The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1911-09-01
link. Romance
, Sc A Civil War Vets Tale b 3. - +.
By F. A. Mitchell
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.


head shot out a few spears of white
hair and %sS0se gums always met
when he closed his jaws, "why didn't
you never git married"
links uncrossed his legs, recrossed
Them the other way and said:
There's q romance in 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"
IL wasn't always like l am now, no
luore'n you fellers. was sleek enough
when we was fighting Johnny Rebs."
"Well, tell us about your romance"
1T began when we was goin' up that
long slant at Fredericksburg. If ever
there was place particularly cal'clat-
| ed to NOW down men and have plenty
of time to do 1T, 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 warn't no soldier,
but if he'd seen he'd known it was
a good slaughter pen and nothin' else.
me and Bob Aker was trudgin'
along side by side, expectin' either one
or t'other would drop. We was bosom
! friends. All of a suddint Bob pitched
forward. l dropped out and bent over
him. He just had time before he fell
on t'other side to stretch out hand
with q ring OH it and say:
"Take it to Sue and tell her l want
her to marry you intead of me-
81 pulled the ring off his finger. and
he died while was doin' it. Slippin'
the thing on my own finger, l got up
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 feller'll take my place with
her. If any man does 1 want you to
be her husband, Bill. If knew she
was goin' to you it 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,
SEEM Bob killed right beside me and
his turnin' the gal he couldn't have
himself over to me. l tell you l 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', Jinks!''
II came out o. that slaughter all
right, and as soon as I'd got Bob
trif1e out O. my mind fell to dreamin'
O. his gal. I'd go over plans to break the
news of BOb's message and all about
it. 1 wondered if could persuade her
to take me instead O. Bob and how
long I'd be a-doin' it. 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 1 could do
kind thort that good deal depended
on my gittin' the gal, for had some
hold on her-Bob had made the re-
quest-and didn't have hold on any
other gal and no prospect O. havin'
any other hold.
"The war ended at last, and I'd "a
gone straight to Bob's gal. but l was
mustered out far from her home, and
l didn't have no money to buy ticket
with. Besides, l was out at the seat
o. the britches. So l had to go to
work to git the cash. Of course when
l got place l couldn't git my en-
ployer to let me go off courtin' a gal
whose heart was like enough buried
down in Virginia. Anyway, l didn't
like to ask him. and so KEEP a-puttin'
the thing off and putin it off till a
number of years went by. All this
time l was pinin' for the wife that l
was expectin' to git"
"By gum. Jinks. you air givin' us a
romance, amt you?"
"It was ten years before got round
to goin' to give Bob Akers' message.
81 remember mighty well the day /
went to the town she lived in, vii
| luSc III IOuHu tHc uOuSc, u
little cottage with wistaria"-
"Oh. cut out them embellishments"
'"There was q man standin' on the
corner. with his hands in his pockets.
chawin' tobaccer. l went up to him,
and to open conversation asked him
for a chaw. He give it to me. and
then asked if he knew Bob's gal. He
said he'd known her ever since she
was knee high to duck. Then l told
MIN that l was beside Bob Akers
when he was killed and he had sent
ring and a message by me.
-"'What was the message? the man
asked
81 kind o. wanted to get somebody
20 help me carry this load O. romance
that was breakin' me down, SO show
ed him the ring and told him the hull
story. He jist faced me and stood
lod king into my eyes, and l knew that
somep'n was workin' in his mind. ,
"'Young man. he said. impressive
like. Bob Akers' girl married me a
month before Bob was killed If you
want to give her the ring and relieve
me hain't no objection to your dom
It. You may have fought in the war,
but you can't wrastle with her-no
man can"
"For heavens sake. links, Is that
your romance%
"He's made 1t out of whole cloth.
i L. -. Ill 4.