Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-11-24
WHEN JIM CAME HOME
BY M. QUAD.

was good tempered. He had the repu-
htion Of being truthful and honest,
hut everybody said he would die in
Che poorhouse. At the age of twenty
four, to the surprise Of everybody, he
rot married. No young woman in his
locality would have looked at him
twice. but one twenty miles away ac-
tualIy fell In love with and married
him. A thousand different times In
after years she tried to explain to her
self and others how 1t came about,
but she never satisfied any one.
The father of Jim's wife gave her
thirty acres of land with cabin on
It. and the couple went there to exist
For the first five years Jim was ap-
pealed to. protested at and complained
OF FOR his laziness. Then the hard
working wife realized that 1t was no
use and gave 1t up.
Jim Baker read and heard Of the
civil war when 1t broke out, and he
saw many Of his neighbors enlist and
go marching away. He had no. partic-
ular interest In war. He was patriot.
but he didn't say much about 1t for
fear he would be asked to swing his
hat and cheer. That would have been
hard work for him. 1t was only when
the days Of the big bounty came that
he sat down under a tree for serious
thought. He was thinking when a re-
cruiting officer came along and sat
down beside him and said:
Jim, II you want to enlist ! can get
you 500 bounty money. 1t looks now
as II the war would be over in thirty
days, and just think Of earning all that
money In month"
"T'll think It over" replied Jim after
a long time, and that evening his wife
noticed that he was looking very seri-
GUS. When she asked II he felt Ill he
answered:
NUN. Say. Bet I'm thinking Of
going to war"
She smiled at the idea, and he con-
tinued:
II allus thought 1t was mighty hard
work. but that Teller told me today 1t
was dead easy. All you've got to do Is
to eat and sleep and shoot rebels. You
have Niger to cook for you and load
your gun. believe could stand that,
and I'll get 500 for going"
Nothing more was said about the
matter that evening. Next morning
the wife started for the fields. and Jim
started for the village. She missed
him at noon when she returned to the
house. but she didn't worry. When he
came home at shutdown he tossed a
big roll OF greenbacks into her lap and
said:
1--WE enlisted for soldier and am
going away tomorrow"
she counted the money over slowly,
laid 1t upon the clock shelf and re-
piled:
"Jim. there's wuss husbands than
you. I'll be mighty careful Of the mon
ey. and hope you'll come back all
right"
There was very little said next
morning when he started or. She
went to the pillow and he to town, and
the talk was all among the neighbors.
After getting down to the front Jim
wrote home now and then, but briefly.
Sometimes he was mentioned In other
soldiers letters, but also briefly. The
wife lived on alone. She missed the
husband. and yet she didn't Some
times she wished him back, and some
times she didn't feel to care whether
he returned or not. She was in this
neutral state Of mind when the war
came to a close at last. The soldiers
who survived 1t returned home. and
one evening as she sat on her steps
with her pipe in her mouth veteran
In uniform turned In at the gate to
say:
Mrs. Baker. have you heard about
Jim"
mot a word"
"He didn't come back with u.s."
"No?"
Because he was killed in the very
last battle. I was right near him
when he fell. Mighty sorry to have to
tell you"
''Thankee for coming" she said.
And not dozen more words were
said. In her way the woman felt her
loss. but she shed no tears over 1t.
1t did not keep her from her work
next day. After two years she began
drawing widows pension, and Sis
ter came to live with her. After the
sixth year she was asked to marry
again. and again she was a wife. 1t
was seven years almost to day since
she had been told Of Jim's death when
she sat alone In the house one day
and stranger entered. He was lame
and dusty and grizzled and asked for
cup Of water. As he drank 1t she
looked at him more closely and then
sunk Into chair and was speeches.
Tor moment.
rs anything wrong" asked the
man.
my God! But you are Jim Baker,
my husband that went to the war"
she whispered.
lyon called me Tim Baker, said the