The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-08-30
JIM NELSON'S REVENGE.


JIM NELSON'S REVENGE.
I, always like coming straight at
things, so if I. am going to tell what
I know about this, I ask your leave
to do it in my own way, for I'm a
plain man with plain words, and have
no knowledge of writing fine, so here
goes:
I was married to Susan Galley, on
tho first of February, in the year
1903, at St..Paul's Church, Highford
street, which may be seen by, looking
at the writing in the books. Her
father Is in the butchering line. He
says to me, when L asked for Susan,
William" says he, "of course I
have liking for my little girl, and
likes to see. her. well settled in life
and happy, and L ask you as man
and a father, what's your lookout?"
''Susan's father" says I, ''I drive,
as you know, on the Great Eastern,
that goes across the country, with
.f200 a year and fuel, and I'll take
care of yoIr Susan and be kind and
dutiful man to. her."
"William," says he, shaking nv
hand. with tears in his eyes, that the
bleating of all the lambs he's killed
in his day couldn't bring, "you can
take her, and good luck to yer,
though since her mother was throwd,
she's been bite and sup to me. 'Eaven
help, but may she be the same to
Well, I was going away, feeling
happy along of the ease with which
things was working, when he calls
me back, saying: civilian, I aint
a vicious man, nor yet backbiter,
but must say that, if you take Su-
san, you get an, enemy along with
her."
.'Sbo!" says I, taken quite aback.
Fact, says he; "that Jim Nelson
has been hankering after my little
girl, off and on, but she don't like
him; no more dol, and no more do
you."
I nodded eyes"
"And he told me ono night that
he'd be an enemy to him that got
Susan, without twas himself"
Never you fear; I thought that it
was them lawyers that might be
driving OF us apart" said I, laughing
hearty; but the old fellow shook his
head in q doubtful style.
Well, we-that is, Susan and T.
were wed-locked, IS they call it, gay
and marriage bell; and we were
coming out of the church, when up
came Jim Nelson, white around the
mouth and nose, and he whispered to
me, civilian Rogers, there's some
thing atwixt you and me as long as
you live, which won't be long"
What he said, he said quickly; and
before I could get Susan's arm off,
80 as to give him clip, Susan's pa,
who was walking behind with white
rose in his mouth, stepped up, and
being o strong man, he caught Jim
by the shoulders and turned him
round, and gave him one with his
boot. think it was done we'll, for
he rolled down the steps and into o
hole that the sexton was in, and that
made it worse. I didn't feel like
laughing, for. it seemed unnatural;
and that day was, to me, happy, and
l wanted it'so all round; and it felt
as though my engine was running
over the sleepers instead of on the
rails, when Jim go; up out of the
hole, all covered with dirt, and stood,
as pale as a ghost, shaking his fist at
me and Susan, without speaking a
word.
p couldn't shake off the remember
ance of it all that day nor the next,
and kind of dread stuck to me; in
spite of all I could do, the thoughts
of it would come suddenly to me in
the oldest places, and 1 began to
feel little strange. It wasn't fear
to ome at all, but I kept thinking, sup
pose that he should do some harm to
Susan when I was away on the road,
or come and scare her with his white
face. BY George! thinks L to myself,
I'd tie him on the track lengthwise
and run over him. if L thought he'd
do that. know it was a cruel thing
to think of him who had done me no
harm; but I was just so savage along
OF thinking of his wanting to come
between me and my lawful wife.
The next day I went on my route