The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-05-21
How Joe Lost
His Arm.
BY PAUL GRANT.

I
On the Tombigbee river SO bright was born,
In hut made of husks Of the bright yellow corn,
And twas there that met my Julia 80 true,
And rowed her about in my gumtree canoe,
Singing, Roe away, row Ger the waters so blue;
Like feather we'll float in my gumtree canoe
The clerk of the Pretty Jane had a
mellow voice, and blended sweetly
with it was little Jennie's childish
treble.
He sat upon the deck of the little
steamboat, gazing around on the bright
waters of the Tombigbee as the sun
danced on them, gazing intentiy and
smiling absently to himself.
He was a man of about 30, and his
right coat sleeve was empty and pin
ned upon his heart.
Little Jennie leaned upon his knee,
staring him intently in the face in
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 queerly shaped pal
metto structure, for this was in 1858,
and clothes were at 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 Tombigbee?" asked
the child, stroking the empty sleeve
with a plying touch.
EYES," said the clerk, reused from his
reverie and smiling down on the eager
little face; II have often taken her
rowing on the Tombigbee before the
war, when had my other arm"
"How nicer said Jennie. How NIGEL
And in a 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.
eyes," said he, "but she's just as
sweet as If her name was Julia, though
'twouldn't fit in the song so we'll"
mo. you couldn't say, I rowed my
Mary Jane so true 'Twould make the
song too long legged"
"True," said he, laughing, "but that
makes no difference. think of her
while sing it, SO that it seems as If it
was her name"
swell, 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?"
"You see," said the mate, smiling,
s'my Julia couldn't make up her mind
that she loved me till the war broke
out and | 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 then!"
Interrupted Jennie; you was born
with 'em 2"
"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. | 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 fellow. But, as l
was saying, when she found was 60
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 enemy
was bound to get the hill Oh which we
stood, and we were holding on des-
perately. But at last the boys began
to waver and give way. Then our
! colonel came out to the 'front.' and the
rest of our officers followed him, and
they ran up and down the lines cheer
ing up the men.
Steady. my boys said the old colo
mel; keep pouring it into them.
Steady Re-enforcements will soon be
here! Never let it be said that the line
broke where the Alabamians stoodv
1.-THE whole air seemed black with
shot and shell. A piece of one grazed
the colonel's cheek, and the blood kept
trickling down his face, but he didn't
seem to feel it. The firing grew so hot
that the men seemed fairly moved
| down, and the line began to waver and
break. Suddei :. clear on our right,
there arose tremendous yell. 1t grew
| louder and louder and ran down the
line toward US. Then, at last, we saw
courier galloping down the line. l
shall never forget how he looked. His
black horse was all white with foam,
and It's TANKS were bloody from his
spur. He rode bareheaded down the
line as If he bore a charmed life, and
he kept waving his cap around his
head and shouting something to the
men, and as they heard him the waver-
ing line rallied and sent up deafening
cheers. Then he galloped by where
we were and yelled:
orally, menl Rally! Stonewall
Jackson is in their rear and giving 'em
sutl'
''Then we cheered, too, until we were
hoarse. The courier galloped on, and
presently our officer shouted;
"'Forward, men! Charged
"And away we went, down the hill
and across a field, right toward the
Yankee lines, yelling like Indians.
81 held the colors In my hand, and
ran a little ahead. l didn't seem to
have any feet; seemed to fly, and the
men followed me. Right toward the
blazing line we ran.
"An at once saw the colonel, who
was riding by me, grasp the colors, for
they were falling. I looked and saw
that my hand, my whole arm, was
gone, and 1 hadn't felt It'll l grabbed
the flag in my left hand.
az can carry the colors yet, colonel
said. I don't feel any pain
81 ran on some so steps, when the
blood began spouting from my shout
der. l dropped. Joe Ashe, one OF the
color guards, snatched the flag, and
they all rushed on
II fell senseless. never knew an
other thing till weeks after, when
woke up one day in Chimborazo hos
pital and found some funny looking Ia
dies in black bonnets that the boys call
ed the sisters bending over me. If 1t
hadn't been for their good nursing, !
should have died"
Perkins ceased. He had been so car