The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1889-10-18

rl<e.r
meant business and Johnny didn4
Jim used to loaf around the rssts.
rant nights till il closed up, andyt.a
drop into the saloon for ! game vi .
drink before going home. Ono aight
he started out earlier than usual, leav.
ing most Of the boys still in at Toms.
Jim knew that the girl lived over the
restaurant. He'd often looked up for q
light in her room-one reason why he
went off early. But this particular
night. as Happen to know, there wasn't
any light. In q few minutes Jim re.
turned. His face was Is white and
stern. He stood in the door . moment,
looking sort Of wild like.
@'Stand out there. Johnny Whittley
he said. And the first man that stirs
is good as deadl I've got q little speech
to make. As I went by the restaurant
I heard the girl up there talking in her
sleep. And you know who she was
talking aboutl Not me! No, it was
you, Johnny Whittle. You've been
trifin' with that girl. and you know il,
and you've got to pay for il right now
Stand back therel'
sOne shot from Jim's revolver and
Johnny fell. Jim disappeared in the
darkness. didn't think at the time
that Jim ought to have done it, neither
did most Of the boys, as I said, but I
didn't get . chance to express my
opinion personally, for the vigilance
committee didn't catch him. I don't
believe myself they wanted to, for most
of them were friends of Jim's, and he'd.
always acted square up to that time. 1
heard nothing of Jim for a long time.
I'd left the mountains some years and
was in business in Chicago. I was
walking down State street one day when
a broken down, trampish-looking man
stopped me.
Hello, old fellow! won't YOU speak
to an old acquaintance
II looked at him o moment; then
came o flash of recognition.
Jim Budgelow, by all that is glo-
rious,' I exclaimed.
@'The same,' says he; but things
have gone:hard with me since the old
time And in reply to my inquiries he
told me q little about himself. I had
a soft berth here with the fire depart
ment for q long time; night Waterman,
stationed on top of the building, and
called them out when I heard a cry of
fire. But I got hard of hearing some
way; couldn't hear a cry o than half
a mile, and then they put in the alarm
boxes more numerously, and I was
showed out. Now my right ear amt
much better than the other. Hard
when a fellows getting on in years.
II didn't forget what I owed to Jim
Budgelow, so 1 gave him $40 and my
address. But he never came to see me.
Don't know why; perhaps that spree
took him off, Or perhaps he was afraid
he might be called to account some
time for shooting johnny Whittle.
"But, as I said at first, Jim might
have made a big thing at sea He could
have heard the Captain snore in a vessel
five miles off on the foggiest night you
ever saw. He and Calliope Bill would
have made a team. You see, Calliope
Bill"-
Just then the steward appeared on
deck and sounded the dinner gong. We
never failed to answer its call, though
just then we were a little curious about
Calliope Bill.
sat opposite the sharp-faced little
gentleman, andin the course of our talk
at dinner 1 got up courage enough to
bring the conversation around to him.
self. I had never dared to do this be.
fore.
"Are you still in business in Chicago? ~
1 ventured.
NO." said he, with aqueer look, eve
been connected with o New York paper
for some twenty years; been CORES.
ponding for them from Paris for some
time, but I got tired of it and am going
back to my old place on the staff"
ooh" said I, meditatively.