The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1904-05-26

MISE BASSETTS WARTIME PICTURE.
left home. of the girls who waved
them goodby as the train moved
away. Looking straight in her eyes,
he said, There were the Hadley girls,
Mollie Potter Anna Campbell, Linda
Kimball and you, Lucy you, Oh, l
knew you at the first glance. The years
have been kind to you. Lucy"
Il was sure Of it, size cried. You
are John Armstrong;"
Beyond doubt l am. and you were
Lucy Bassett"
Il am Lucy Bassett." she answered.
1t was easy talking of old times now.
All the friends of their youth they re-
membered, all the good times they
had when she was eighteen and he
five years older. They looked through
an oA photograph album together. 81
wouldn't show this TO any one else on
EARTH she said. 1T does make one
feel so antiquated."
Rather So" he responded. Here
we all are in line just as we used to
be-Tom and Charley and Will, and
here am | too. Brave boys were we
with the fierce eye and the feeble mus
tache and now and then Il shoulder
strap. Grim vsaged war aged TWEEN
ty-three, And here are the girls. the
girl with blue eyes that sang alto and
the girl with brown eyes that sang air.
by the way" he continued. do YOU re-
member the songs we sang together,
you and |? We sang well together in
those days, so we thought. No one but
the soldier knows what the old songs
were TO the boys in camp. They were
not all war songs. We sang of love
and home oftener than of fame The
night before Charley died in the hos
pital tent he sang snatches of The
hooking Bird whispering Mollie Pot
ter'S name softly. Under the Willow
was favorite. And Lorena'-how
the boys loved it! We sang every one
of the eight verses and wept. Weep
ing when one is young has its pleas
ures. one verse of the song ran some
thing like this" He repeated the
words slowly:
1--WE loved each other then. Lorena.
More than We ever dared to tell
And what We might have been Lorena.
Had but oar loving prospered we'll"
Miss Bassett studied the photograph
album intently.
This was the last verse:
but there is a future. oh, thank God,
OF life this is SO small a part
tbs dust to dust beneath the sod.
But there, up there, tbs heart to heart"
Still she did not lift her eyes.
He rose and, holding out his hand,
said: - must go. thank YOU for this
hour. Goodby, Lucy"
"GOodby, John
He had reached the door. Then he
turned back. What idiocy to think
l can leave you this way. Why must
it be up there wherever there NAV
be- Why not here, Lucy. why not here?
l lost you once. How it happened l do
not know. Never mind SO it doesn't
happen again. Lucy, answer mcn
But, John, we are So
so Old you want to say We are
not old. You are beautiful woman
and I'm a splendid looking fellow
everybody says so. Wen be a thou
sand times handsomer couple than we
would have been thirty years ago.
And YOU will 90 with me away from
this big city into the land of roses
and vines, and peace and quiet and
love, and We'll be so happy as to make
up for the departed years. Say yes
Lucy, dear, say yes"
An hour later he went down the
street walking as one who keeps step
to glad heart music Miss Bassett
went to the window and took down
the card. She must have said yes.