The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-05-22
links Romance.
A Civil War Ncts Tale
BY F. A. Mitchell
Copyright by American Press Assoc
citation. 1911.

hair and whose guals always met
when he closed his jaws. why didn't
you never git married?"
Jinks uncrossed his legs, Fecrossed
them the other way and sal(E
There's a romance III my life"
"A romance. You don't mean TO say
there's any romance or ever has been
In YOU 1t wouldn't be nat'r'l TO you"
II wasn't always Ike am now, no
more'n you felers was sleek enough
when we was fighting Johnny Rehs.'
well. tell us about your romance
ut began when we was goiI up that
long slant at Fredericksburg If ever
there was place particularly cafcl'at-
ed to NOW down men and have plenty
of time to do It, that inclined plane
takes the cake It's nearly fifty year
since we was led up there, and nobody
hain't yit found out who was respon-
sible. Mr.. Lincoln warnt no soldier.
but If he'd seen he'd known it was
a good slaughter pen and nothln else.
Me and Bob Aker was trud%in'
along side by side, eXpectin' either one
or t'other would drop. We was bosom
friends All OF. a suddint Bob pitched
forward dropped out and bent over
him. He just had time before he fell
on tother side to stretch out hand
with ring on it and say:
Take it to Sue and tell her want
her to marry you intead of me-
Il pulled the ring off his finger and
he died while was a dom it. Slippin'
the thing on my own finger, got mp
and hurried along to my regiment,
though even in this short time the place
where we'd been was as wide as a
church door.
Bob had had plenty of time to tell
me all that was necessary for he'd
told me the rest often before. Laws,
how the boy did talk about that gal!
She was the loveliest thing on earth.
so good. so gentle, so lovin'. Then he
would say; 1T nearly kills me TO think
that may git killed down here and
some other feIler'll take my place with
her. If any man does l want you to
be her husband, Bill If | knew she
was goin' to you 1t wouldn't seem so
bad He'd often showed me the ring
she'd given him. and he'd given her
one in exchange.
81 was powerful affected by all this,
seein' Bob killed right beside me and
his tuTnin' the gal he couldn't have
himself over to me. " tell you was
all broke up"
The old man took out his handker-
chief, blew his nose and incidentally
touched his eyes with the wipe.
"Oh, don't get maudlin', Jinksr'
81 came out o. that slaughter ALI
right, and as soon as I'd got Bob n
trifle out o. my mind fell to dreamin'
o. his gal. I'd go over plans to break the
news of Bobs message and all about
it. I wondered if I could persuade her
to take me instead O. Bob and how
long I'd be a-doin' 1t. There'd be lots
o. delicacy required, and didn't know
how "a rough chap like me could git
down to it. The only thing could do
would be to do the best I could I
kind thort that a good deal depended
on my glttin' the gal, for / had some
hold on her-Bob had made the re-
quest-and I didn't have hold on any
other gal and 40 prospect o. havin'
any other hold
"The war ended at last, and I'd "a
gone straight to Bob's gal. but was
mustered out far from her home, and
l didn't have no money to buy ticket
with. Besides, was out at the seat
o. the britohes SO ! had to 90 to
work to git the cash. OF course when
l got place couldn't git my en-
ployer to let me, go offAcourtln' a gal
whose heart was like enough buried
down In Virginia Anyway, I didn't
like TO ask him, and SO l KEEP a-puttin'
the thing Off and putin it off till a
number Of years went by. All this
time I was pinln' for the wife that
was expectin' to git"
by gum, links. you air givin' us
romance, ain'r your
ut was ten years before I got round |
to goin' to give Bob Akers' message.
Il remember mighty well the day / !
went 10 the town she lived In. viz |
lage In a valley. found the house, a
little cottage with wistaria"--
ooh, cut out them embellishments"
There was man standin on the
corner. with his hands In his pockets. |
chawin' tobaccer. / went up to him, |
and to open conversation l asked him |
for a chaw. He give 1t to me- and |
then asked if he knew Bobs gal. He !
said he'd known her ever since she |
was knee high to duck. Then I told
him that was beside Bob Akers |
when he was killed and he had sent
a ring and a message by me.
".What was the mcssageP the man
asked.
Il kind O. wanted to get somebody |
TO help me gerry this load O. romance |
That was breakin' me down, so show
"a him the ring and tqld him the hull
story. He jist faced me and stood
cooking into my eyes, and knew that
was worlSin' in his mind.
"'Young man he sajd, impressive
Ike, Bob Akers girl married me a
month before Bob was killed. If you
want to give her the ring and relieve
ne l hain't no objection to your doin'