The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-07-12

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as anything"
Mrs. Sharpe was a washed.O out woman
Many of the natural and lauda 5le instincts
remained, perhaps being fast cOlOrs but &
horror of the class to which she now sup
posed Marian to belong was one which
had not faded out of her nature. She
gave slightly supercilious look, which
fell upon the woman like moonlight or
ice, and pursued her inquiries.
"Caine from 'Frisco?"
II came through there. I didn't see
anything Of the place.
| "Whar did yer come from?"
Philadelphia. The tone was changed
She evidently felt the impalpable rude
ness of the faded woman, and knew how
to resent it in the same way. More con
vcrsation cnsued, in the course of which
Mrs. Sharpe discovered that Marian had q
little money-enough to pay her board
for few months : and that she had come
there to find flames Courtney Wilmer. >
Mrs. Sharpe had information to give as
we'll as to take, for she knew something OF
jim.
| 1--WE called him JIM" she said, little
scornfully. "He didn't get no 'COurting
from me-
Poor Marian gave faint smile.
"There might De other James viii.
mers," she said. ~ wanted to be sure. ~
Mrs. Sharpe didn't think this could be
the one.
"He's rough. ragged crecter," she
said lands had the snakes fur weeks at
"a time"
Marian shrank and covered at this,
with a pitiful look of pain on her beauti.
full face.
He'd money left him." asked Mrs.
Sharpe.
Marian nodded.
's'Twon do him no good. Soon as he
hears OF it fe'll drink himself into snakes
Alters did when they struck goo6 lead
on the Banderita. Circus Jack he loses
| all his'n at poker: SO there they 60"
In the course of al. hour Circus Jack,
scrubbed and " fixed up" to degree
which made him almost unacceptable
by his comrades, appeared, escorted by
Scotty. also prepared by choice toilet to
enter the presence of "the ladies'"
"'Scuse my not comm afore," said
Scotty. Hoses must be tended to, and
them OF mine was about dead beat.'
Marian smiled graciously, if absently,
and turned her clear, hazel eyes to Circus
Jack, who, with many excuses, circumlo-
NosioAo oASa PIoIuuC CplVuVtS, HlOSt VI
which he apolOgiZed for instantly, and
some of which he was evidently ancon-
scious of, gave her all the information in
his power in regard to the man she had
come to find.
No one in Mariposa knew him better.
As Jim 4" he was almost an integral part
of the City of Butterflies" The butter.
flies, by the by, for which the town is
named, are not those which soar in the
air, but Mariposas," fastened by long,
tough filaments to the ground
Many night had Jim Wilmer crushed
his swollen face into them. and slept a
drunken sleep, with their soft wings fold
ed sorrOwfully above him.
There was something Of a mystery hung
about him, which the "boys" had never
been able to fathom. Some said that he
belonged to wealthy and aristocratic
family, and had left home and become Il
wanderer and an 0utcast, because some
beautiful woman had Tilted him; others
said that he had a wife and children, that
he had broken his welded faith and his
wiie's heart at the same time, and that a
grim phantom followed him wherever he
went and gave him no peace. Others
told yet another story; that he had been
engaged to a beautiful girl and had loved
her and trusted her above all telling; that
his wedding-day was near, when he had
stumbled upon some miserable secret,
which was dead and buried, but could not
rest in its grave; that there was no room
left for doubt, which is sometimes blessed,
and he mad fled without a word; disap-
peared. and left to her own wretched
heart the task of telling her the reason
why.
Circus Jack did not tell Marian these
stories, though he had heard them all /;
indeci !, they had all been retold and dis
cussed in the barroom, not half an hour
since. An average woman would have
repeated them to her, and thus tempted
her to reveal the truth; but chivalrous
heart beat under Jacks flannel shirt, and
he could no more bear to hurt her than he
could have crushed little bird to death
with his hand.
If any OF the stories were true, and she
yet loved poor Jim, he told her enough to
wiring her heart and haunt her dreams for.
ever.
The winter that he spent in the hollow
of great pine tree, on the rim of Yoscm-
lite Valley, was perhaps his happiest
and most peaceful. Every Yosemite tour
list stops to peep inside this tree, and to
wonder ifa man really lived there. ut
was comfortable enough" says the hale
old pioneer of the valley below. "Hc
had plenty ofroom. We both slept in it
one night"
At which the tourist peeps in again,
and wonders if the long. limbed Texan
was not bit cramped by the foot board.
When Circus Jack told Marian the
story it was fresher and less wonderful
than now.
WAS the snow very deep?" she said.
Was there no danger of his freezing to
dCath!''
~ never heard much about it anyhow"
said Circus Jack, "'ccpt that he lived
thar alone cuttin' shingles. 'spcct the
snow was bout four or five foot deep up
thar wbar he lived. He's close mouthe,l
one, l tell yer. Never git nothin' outer
nothin' whatsomdever!'
This, with lance half plying, half
reasSuring, as though he would promise
her that the secret, whatever it might he,
vas safe.
One comforting doubt beat at the
wOman's heart all the while that Jack was
talking. Perhaps this man was not the
Onew
A'AAS AhShetOuOu GIAS ACuRGAl, anu dShCu
Jack what his quondam partner" was
like.
He was slight built Teller, rayther
light complected,' was the reply. aAn'
han some. called him han some, didn't
you, Scotty!''
Scot:y, thus appealed to, gave profane
assent. He had scarcely moved muscle
since he sat down with his eyes fixed on
Marian's fair, ever-changing face. Mrs.
Sharpe, after vain attempt to edge in the
conversation, had quietly withdrawn, hav-
ing no relish for being one of quartet
where two did all the talking.
WAS he-an-educated man." in
quired Marian hesitatingly, feeling in a
vague way that the question might offend
Jack.
eyes, he war;" replied that worthy, in
contemplative tone. When we war
drunk hev hearn him talkin' lot of
stuff like pO'try. Thar's pile of books
in my cabin now that he used to read con.
sid'ably. can't make head nor tail to 'em.
P'l' APPS you might"