Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1877-06-26

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be loses all hisn's at poker; so thar they
GO"
10 the course of an hour Circus Jack,
scrubbed and liked up" to degree
which made him almost unrecognizable
by his comrades, appeared, escort ed by
Scotty, also prepared 10y choice toilet
to enter the presence OF the ladies"
" 'Scuse my not comm aiore.' said
Sco,ty. Hoses must be tended TO. and
them OF niue was about dead beat
Marian smiled graciDusly. il absently,
aud turned her clear, hazel eyes 10 Cir
Gus Jack, who, with many excuses.
circumlocutions and prolane epithets,
most of which he apOlogizsd for instant
ly, and some OF which he was evidently
unconscious of. gave her all the iniorma
ton in his power in regard to the man
she had come to find. No one in Mari.
posa knew him better. As Jim he was
almost an integral part of the city OF
Butterflies"
There was something OF mystery
hung about him, which the boys had
never been able to iathom. Some said
that he belonged to wealthy and aris-
tocratic family. and left home and be-
come wanderer and an ou,cgst, because
some beautiful woman had jIlted him (;
others said that he had had vile and
children, that he had broken his welded
faith and his wls's heart at the same
time, and that 4 grim phantom followed
him wherever he went. and gave him no
peace Oilers told yet another story;
that be had teen engaged to beautiful
girl. and had loved her and trusted her
above all telling; that bis wedding day
was near, when be had stumbled upon
some miserable secret, which was dead
and buried, but could not rest in the
grave; that there was no room left for
Ioubt, which is sometime. blessed, and
he htd llsd without woid disappeared,
AMI lett to her own wyc'ched heart the
task OF telling hrr the reason Why.
C,,cuS JacA di1 uot tel Marian these
s.ories, though h. had heard them al!
i,deed they had been reyoH and DIS
cusssd in the bir-ro3m no. halt an hOlr
since. An average woman would
have repeated them to her, AMI thus
temp! her 10 revsa! .ns tsu.u; bu.
chiraroas heart bea. under Jacks llln-
ne. shirt, and he could 10 more bear 10
hur. her than he c1u.I have crashed
little b;rd 20 death with his harG.
L any Of the stories wero true. aud
s5e Vet loved p,or jim. ho told her
enough 10 wiring her hea-. and ham, her
dreams forever.
Inc winter TINT he spent in the hollow
OF : great pine tree. on The rim OF Yo-
semitic valley. was perhaps the happiesl
and most peaceful. E,ery Yosemite
tourist stops to peep inside this tree and
to wonder il man ever lived there.
1T was comfortable enough says the
hale old pioneer of the valley below
"lIe had plenty of room. We both
slep, in il one night
At which the tourist peeps in again
and wonders ii the long-limbed Texan
was not bit cramped by the foot board.
When Circus Jack told Marian the sto-
ry it was fresher and less wonderful than
it is now.
WAS the snow very deep? ?" she said
"Was there any danger OF his freezing
to death?"
Il never hearn much about it any
way" said Circus Jack, " 'cept that he
lived thar alone cuttin' shingles. 'spect
the snow was about four or five feet deep
up thar whar he lived. He's close
mouthed one | tell yer, an when he's
drunk he don't tell nothin' " whatsomever!"
This, with q glance half plying, halt
re-assuring, as though he would promise
her that the secret, whatever it might be,
was sale.
One comforting doubt beat at the
woman's heart all the while that Jack
was talking. perhaps this man was
not the one!"
She mentioned This at length. and
asked Jack what his ouandom "partnern
was like