The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1877-08-02

olulctS ltllldllcu, perhaps helnG last col
OTIS: but horror of the class to which
she now supposed Marian to belong was
one which had faded out of her nature
She gave slight superciious look, which
fell upon the woman like moonlight Oh
Ice, and pursued her inquiries.
Game from Frisco?"
IL came through there didn't see
anything Of the place"
"Whar did yer come from"
'Philadelphia.' The tone was some
what changed. She evidently felt the
impalpable rudeness Of the faded woman,
and knew how to resent it in the same
way. More conversation ensued, in the
course of which Mrs. Sharpe discovered
that Marian had a little money enough
to pay her board for few months-and
that she had come there to find ''James
Courtney Wilmer"
Mrs. Sharpe had information to give US
well as to take, for she knew something
of jim.
We called him JiA," she said, little
scolntully. ''IIe didn't cit no .Courting'
from we"
Poor Marian gave Il faint smile. "There
might be other James Winners" she said.
"I wanted to be sure"
Mrs. Sharpe didn't think this could be
the one.
Giles a rough, ragged creeter," she
said, and s had the snakes fur weeks at
a time"
Marian shrank and covered at this,
with pitiful look of pain on her beauti-
full face.
''Iled money left him :" asked Mrs
Sharpe.
Marian nodded.
"'Twont do him no good Soon as he
hears OF it, he'll drink himself into snakes
Alters did when they struck good lead
on the Banderita. Circus Jack, he loses
all hisn's at poker; so thar they 60"
In the course Of an hour Circus Jack,
scrubbed and ''tiNed up to Il degree
which made him almost unrecognizable
by his comrades, appeared, escorted by
Scottv, also prepared by a choice toilet
to enter the presence Of 'the ladies'
"'Scuse my not comm afore,' said
Scotty. ''Hosses must be tended to, and
them of mine WIS about dead beat"
Marian smiled graciously, if absently,
and turned her clear, hazel eyes to Cir
Gus Jack, who, with many excuses, cir
cumlocutlons, and profanc epithets, most
of which he apologiZed for instantly, and
some of which he was evidently unc0n-
scious of, gave her all the information in
in his power in regard to the man she
had come to find.
No one in Mariposa knew him better
As Jim" he was almost an integral part
of the city of "ButterHes." 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 tilaments 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 sorrowtully above him.
There was something of a mystery
hung about him, which the ''boys' had
never been able to tathom. Some said
that he belonged toa wealthy and ariSto-
cratic family, and had left home, become
Il Wanderer and an outcast. 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
witc'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
/ 'liSttSN'l w IL DtutllIul 9lll, ulltl llul 10Y
ed her and trusted her above all telling
that his wedding day was near, when he
had stumbled upon some miserable Sc
cret, which WAS dead and buried, but
could not rest in its grave: that there
was no room left for doubt, which is some
| times blessed, and he had fled without a
word: disappeared, 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
indeed, they all had been retold and dis
cussed in the bar-room. 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 a little bird to
death with his hand.
If amy of the stories We're true, and she
yet loved poor jim, etold her enough to
wiring her heart and haunt her dreams
/ for ever.
The winter that he spent in the hollow
OF a great pine tree, on the rim Of Iosc-
mite valley, was perhaps his happiest
and most peaceful, Every Yosemite tour
ist stops to peep inside this tree, and to
wonder if a man really lived there. 1T
was comfortable enough says the hale
| old pioneer of the valley below. He
had plenty of room. We both slept in it
one night.
| At which the tourist peeps in again,
and wonders if the long climbed Texan
was not a bit cramped by the foot board
! When Circus Jack told Marian the
| story it was tresher and less wonderful
than now.
"Was the snow very Deep she said
WAS there no danger of his freezing to
death ~
81 never hearn much about it anyhow"
said Circus Jack. '!'cept that he lived
thar alone cuttin' shingles. | 'spcct the
snow was bout four or five foot deep lp
thar whar he lived He's close mouth
ed one, tell yer. Never git nothn' out
er him, an when he's drunk he don't tell
nothing Whatsomdever
This, with a glance half pitying, half
reassuring, as though he would promise
her that the secret, whatever it might be,
was safe.
One comforting doubt beat at the wo.
mans heart all the while that Jack was
talking. "Perhaps this man was not the
ne."
She mentioned this at length, and ask
ed Jack what his quandam ''partner"
was like.
''He was a slight built feller, rayther
light complected," was the reply. can
handsome | called him handsome, didn't
you, Scottye' e'
scotty, thus appealed to, gave pro-
fame assent. He had scarcely moved
muscle since he sat down, with his eyes
fixed on Marlans fair, ever changing face.
Mrs. Sharpe, after a vain attempt to en-
gage him in conversation, had quietly
Withdrawn, having no relish for being
one of quartette where two did all the
talking.
"Was he -an-educated man ?" inuur-
ed Marian hesitatngly, feeling in vague
way that the question might offend jack.
"Yes, he war; replied that worthy in
|