The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-05-04

but If he'd seen he'd known 1t was
a good slaughter pen and nothln' 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 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 1t and say;
Take 1t toNSue and tell her ! want
her to marry you intead Of me.
II pulled the ring or his finger. and
he died while was dom 1t. Slippin'
the thing on my own finger. ] 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 gall
She was the lovellest thing on earth.
30 good, so gentle. SO loyin. 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 II any man does want you to
be her husband. Bill IL 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.
seem Bob killed right beside me and
his turnin' the gal he couldn't have
himself over to me. 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', Jinksf'
IL came out o. that slaughter all
right, and as soon as I'd got Bob a
trifie 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
1t. | wondered IL ! 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 1t. The only thing could do
would be to do the best | could. |
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 q hold on any
other gal and no prospect o havin'
any other hold.
1.-THE war ended at last, and I'd "a
gone straight to Bob's gal. but was
mustered out far from her home, and
| / didn't have no money 20 buy ticket
with. Besides. was out at the seat
o. the britches. SO had to so to
work to git the cash. OF course when
| got place I couldn't git my en-
ployer to let me go of courtin' a gal
whose heart was like enough buried
down In Virginia. Anyway. | didn't
| like to ask him. and so KEEP a.puttin'
| the thing OF and putin it off TIL a
number of years went By. All this
time | was pinin' for the wife that /
was expectin' to git"
"By gum. links. you air givin' us a
/ romance. amt your"
| ut was ten years before got round
10 goin' to give Bob Akers' message.
81 remember mighty well the day !
went to the town she lived In. a VII
/ lage in a valley | found the house, a
/ little cottage with wistaria"-
"Oh, cut out them embellishments"
There was man standin on the
| corner. with his hands in bis pockets,
chawin' tobaccer. went up to him,
/ and TO open conversation ] asked him
! for a chaw. He give 1t to me. and
then asked IL he knew Bob's gal. he
1 said he'd known her ever since she
was knee high to duck. Then told
him that was beside Bob Akers
when he was killed and be had sent
a ring and message by me.
"'what was the messageT the man
asked
II kind o. wanted to get somebody
to help me carry this load o. romance
that was brealrin' me down. so ] show
ed him the ring and told him the hull
story. He fist faced me and stood
looking into my eyes, and / knew that
somepn was workin' in his mind.
"'Young man, he said. impressive
/ like, Bob Akers' girl married me a
month before Bob was killed. IL you
want to give her the ring and relieve
me haln't no objection to your dom
II. You may have fought in the, war
but you can't wrastle with her-ne
man can
"For heavens sake. Jinks. Is that
your romanceT
/ "He's made 1t out Of whole cloth
The reason he hain't got a wife Il