Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-03-04
DAILY STORY.
A SIMPLE ROMANCE.


Il suppose you will wear mourn
ing:"
Yes. nm: black as a crow"
Il have some mourning dresses. I'll
give you what you require
Thank v. NM"
You We're very happy together. l be-
lieve, though you have lately been do
Ing all the work.
Yes. MN. Tom was a good man,
MN. There was-I don't know what
y call it, NINA somethin' or other
in the courtin.'
"a romance?"
Yes. nm; that's it. Y know Tum
mus-that's my mans name, or was
his name before he didn't need q name
at all-was a solger. He wint off to
the wan with the dagos in CuDy an
extinguished himself there"
Did he get promOtedT'
Yes. MIN. He was made a car
porel afther the battle of Gussymuss
an a sergeant at San Joen hills. Y
see, the dagos was at the top firm
cannon balls. One of 'em KEN along
an took off Tummus' right leg. He
stood still
Wounded as he was-stood?"
THAT'S just the secret. MN. All
the rest of his regiment run away. but
TummuS havin' but the wan leg.
couldn't run, so he stayed where he
was. That's what he told me. but he
didn't tell it to the officers, an they,
thinkin' he stayed because he was
brave, made a sergeant ov i'm. But
it didn't do i'm no good, for he was dis
charged from the service an Snt
| home. But that wasn't all of it. At
Their the war they sent i'm medal. Il
| big round wan wild pictures on the both
sides of it. 1t was made out of a
| cannon"
And you nursed him? That's the
| romance?"
NO. ma'am; not exactly, ma'am. Oh
didn't see 'em for the matther ov five
years afther that. Oh was wOrkin' i'll Il
| boardin' house for sailors an thin
kind down by the wharfs. One mornin'
whin OF was dom the rooms OF wint
into wan room where Oi seen some
| thin Stickin' out o the bedclothes.
| At first Oh thought it was the handle
| of a warmin' pan, but Oi recommem-
| bered that they don't use warmin'
pans no more. at least in this country.
. Thin Oh thought it mOight be the han
| die o wan o thin things the min
| workin' on the sthreet pound the dirt
with. We had sthreet workers in the
| house. an OF thought one Ov 'em
| moight have taken his FOUNDER to bed
with i'm. Anyway OF knew ii was
sometllin' that nd be sOiIin' the bed
| clothes an OF was very mad, thinliin'
Ord have the trouble o goin' for clean
sheets. SO l took hold ov it an give it
jerk wild all me Stren'th.
1T come out aisy enough. an AT
t'other ind there wasn't a bit o. iron nj
all. but sCmethin' round. If you turned
the whole ov it upside down it would
"a made a good shtick for wan o the
big altar candles if you wanted to put
| the other ind o the Shtick in the
| ground. for there wasn't amy bottom
for it to shtand on. Oh was lookin' al
=.
OF saw the bedclothes mOoyin', an pur
ty soon up by the pliers IL mans face
was a-blinkin' at me as had just woke
up. OF dropped the wooden thing OF
the floor an was goin' out as fast as
could whin q voice called:
"'Me leg. Don't go way widout Civ
in me me leg
- 'X{ hat I'y' Nance nj nypd
He pointed to the wooden thing OF
the floor
"'D'ye call that Lego l aXed i'm.
"Tt's all I've got eXceptin' the 9th
er wan of flesh an blood an bone
land that thing was stickin' on
from undther the bedclothes is you
leg?
Its wan of EN-
"'An' didn't it git cold?'
"'Divil q bit. It'll stand a lot c
cold but it won't stand amy heat
why not?'
".It'll burn.
"'Thin l took notice that he wa
white lOokin', an l aXed i'm if Oh,
hurried EN-
"'Shure,' he said. Dye suppose Y
kin pull mans leg off widout hurtir
'imT
"Isn't it wood? | aXed.
eyes, but the sthump isn't
"Well. Oh felt so sorry for hurtir
the poor man that OF told i'm to Ii
still. an afther handln' i'm his leg c
wint down sthairs an brought i'm II
: his breakfast, him lyin' propped u
wild pillars that OF put under his hea
c an iookin' at me grateful loike Thi
, OF noticed his medal on the bureau al
\ saw what foine eyes he had an ha
as red as the sthripes in the flag he g
the medal under, an l wished 1 coul
= nurse the poor man as long as he lii
ed"
and you did, didn't you?"
eyes. MN. He couldn't work.. s
Oh Just told i'm Old do it all for IL
two of Us. But he didn't consint
,e that He got job mindin' the sthre'
+ ut the railroad crossin. an l tux
" washin', so betune the two of us "