37 lines
2.3 KiB
HTML
37 lines
2.3 KiB
HTML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:epub="http://www.idpf.org/2007/ops" epub:prefix="z3998: http://www.daisy.org/z3998/2012/vocab/structure/, se: https://standardebooks.org/vocab/1.0" xml:lang="en-US">
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<head>
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<title>Jim</title>
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<link href="../css/core.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
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<link href="../css/local.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
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</head>
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<body epub:type="bodymatter z3998:fiction">
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<section id="jim" epub:type="volume se:short-story">
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<h2 epub:type="title">Jim</h2>
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<p>Thanks, young man; I’ll sit awhile,</p>
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<p>And rest while Betsy trades a bit.</p>
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<p>We’ve druv ’bout twenty mile to-day;</p>
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<p>I’m real tired. Just think of it!</p>
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<p>“Me a-restin’ on this here bench ’Mongst all these trees and flowers and sich;</p>
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<p>A park! You say? It’s a nice place To drive your team and stop and hitch.</p>
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<p>“Farm? Yes, we’ve got a good one;</p>
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<p>Two hundred acres as fine as you’ll see, We’re purty well fixed as to worldly things, We’ve worked hard for it, Betsy and me.</p>
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<p>“But there’s one thing keeps me mighty sad, We can’t get over it, night or day.</p>
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<p>Never an hour we don’t think of Jim—</p>
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<p>Ten years now, since he went away.</p>
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<p>“Dead?—No; just got mad and left.</p>
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<p>Never a word have we heard from him;</p>
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<p>Ten years of waitin’, hopin’, and prayin’ Jest fur one more sight of Jim.</p>
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<p>“Jest about your height, young man; Slender and straight as a stalk of corn; Good as gold, though quick to get angry—But, then he was mine and Betsy’s first-born.</p>
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<p>“I think if I could git hold of Jim’s hand, And kinder explain the words I said,</p>
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<p>He’d know his old dad’s heart would ever Be just the same—but I guess Jim’s dead.</p>
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<p>“Or he never—what’s that you say, sir? You Jim!—My God!—it can’t be true! Come to my heart, boy—closer, closer—Can it be Jim—oh, can it be you?</p>
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<p>“Run quick and call your mother!</p>
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<p>She’s in the store—come quick again;</p>
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<p>I’ll wait here for you. …</p>
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<p>… Here! Police! Police!</p>
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<p>That young feller’s got my watch and chain!”</p>
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</section>
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</body>
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</html>
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