still boys" not only TO