Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-04-01
Continued from yesterday
BEAUTIFUL jim.
By JOHN STRANGE WINTER.
CHAPTER XVII.
A TRYING INTERVIEW.

TRYING INTERVIEW.
Meantime. society c, Blankhanpton
was greatly edited BY the return Of tbs
LIST Of tho EaFlcs- 10 its midst
Jest a. first he had not been inclined to
avail himself Of the privileges which it
afforded hin. he had been dEzed and
crushed by events which had happened re-
Gently and had moreover suffered good
deal from beautiful Jirn's continued pres
eice- Somehow lie never seemed able to
get ont Of sight Of the accusing look in
jim . cyes or FROM the accusing tones in
L.s voice or fron the accusing meanings
in every: hing that be said
jim Lad no thought Of this at all-in
truth. he had conceived such profound
contempt for. and such al aversion 10. the
youag scogudrel that II he could possibly
help il. he never addressed him. or even
ALLOW ed his eyes to rest upon him. Still.
e. have said, so II seemed to Tommy,
and it was not until Beautiful jim went
OF fcr his short leave that the lad began
- breathe with anything Ike freedom
But Is il is but step from the sublime
to the ridiculous. so Il WAS but step for
Tommy light rad buoyaat nature to slip
FROM tho depression which was the result
Of Jims presence 10 tie gay AID airy
ligh;ucsa IF his usual deneaIor. and then
il was that Blank hampton society was
able 70 welcome him to itself again.
Now mind it was not that Tommy had
In any way got over the horror and dis
tress which Inc Walmsbury tragedy had
caused nirg-not at ell. II was only that
lie had very singular and adaptable dis
position and after the first great dread Of
discovery We over AID he realized that,
for IS peoples sake. he was safe from
Bear'iful Jim's wrath. he began TO smooth
Tie irrevccable past over 20 white away
motive here ard to heighten al aggrava-
ton there. until he at last began to feel
that, so far from his having committed q
cr,,r in being tho actual cause Of Owen 5
death. Owen had behaved with really
yind.ctiye and remarkable shabbiness TO
hin In being knocked over by the dumb
bel
or course he was awfully sorry that
poor old Owen had come to harm but IN
douotedly Owen had always had particu
larry disAgreeabe way Of interfering in
matters which did not in the smallest
degree concern him and, OF course. as all
the world knows. when fellows will do
that sort Of thing, they often come in for
more than the bargain for All the same
he was sorry enough about poor old Owen.
whom lc had Liked very well on the whole,
and he would have given worlds to have
undone or averted such deplorable acci
dent-yes Tommy always now thought OF
Owen = death as a pure accident, 1t was
sach a much more palatable word than
murder. which had something coarse and
revolving about the very sound and look
Of it-but since that could not be. he had
come to the conclusion that 1t would b
simply useless to worry himself into a
rina.ic asylIm. or even into his grave. BY
iretJing about it
So you may believe. after Tommy had
arrived at this decision that 1t was not
yp~y long before he took to the old ways.
and the pretty drawing rooms OF the
pretty women in Blankhamp,on knew him
AZ of yore
With regard to the young lady At the
Dur6 $ Tail at Walmsbnry it can only DO
said that Tommy had already come to
lpns upon the recent events Of the past A.
Il q .sti.ct Intervention OF Providence to
save h.la from the consequences Of the
dHil and dreary life into which he had
been nIcrt'lessly thrust And tho odd
part of il AL was that he had meant seri
ously enough to marry her, to make her
the mistress of Earlcs Hope. and the pos
sibe mother Of the Earles to come
Well. that had been an escape for
which he could never been sufficiently
grateful never; and although he had no
doubt that she could. il she chose make
herself uncommonly disagreeabe that
sort of person is always open to being
squared, and happily he would always
have tho power to settle matters with her
in thut way,
50 wAcn beautiful Jim. in great disap
poig.uent and yet not wholly sad went
b2cl. to BlankhRnp:pa he found young
Tommy once Eiurc in the full swing OF so
ci4l popularity just the spoiled pet Ls
Ecd te'pl aforetimc and after the first
gasp Of dl5gusted surprise. jim promptly
went for lin
"Gy tho bye Earle | want to speak to
you he said to him the dag after his 70
turn from town
All right" returned Tommy. will
you cone to my 7uor, or shall | come -
your
"fon can come 10 mine said jim,
short.
40 10 Jira's reorn they went, and its
ow.,cT -irucd the key in the lock so as to
secure t., n lrora interruptions
jest Al FIRST roa!my ried on the old air
Of jag.,y equality Wcll, h. said, set
tii1g hinscif in tho most comfortable
cla.r that he room ..faiued i suppose
you've not ai'y especially pleasant to say
t. ne. ch. don't expect it in the esst.
so Ia PFC ayd
THAT p rs veil said Jim. shortly net
loollin. ~ i'nrluv at all but at the pipe
he WIS G.liu- for what I've got to say
youll fNd dcyiiish rnrleasant-l should,
ut least loi' probably don't know Why
wen rp t. town
/ "No' IN th" lo2st. cvccr, for the usual
rfs