Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-03-25

Continued from yesterday
BEAUTIFUL jim
By JOHN STRANGE WINTER.

DIV JUN q hANOL WIN Lib
~ good deal. said T. in fact. jus.
this. You're . good many years older
than Mr. I-arie-teu at least-you re any
thing bat a reputable woman. and, in
fact, II yo1 were As good az an angel out
Of aven-~hieh you are not-youre
Just about the last woman in the world
that his family would ever receive If you
baaboozied bim into marry ing you see
you're wearing it Oh your engaged finger.
and | suppose that means that you have
lnveigled him into promising TO replace it
by a plain one Bat be viii do nothing
Of the sort. and you Will just hand that
ring over at once to ne We don't allow
our young officers 10 20 about marrying
any one they like. particularly such
woman you are.
." And II | don't she asked, insoleutly.
III you donit Well. | happen TO DO
Mr. Earies commanding officer just row,
and Unless you at once give me that ring
and your solemn promise 70 make no fur
Their attempt to get him TO marry you,
shall simply pui bin under arrest and
keep him there until his father comes.
and his father will very soon strsighten
hsn up. promise YOU Remember. he Is
not 10 yet-that he's an infant--a minor
and cant even make a legal marriage
without his fathers consent until be IS
one aad twenty. lie is absolutely de
pendent upon bis father, too. for every
fsrthing he mas or ever will have. so just
hand me over that ring, and will settle
the matter with him. And the end of 1t
al! was. Owen wound up, that Ate gave
me the ring and her solemn pledge to
have done with the young fool for good
and all OF course 1t was pretty nearly
all bounce that said. and would not
have borne q moments rejection If she
mad been = better educated woman, but 1t
has served its turn. and Il seems to me
that anything is justifable to save
young fool from coming such cropper
as that.
Yes. that's so. murmured jim, turn
ing the ring over, and thinking what she
would say II she knew about II.
1t was a valuable and very beautiful
ring. the finest one Of many possessed by
the object Of Owens righteous indigna-
ton In the center WAS large sapphire
Of great price. on which was engraved the
crest aud motto Of the Earles, Surround
ing this were diamonds Of much beauty.
which flashed and sparkled rs the freight
fell upon them
Have you seen him." Jim asked At
last, looking up from the ring
No, ] went into his room. but he has
not come back from Bankhampton yet,
he is due to night. though" Owen an
swered II think IL he makes any fuss
about tho matter had better write to the
colonel and tell him about it. and get him
to send one Of the other fellows here and
let the young ass go back to the regi-
ment, What do you thinky
Il think he'll get into the devil's own
mischief wherever he is, Jim replied, his
faith in Tommy having been shattered
long before
Perhaps. still there are plenty Of
ladies IN Blankhampton to keep him out
Of harms way. and II he were to go and
get engaged TO ole OF the Lesiie girls her
father would soon choke him off. or il he
wouldn be choked of, old Earle couldn't
possibly objec, to nything in the engage
ment but his sons youth and general
idiocy Well, | suppose must be off to
dress, il only wants ten minutes to mess
now"-theu. without whiting for reply.
Owen went out. shutting the door with .
bang. and leaving Beautiful Jim with
Tommy Earles ring still in his hand,
They had sort Of guest night that
evening for In addition TO the three Off
GERS of the Bankshre regiment and the
doctor, who messed with them. they had
u young fellow staying mile or two
away who was not of the millionaire type
common to the Wslmsbury ueighborhood
the officer in charge Of the commissarat
department. the clergyman who acted as
chaplain and the Roman Catholic priest
of the district.
Thus II was quite dinner party; and
although Beautiful Jim looked once or
twice across tine table at Owen to see
whether he had got over his annoyance,
he very soon entered into u discussion on
more Interesting subject than Tommy's
delnqurnc.cs with his neighbor the
priest, and speedily forgot all about the
matter
Nor did he remember IL till Tommy
himself came Oh to the scene some hours
later, apparently utterly tired out with
the short journey from Bankhampton.
where he had been spending two days
leave. 1t struck lin more than once that
the lad looked very white and tagged and
he put IT down to his having tried to
cram TOO much into the few hours he had
had to spend ia the old city
Any news from Blankhampton Tom
nv he inquired, civilly.
None IN particular, returned Tommy.
then got up and moved away as II he had
heard enough on the subject Of Blank
hampton, and did not want to be ques-
toned about IT,
Poor lad. said Beautiful Jim to him
self he has evidently had an awakening
TO the real value of the charms and fasci-
nations At the Duck Tail What good
thing for him Poor old Owen will find
the business easier to manage than he
thought "
He looked across the room a. his friend,
and found his thoughts running away to
his little cousin. Neil Marchmont. Jim
had never said II word. and Nell bad never
said word eiihcr-yct he knew that
owen had spent the greater part of his
leave In London, and guessed that he had
tried his fate and that Nell had said no
Suspecting this, he had purposey spoken
to her OF Owen more than once, and she
had flushed up little at the mention Of
his name. and certain dewy tenderness
had come into her eyes n tenderness so
tinged with sorrow that Jim CLEANED all
the information that hc wanted from it.
Well. 1t was a pity and Jim wished to
the very bottom of his heart that it had
been otherwise but still. If Nell did not
see il in that light it was 10 use his think
ing any more about 1t
And by and by their guests went away
and the four officers went off to their
rooms. Owen going into Jim's for . last
pipe instead OF turning TO the left toward
his own And for an hour or SO they sat
together smoking and chatting and Jim
told his friend his suspicious about Tom
my's disenchantment, TO his extreme sat
tstaction, il need hardly be said.
And. by tho bye. Owen. you lef, tho
young FOOLS ring with me. I'll give 1t to
You. Now. what the deuce can Leader
have done with my KEYS Pom my soul.
Leaders Internal tidiness is the very
curse OF my existence, don't know
where he has put them"
Never mind. old chap. you can give It
to me tomorrow. answered Owen. who
was getting tired Good night, old
fellow"
Good night. old chap" returned Jim.
chcerily
1t Is safe To say that he was not Eve
minutes in throwing of his clothes and
tumbling into bed. and in less than .
minute after that he was sound asleep
and dreaming that he had com.
mtted some terrible misderneanor, and
that 0wen-old Owen. his own especial
chum-ended with. Consider yourself
once. and will send for your sword
The dream was so real that he awoks
trembling from head TO foot, to find the
fire still blazing cheerfully, and the sound
OF footsteps going along the corridor out
side"
Cad. what rot fellow can dream, he