The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1902-02-14
The Blacksmith,s story.

MrS. a. w. Oh I1OOu IGlNSf ttsktu III lit puA-
day oregonian for the following verses. They
were furnished the Glacier by f, r.. Austen,
who had preserved them in his scrap book;
Well, no. my wife amt dead, sir,
But I've lost her all the same:
She left me voluntarily,
And neither was to blame.
It's rather queer story,
And think you will agree,
When you hear the circumstances,
Twas rather rough on me.
She was a soldiers widow,
He was Killed at Malvern Hill;
And when married her she seemed
To sorrow for him still;
But brought her here to Kansas,
And / never want to see
A better wife than Mary was
For five bright years to me.
The change of scene brought cheerfulness,
And soon rosy glow
or happiness warmed MaTy's cheeks
And melted all their snow.
l think she loved me some-lm bound
TO think that OF her sir,
And as for mel can't begin
To tell how loved herl
Three years ago the baby came
Our humble home to bless,
And then reckon was nigh
To perfect happiness;
Twas herS-'twas minei but no language
Have to explain to'you
How that little girls weak fingers
| Our hearts together dew.
Once we watched it through a fever,
| And with each gasping breath,
| Dumb, with an awful wordless Woe
| We waited for its death;
| And, though I'm not pious man,
| Our souls together there,
! For Heaven to spare our darling,
Went up in voieeless prayer.
| And when the doctor said 'twouId live,
! Our Joy what words could tell?
| Clasped In each others arms we stood,
/ And our grateful tears fell.
Sometimes, you see, the shadow fell
Across our little nest,
But 1t only made the sunshine seem
doubly welcome guest.
Work came TO me a plenty,
And kept the anvil ringing
Early and late you'd find me there,
A-hammering and singing;
Love nerved my arm to labor
h And moved my tongue to song,
And though my singing wasn't sweet
1t was tremendous strong.
One day one-armed stranger stopped
To have me nail shoe,
And while was at work we passed
A compliment or two;
asked him how he lost his arm,
He said twas shot away
AT Malvern Hill. AT Malvern Hill!
Did you know Robert May?'
"Thats me" said he. .'You, your | gasped
Choking with horrid doubt;
"lf you're the man, just follow me;
Well try this mystery outv'
With dizzy steps | led him to
My Mary. Godl twas truei
, Then the bitterest pangs of misery
Unspeakable knew.
Frozen with deadly horror,
She stared with eyes of stone,
| And from her quivering lips there broke
{ One wild despatring moan,
Twas he! the husband of her youth,
Now risen from the dead,
3 But all too late-and with bitter cry,
/ Keeling, her senses fed.
What could be done? He was believed
AS dead. On his return
He strOve in vain some tidiDgs
OF his absent wife to learn
D Twas well that he was innocent,
Else I'd have killed him, too
SO dead he never would have riZ
, Till Gabrels trumpet blew!
!. It was agreed that Mary then
Between us should decide,
(: And each by her decision
6 Would sacredly abide.
No sinner at the judgment seat,
Waiting eternal doom,
It Could suffer what then did,
e Waiting sentence in that room.
e Rigid and breathess there we stood,
With nerves as tense as steel,
- Wnlle Mary > eyes Sought tatu WHlte lhCS
In piteous appeal.
e Godl could not woman's duty
Be less hardly reconcled
Between her lawful husband
And the father Of her child?
All! how my heart was chilled to ice,
When she knelt down and said:
n "Forgive me, Johnl 'Tis my husband
IIere-alive, not deady'
l. | raised her tenderlY, and tried
a To tell her she was right,
- But somehow IN my aching breast
q The prisoned words stuck tight.
u "But John can't leave baby!"
l. "What! wife and childI cried L.
n "Must yield all! All, cruel fate!
Better that ! should die.
- Think of the long, sad, lonely hours
Waiting in gloom for me
Ie No wife 10 cheer me with her love,
% No babe TO climb my knee.
II "And yetyou are her mother,
And the sacred mother love
Is still the pureSt, tenderest Ae
Il That Heaven ever woye.
T. Take her, but promise, Mary
- For that will bring no shame
81 My little girl shall bear and learn
fe To lisp her fathers name!
y II may be, in the life To come,
he I'll meet my child and wife:
s. But yonder, by my cottage gate,
a. We parted for this life;
One long hand clasp from Mary,
le And my dream of love was done
r One long embrace from baby,
And my happiness was gone!