The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1901-04-24
How Joe Lost
His Arm.

BY PAUL GRANT.

On the Tomhigbee river SO bright l was born,
And Twas GG src = tkaf s met nj ia 9aRs S'tqNe
And rowed her about In my gumtrec canoe,
Singing Ros away. row Ger the waters So blue;
Like a feather wen float In my gumlree canoe.
The clerk oS the Pretty Jane had Il
mellow voice. and blended sweetly
with ii was little Jennie's childish
treble
He sat upon the deck OF the little
steamboat, gazing around on the bright
waters of the Tombigbee rs the sun
danced ON them, gazing intcntly and
smiling absently to himself.
He was IL mnn of about 80. and his
right coat sleeve was empty and pin
ned upon his heart.
Little Jennie leaned upon his knee,
staring him ihtently in the face III Il
way that children have She pushed
her broad brlmmed hat back from her
eyes so that she might stare the bet
ter The hat was ii queerly shaped pal
metto structure, for this was in 1863.
and clothes We're AT n premium. She
was the child of one of the passengers,
and between her and the clerk quite
friendship had sprung up.
And did you sure enough meet your
Julia here on the Tombigbeef' asked
the child, strokms the empty sleeve
with n plying touch.
YES" said the clerk, reused from his
reVerie 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 nlce!' said Jennie. How nice!
And In gumtree eanoef'
well. wasn't particular rs 10 the
kind Of canoe. SO Il was canoe" said
he, smiling
And your Julia ain't named lulia,
but Mary lane after all" auid the
child.
Yes" said he, but she's Just as
sweet rs If her name was Julia, though
'twouldn1 fl in the song SO we'll"
No. Hou couldn't say, 4 rowed my
Mary Jane so true 'Twould make the
song too long legged"
True" said he. laughing, but tha
makes no difference. ! think of hei
''s',s..- ss'sv a. Al,et a sss,,,s. aa SO :
WAS her nunie."
well, Mr. Perkins" said Jennie
tell me why huyrn't you married you
julia. If you've been rowing her aroun,
in your rumtrec canoe these ever 81
many years.
You see said the male smiling
my Julia couldn't make up her min,
that she loved me till the war brok,
out aud volunteered; then she said
directly she'd marry me, but twas too
late then; had to go off to fight"
"You had both of your arms theu!'
interrupted Jennie; You was born
with EN-
"Of course. child. Did you ever hear
of any one born with Que arm2 Nature
don't ever make no such cobhlcd, lop
sided work as that."
well, If you had both of your arms
then, don't see why she wouldn't
have you"
BLESS you, child everybody had
plenty Of arms then; that was no IN
ducement TO take IA fellow. But as |
was saying. when she found | was GO
ing off 10 the war ana might get killed
tItI 6iit lbNuAl llHi tllt ibNF'l NV.
shed rather marry you than that
you should get Killed" said Jennie
Yea | think she ought, nfter You row
ed her around IN the canoe.
"You are right" said Perkins, laugh
Ing; but twas too late to marry her
chen. We agreed that IL ever got
back safely, when the war was over,
we'd marry"
"rell 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 enemy
was bound 10 get the hill on which we
stood, and we were holllng on dcs
peratcly, But ut last the boys began
to waycr ana give way. Then our
colonel came out TO the front and tho
rest of our officers followed him, aud
they ran up and down the lines cheer
+ ing up the men.
4 Steady. my boys said the old colo
mel; keep pouring 1t into them
Steady Re-cnforcemcnts win soon b'
here! Never lot It be said that the line
/ broke where the Alabamians stood!
The whole air seemed black viii
| shot and shell. a piece Of one grazed
| che colonel's check and the blood kept
trlckling down his face, but he didn't
seeIn to feel IT, The firing grew so hot
1 that the men seemed fairly moved
down, ana the Iinc began to wayer and
bpauk Gu1I flpur nm orr right