The Yale expositor., 1910-02-25
WHEN JIM CAME HOME


JULIE maj. Ntiil iHAs Nhu III
was good tempered. He had the repu-
tation of being truthful and honest,
but everybody said he would die in
She poorhOuse. At the age of twenty
four, to the surprise of everybody. he
got married. No young woman in his
locality would have looked at him
twice, but one twenty miles away ac-
tually fell In love with and married
him. A thousand different times in
after years she tried TO explain To her
self and others how it came about,
but she never satisfied any one.
The father OF Jim's wife gave her
thirty acres of land with cabin on
II. 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 II broke out. and he
saw many OF his neighbors enlist and
go marching away. He had no partic-
ular interest I'm war. He was patriot.
but he didn't say much about IL for
fear he would be asked TO swing his
hat and cheer. That would have been
hard work for him. II was only when
the days of the big bounty came that
he sat down under tree for serious
thought He was thinking when re-
cruiting officer came along and SAT
down beside him and said:
"Jim, If you want to enlist ] can get
you 500 bounty money. II looks now
as If the war would be over In thirty
days. and just think Of earning all that
money In a month"
"Ill think II over" replied Jim after
n long time. and that evening his wife
noticed that he was looking very seri-
Gus. When she asked II he felt III he
answered:
"Num. Say. Bet. I'm thinking of
going to war"
She smiled at the idea. and he con-
tinued:
81 allus thought II was mighty hard
work. but that Teller told mo today II
was dead easy. All you've got 10 do Is
to eat and sleep and shoot rebels. You
have a Niger TO cook for you and load
your gun. believe could stard that.
and I'll get S700 for going"
Nothing more was said about tho
matter that evening. Next morning
to wife started for the fields. and lin!
started for the village. She missed
him at noon when she returned Ia the
house. hat she didn't worry When hc
came home nj shutdown no tossed Il
big roll of greenbacks into her lap and
said:
"T've enlisted for n soldier and am
going away tomorrow.
She counted the money over slowly.
laid il 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 M
right"
There was very little said next
morning when he started off. She
went TO the pillow and he to town, and
the talk was all among the neighbors.
After getting down 10 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 a veteran
in uniform turned In at the gate TO
say:
Mrs. Baker, have you heard about
JimT
mot word"
HE didn't come back with u.s."
"NoT
Because he was killed In the very
last battle. / was right near him
when he fell Mighty sorry to have TO
tell you"
"Thankee for coming" she said.
And not a dozen more words were
said. In her way the woman felt her
loss. but she shed no tears over it.
1t did not keep her from her work
next day. After two years she began
drawing a 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 10 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 II she
looked at him more closely and then
sunk into a chair and was speeches.
for n moment
as anything wrongT asked the
man.
my Godi But you are Jim Baker,
my husband that went to the war;
she whispered.
You called me Jim Baker" said the
man after awhile.
"Of course l did. You have changed,
h..t vO., oro Tim Whx HfHntf ron