| |
| OLD man never had much to say— | |
| ’Ceptin’ to Jim,— | |
| And Jim was the wildest boy he had, | |
| And the old man jes’ wrapped up in him! | |
| Never heerd him speak but once | 5 |
| Er twice in my life,—and first time was | |
| When the army broke out, and Jim he went, | |
| The old man backin’ him, fer three months; | |
| And all ’at I heerd the old man say | |
| Was, jes’ as we turned to start away,— | 10 |
| “Well, good-by, Jim: | |
| Take keer of yourse’f!” | |
| |
| ’Peared like he was more satisfied | |
| Jes’ lookin’ at Jim | |
| And likin’ him all to hisse’f-like, see?— | 15 |
| ’Cause he was jes’ wrapped up in him! | |
| And over and over I mind the day | |
| The old man come and stood round in the way | |
| While we was drillin’, a-watchin’ Jim; | |
| And down at the deepot a-heerin’ him say,— | 20 |
| “Well, good-by, Jim: | |
| Take keer of yourse’f!” | |
| |
| Never was nothin’ about the farm | |
| Disting’ished Jim; | |
| Neighbors all ust to wonder why | 25 |
| The old man ’peared wrapped up in him: | |
| But when Cap. Biggler, he writ back | |
| ’At Jim was the bravest boy we had | |
| In the whole dern rigiment, white er black, | |
| And his fightin’ good as his farmin’ bad,— | 30 |
| ’At he had led, with a bullet clean | |
| Bored through his thigh, and carried the flag | |
| Through the bloodiest battle you ever seen,— | |
| The old man wound up a letter to him | |
| ’At Cap. read to us, ’at said,—“Tell Jim | 35 |
| Good-by; | |
| And take keer of hisse’f!” | |
| |
| Jim come home jes’ long enough | |
| To take the whim | |
| ’At he ’d like to go back in the calvery— | 40 |
| And the old man jes’ wrapped up in him! | |
| Jim ’lowed ’at he ’d had sich luck afore, | |
| Guessed he ’d tackle her three years more. | |
| And the old man give him a colt he ’d raised, | |
| And follered him over to Camp Ben Wade, | 45 |
| And laid around fer a week er so, | |
| Watchin’ Jim on dress-parade; | |
| ’Tel finally he rid away, | |
| And last he heerd was the old man say,— | |
| “Well, good-by, Jim: | 50 |
| Take keer of yourse’f!” | |
| |
| Tuk the papers, the old man did, | |
| A-watchin’ fer Jim, | |
| Fully believin’ he ’d make his mark | |
| Some way—jes’ wrapped up in him! | 55 |
| And many a time the word ’ud come | |
| ’At stirred him up like the tap of a drum: | |
| At Petersburg, fer instunce, where | |
| Jim rid right into their cannons there, | |
| And tuk ’em, and p’inted ’em t’ other way, | 60 |
| And socked it home to the boys in gray, | |
| As they skooted fer timber, and on and on— | |
| Jim a lieutenant,—and one arm gone,— | |
| And the old man’s words in his mind all day,— | |
| “Well, good-by, Jim: | 65 |
| Take keer of yourse’f!” | |
| |
| Think of a private, now, perhaps, | |
| We ’ll say like Jim, | |
| ’At ’s clumb clean up to the shoulder-straps— | |
| And the old man jes’ wrapped up in him! | 70 |
| Think of him—with the war plum’ through, | |
| And the glorious old Red-White-and-Blue | |
| A-laughin’ the news down over Jim, | |
| And the old man, bendin’ over him— | |
| The surgeon turnin’ away with tears | 75 |
| ’At had n’t leaked fer years and years, | |
| As the hand of the dyin’ boy clung to | |
| His Father’s, the old voice in his ears,— | |
| “Well, good-by, Jim: | |
| Take keer of yourse’f!” | 80 |
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