The Old Man And Jim

Oíd man oever liad mucli to say, 'Ceptln' to Jim - And Jim was tlic wildest boy lie had - And the Oíd man jes' wrspped up Innlml Neveí beerd hlm spe,ak iu t once Kr twice in my Ufe- and the first time was When tlie army broke oit, and Jim lie went, The Oíd man backin' liim, fer three months - And all 'at 1 hecrdthe oíd man say Was, jes' as we t irne 1 to start away - "Well, good-hy Jim: Take keer of yourse'fl" 'Pearc'd-like, ho was more satisfied .'es'lookin" at Jim And likln' him all to hlsse'f-like, seo? '(auso lio was jes' wrapped up in liim! And over and over I mind the day The Oíd man con. e an t stood round in tho way While we was dril Un', a-watohln Jim - And downat tliedeepota-heerin'himsay - Well, good-by, Jim: Take keer of youreef!" Never was nothin' about the farm Dlsting'ished Jim Xeighbors all nat to wonder why The i ld man 'peared wrap))ed up in him; But when Capt. Biggler, hu writ back 'At .lim was the biavest boy we had In the wholedernrifiiment, whiteer black, And hls fighttn' good as his larmin' bad - l'At hehad led. with a bullet clean IBored through his thlgh, and carried the llag Through the bloodiostbattle you . The Old man wound up a letter to him 'At Cap, read to us, 'at said, Teil Jim Good-by; And take keer of hisse'f, " Jim come back .'es' long enough, To take the whim i'At he'd like to go back in calvery - Í And the Old man jes' wrapped upinhim Jim "lowed 'at he'd had sich luck afore, (uessed he'd tackle her three years more. (And the Oldmanjrivebiraacolthe'dralsed And followed him over to Camp Ben Wade, .And laid around fer a week er so, Watchin' Jim on dress-parade - 'Tel íinally he rid away, iAnd last he heerd was the Old man say- "Well; good-by, Jim: Tako keer of yourse'f I" Tuk the papers, the Old man did, A-watohln' fer Jim - Fully believin' he'd make his mark Soine way - jes' wrapped up in him! And many a time the word 'u'd come 'At stirred him up like the tap of a drum, At Petersburg, fir instanc where Jim rid right into thcir canons there, And tuk 'e ii, and p'inted 'em 1,'otherway And socked it home to the boys in gray, As they skooted fer timber, and on and on - Jim a lieiitenani and one arm gone. And the old man 's words in his mind all day "Well; good-bye, .iim: Take keer of yourse'f I" Think ( f a private now, perhaps, We'Ü say like Jim, 'At 's clumb clear up to the shoulder-straps Andthe Old man jest wrapped up in him! Thinkof him - with the warplnm' through And the glorious old lied-White-and-lilue A-laughin' the news down over Jim And llie OM man, bendin' over him - ■ The surgeon turnin' away with tears 'At hadn't lt-aked fer years and years - As the hand of the dyin' boy clung to His father 's, the old voice in his ears, - "Well; good-bye, Jim: Take keer of yourse'f !'' -The Century.