Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1889-07-20
Beautiful Jim.
BY John Strange Winter.

this terrible affair u over. sir. should
Ikea few days leave should indeed. :"
THAT is easily managed. returned the
colonel. kindly-then hesitated. STAN
mered little. opened his mouth as If to
speak. and flushed scarlet under his
bronzed -the-the-er-well,
my dear boy, the fact Is IL thought per
haps. after ali that has happened-the-
the mistake Of your arrest and all that,
you might find it little painful TOTO
remain here"
mot a bit. SIR" said Jim. promptly
1T will be painful to me ever to think
about Owen. no matter what part Of the
world might be- in. for he was the best
friend | ever had in my life. but about
the matter Of arresting Newell. the po
lice thought they had a clcw. and they
were quite right to follow it up ! am
not at all tender on that point. sir. ! as
sure you. and besides. everybody who
knows me. who knew what friends he and
| were. would laugh outright at tho idea
that could have murdered him
"Very well We will see-we will see. :"
said the colonel in a tone which signihed
that the interview was at an end
So far as poor Owen was concerned, the
day was soon over At 9 o'clock precisely
the sad procession left the officers quar-
ters and went slowly toward the ceme
terry on the outskirts of the town The
coffin was carried on q gun carriage and
the pail held by officers of the dead man 8
regiment. Col Barnes being on one side
and Beautiful Jim on the other In front
was the band-or the greater part Of it
which had come over from Blankhampton,
and behind were the mourners. all mem
bers Of Capt Owens family
These last had been specially demon
strative to Jim Beresford. showing him
by every means in their power that they
had no part whatever in the suspicion
which for few hours had been cast upon
him.
1T is very good of you to meet me like
this. sir. Jim said TO his dead friends
father, when that old gentleman held out
his hand before every one assembled in
the anteroom and shook it heartily.
"All can do for my poor lad now is to
stand by his friend" returned the old
man, sadly.
Thank you. sir, said Jim. gratefully;
Il shall never forget that you did stand
by me, never"
And then they had to take their places
and the sad procession started OH its way.
10 crawl Ut iOOt pace tuTOuSu Tue
crowded streets, with arms reversed and
the band playing the mournfui strains Of
the Dead March, while hundreds of
eager heads were pressed forward to get a
glimpse Of Jim. US LIE paced first on the
left of the gun carriage and to point Jim
out as him as was took up for il. you
know. but they couldn't prove naught
again him." 1t was painful hour, but
Jim held his head up high and straight.
and bore himself like the brave. soldierly
gentleman that he was.
"l'll never believe that he did it," cried
q woman in the crowd at the grave side
IF he'd had hand in sending the poor
chap there, he could never have looked
into the grave so sad and sorrowful as he
did mol III never believe IL of him"
well he's not clear of it yet, and
won't be until sonnet hing mere is found
out about it. was the answer of her com
panion.
And then tho service came to an end,
and the last yollcys were fired over tha
open grave Of one who had been univer
sal favorite among his fellows.
So they turned away and left him to
his quiet sleep forever. marching away
with brisk and jaunty steps to that
smooth and swinging air which has Jared
SO often on hearts narrowed by great
and irrcparable loss;
Love not--love not,
The thing you love may die.