The Cairo bulletin., 1911-05-22
links Romance.
A Civil War Vets Tale
BY r. A. mitchell
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.

! head shot OUT few spears of white
hair and whose gums always met
when he closed his jaws. why didn't
you never git married2
links uncroSsed his legs, Fecrossed
them the other way and said
There's a romance Ia my life"
| "A romance, You don't mean TO say
there's any romance or ever has been
In you. 1t wouldn't be natrI to you."
| Il wasn't always like am now, no
| more'n you fellers. was sleek enough
| when we was fighting Johnny Rehs.'
We'll. tell us about your romance"
1T began when we was gou' up that
long slant at Fredericksburg If ever
| there was a place particularly col'clat-
| ed TO NOW down men and have plenty
of time to do IT, that inclined plane
/ takes the cake. Its 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 1t was
Il good slaughter pen and nothn' 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. dropped out and bent over
him. He just had time before he fell
on t'other 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 dom it. Suppin
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
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 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'n take my place with
her If any man does l 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 tyEnin' the gal he couldn't have
himself over to me. II tell you / was
all broke up"
The old man took out his bandker-
chief, blew his nose and incidentally
touched his eyes with the wipe
ooh, don't get maudlin, Jinksw /.
II came ont o. that slaughter alb
right, and as soon as I'd got Bob
trifie out o. my mind fell to dfeamin'
o. his gal I'd go over plans to break the
news of Bob's message and all about
1T. wondered If 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 good deal depended
on my gittin' the gal, for had some
hold on her-Bob had made the re-
quest-and didn't have a 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 was
mustered out far from her home, and
I didn't have no money to buy ticket
with. Besides, / was out at the seat
o. the britohes. So l had to 90 to
work to git the cash. OF course whea
/ got a place I couldn't git my en-
ployer to let me, go offtcourtin a gal
whose heart was like enough buried
down In Virginia. Anyway, didn't
like to ask him, and SO Ikep' a-puttin'
the thing off and putin 1t off till
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"
1T was ten years before got round
to goin' to give Bob Akers' message.
II remember mighty well the day I !
went 10 the town she lived in. vii |
lage in n valley. found the house, a
little cottage with wistaria"--
"Oh cut out them embellishments"
There was a man standin' on the
corner. with his hands In his pockets.
chawin' tobaccer. / went up to him,
and to open conversation asked him
for chaw, Tie give 1t to me. and |
then asked IL he knew Bob's gal. He |
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 he had sent |
a ring and message by me.
".What was the messenger the man
asked.
Il kind O. wantcd to get somebody |
to help me Gerry 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
looking into my eyes, and knew that
somep'n was worlsin' in his mind.
Young man be said. impressive
like. Bob Akers' girl married me
month before Bob was killed. If you
NJ 10, Sytx4A y al. |