Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1881-05-18


rushing to the surface. How the dirty
water and bits of sand did fly about as
the cable ratified on the boards of
the derrick But the nerve of Big
Jim never faltered, aud in the midst of
the rush and roar he found time to
order the tool-dresser to put out the fire
under the boiler and close up for the
night. At last the unwieldy drill stood
dripping on the derrick floor, and
silently the driler led the way through
the snow-path up through the wooded
valley to the lonely cabin. AS we
neared the place ! gently held the
tool-dresser's arm and allowed Big
Jack to go on and enter the cabin alone.
All this time the tool. dresser was pro-
foundly ignorant of the whole affair.
and as / broke the news to him as
gently as possible the usually thought
less-spoken man sobered down and
said nothing for long time. At last
with. suspicious huskiness in his
voice, he spoke
Poor old boyp said he gently and
sorrowfulIy his troubles on this earth
are over forever. And poor Jack, he
loved him like brother. although he
knew that Jim was once high-toned
cuss from New York or some big city.
And doesn't it seem strange to you
that a man who had been through two
nitro-glycerine explosions should pass
in his checks away out here in this
God-forsaken country? And all alone.
too, that is, mean, with none of his
friends near 1t seems hard, doesn't
that fellow like what Jim used to be
before he struck this country should
die all alone up here away from his
mother and friends? They say he had
mother, but he was ashamed to see
her as he was, and none of us, not
even Big Jack, knows where she is.
But / know she has been well provided
for, because Jack told me Jim had CIV
en- her about twenty thousand dollars
that he had made up here. She want
ed him to come home and live with
her and they say that when he would
get letter from her he would go out
into the woods by himself and stay
till night, and then he would burn the
letter in the fire. Strange, wasn't itg
He thought good deal of his mother;
but they say he had some affair Of the
heart that broke him all up for good.
Women are queer things, anyway. l
have always tried to keep away from
them. for it's like running your
hands into gas-fire to get mixed up
.Io,~, Uy.ll mall Tn, carry that
poor Jim run his last bit and struck the
sand out here, for he was different
from any of us, and was made for some-
thing better than to die here oil alone.
Poor Jim, poor jim!
Softly we entered the little cabin and
stood in the presence Of the dead. IL
seemed so strangely that death should
come down and lay his hands on the
sick man under the health-givingpines
it didn't seem like other haunts of
death, like funerals in churches and
grand houses. where sorrowing fri ends
crowd around the silver-trimmed casket
and take last look at the tenement OF
clay There it was pomp and worldly
sorrow here it was poor, unfortunate
james Barton Torpedo Jim. lying in
| his bunk so cold and still and silent
We sat in the little cabin a long while
in silence, each man busy with his own
thoughts and strangely affected by the
presence of death in the lonely forest.
The night wore on apace, and after
awhile Big Jack Sanford, the driller,
arose and went out of the room into
the early morning, closing the door
carefully, as if afraid be might disturb
the corpse of his friend. Hours pass
ed, and rs one by one the stars faded
away and the sun came cleaning
through the tree-tops the tool-dresser
and l dropped off to sleep; and when
we were awakened by the sounds of
footsteps on the frozen snow we saw
Big Jack coming toward the cabin
with rough hemlock box shaped like
coffin.
1T isn't so nice as / could wish,'
said Big Jack as he deposited his
burden on the board table; but it is
the best we can do
With the loving tenderness of a faith
er, Big Jack gathered the inanimate
form of Torpedo Jim in bis strong
arms and laid him gently in the mar
row coffin. And then he aud the tool
dresser lifted the remains and carried
them through the doorway and down
the path leading past the well. 1t was
the most sorrowful funeral procession
have ever seen. 1t wasn't much ofa
procession, to be sure. Jack and his
fellow-worker ed the way with the
body and followed. Yet there was
sorrow there sorrow for the dead and
aching hearts and broken sighs Joined
with the moaning pines in chanting q
requiem for-one to whom fate had been
bitter enemy. Down past the well
to lightning blasted giant pine tree,
and as its foot was newly made grave,
the last loving labor that noble
Jack could do for his dead friend. Aud
then, as we lowered the blue-eyed man
into his last resting place, the sun
burst through cloud and fell full upon
us and cast halo ofgolden glory about
the scene and when all was done the
driller raised his arms and said slowly
and solemnly;
Peace to his dust and ashes through
time and eternity. AmenP
Poor Jim Yes, poor Jim far away
out in the Bingham forests. under the
world Of snow, sleeps the blue-eyed
man who will always be in the great
army of those who die unknown to
home and friends. and who will to the
end of time be among the missing.
And in her comfortable Philadelphia
home the patient, loving mother waits
and watches for her boy, the boy who
will gladden. the old, tried heart and
brighten the old home never again on
this earth and by y-and-by she will put
away the well-worn Bible and gold