You always do that when I read a letter from her.
I will write and tell her."
"Oh no, you mustn't, Henry. I'm getting old, you know, and any
little disappointment makes me want to cry. I thought she'd
be here herself, and now you've got only a letter."
"Well, now, what put that in your head? I thought everybody knew
she wasn't coming till Saturday."
"Saturday! Why, come to think, I did know it. I wonder
what's the matter with me lately? Certainly I knew it.
Ain't we all getting ready for her? Well, I must be going now.
But I'll be on hand when she comes, old man!"
Late Friday afternoon another gray veteran tramped over from his
cabin a mile or so away, and said the boys wanted to have a little
gaiety and a good time Saturday night, if Henry thought she wouldn't
be too tired after her journey to be kept up.
"Tired? She tired! Oh, hear the man! Joe, YOU know she'd sit up
six weeks to please any one of you!"
When Joe heard that there was a letter, he asked to have it read,
and the loving messages in it for him broke the old fellow all up;
but he said he was such an old wreck that THAT would happen to him
if she only just mentioned his name. "Lord, we miss her so!"
he said.
Saturday afternoon I found I was taking out my watch pretty often.
Henry noticed it, and said, with a startled look:
"You don't think she ought to be here soon, do you?"
I felt caught, and a little embarrassed; but I laughed, and said
it was a habit of mine when I was in a state of expenctancy.
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