Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1890-02-08
HOW IT TURNED OUT.
And Why It "Sort O Wears on
Jim's Constitution"

Yes, gents, Jim Skeggs is "a broken
man, ! tell you. He's had misfortin
enough 10 break down any man. Why,
gents, | knew Jim when there warnt
a proudcr man in all Tennessee chan
that same Jim hut look at him now.
lie don't absolutely refuse hi, liquor,
but he don't take 1t with the siin he
used ter"
whats happened 10 him?" said We
the said we bcing a New York drUm
mer in the soap line, working up
Western Tennessee, and tho cspecia:
locality being the leading hotel" oi
Snickersville. town. like all Western
ones, '.risin'," and bound TO be the
lcadin' city Of the West.
TIE gentleman. Jim Skcggs, who
was the subject Of discussion, was
tall. pont-d sample Of humanity. in
cheap suit OF store clothes great
deal too small for him. and a stovcpipe
hat that had all the appearance of being
sat On every moment that IL was off the
wearers head
His hair. which was ample. was un.
rombed, and his beard untrimmed. ana
In fact his whole appearance betokened
recklessness Of personal looks that
spoke either OF crossed love or family
trouble.
'It's fammerly trouble. stranger. was
the reply to my question. ''Jim's met
with great cross in the last year, an
it's had its effect. He's lost his da'ter."
"Ahr' responded dead
NO. not zaekly dead. but jist as bad
Tope i-Fun away"
II did not take much urging TO get my
ncw-made friend to tell his story. oI
rather the story of Jim skeggs.
! ''iou see. stranger. bout year ago
! Jim was alvin bout whore he Is now
/ down 10 Squatts Hollow hut he had q
I daughter. an prettier piece of nat'ral
/ flesh an blood never MAS seed than that
same Debhy skeggs.
she was just pure pink an white, an
smart. too, for she'd been dedicated uT
10 Memphis at the expense Of the State,
an the consequence was that when she
come back ter Snickersyille she jisi
turned up her handsome nose al all the
feliers hereabonts an wouldn't look al
none Of EN-.
Il must say that Jim did all he could
to cure Debby OF this ofiishness by
totin' up 10 her every good-lookin
feller in town an out of il. but twan't NJ
use There was Dick STILES, that owned
team Of bays that could beat any thing
in tine county lie wanted TO marry
Debby, but she wouldn't hev him. And
thar was billy Green. that had n breed
OF the best coon-dogs in Tennessee. IL,
moseyed up 10 her, but he didn't do nj
good. She jist laughed at him, an the
women began 10 say that Debby was cu'
out for an old maid. sure, though sh'
was only eighteen.
wal. Just bout this time who should
turn up in Snickersville but a chap whs
give his name as Gray. Thomas Gray
an called himself an artist. which
means that he painted portraits an,
trees and rocks and stitch like things.
Now. how In mercy's name he eve
got acquainted with Debby Skeggs M
onr knows; but the fusi thing anybod,
did know Was that this painter chap wa
takin' of her head. an her rmother,s. too
down 20 Squatts Hollow. aud he'd I
been takin' of Iim's. too. mehbe. II jim
hadn't ~ kicked an ordered him outei
the housc. nm told D,bhy not ter speal
Go him hut Debby had a will Of he
own. an was purity high strung. an a
her mother backed her mp and said sh
didn'; -ec any thin outen the way in tn
young man. an he acted respectfully
an his attentions looked hon able. sh
didn't see no reason That the younl
folks shouldn't keep company, anyhow
But Jim sot his foot down. an sal,
he hadn't read the papers for nothin
an that painters. onless they had GOO
job of paintin' houses or barns. couldn'
arm liyin or sport wife: an more
that. Gray come-from New York, al
nothin' good ever came out Of New York
no time, an 80 he wouldn't hey tn
painter sneakin round. nohow.
But all Jim's sayin' didn't fix II
Them lovers did meet In spite of him
an what Was more. the painter felle
got ter paintin' Debby without he
settin' before him, an lettin' all tn
women in town see the pictures. but no
tho men.
.He used to call these pictures 'Th
Maid with the Milking Pail an 4
Wild Rose, an names like that, bu
they always had likeness OF Debby in
an, as the women declared. wonderfully
like her. too
"Then Jim took ter tryin' ter qnarre
with the young feller, but Gray wouldn'
quarrel worth a cent, an so Jim put u
Billy Green 10 insult the painter chaI
an Green got knocked down two or thre