Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1891-10-29

I Big Jim he took squint at the outfit,
then he tore loose an swore fit to set
woods afire. Then he got his pistols, an
when somebody axed what he was goin
/ 10 do, he said:
I'm goin' over thar an wipe that
derned settler out I'm goin' to shoot
him so full o lead that he'll weigh ton.
I'll break up this squatter business right
/ on the start
Il knowed Big Jim meant what he
'aid an / felt kind o sorry for the settler
out / didn't say nothin'. Me and the
'ther boys jest set down and watched
/ linn as he strided cross the prairie, an
waited to see what was goin' to happen.
When Jim got up sorter close to the
I wagon we see him draw his gun an git
'eady to shoot. then we see him edge up
a little closer kinder keerful like, then all
to once we see him stop an wait like he
was hstenin' at somethin'.
wal, l reckon most half hour must
passed that way, an we got to wonder.
IN what made Jim stan there actin like
that, when all to once he whirled round
an come back TO us lookin' the soberest
aA CNCA sec q lcIlcI lOOh VI
all my life. BY gosh, stranger, you msy
lot believe it, but I'd a most swear the,
vas tears in old Jim's eyes, an knew
Vhen he spoke to us his voice was ell
.remble like his feelin's was too much 81
nim.
1T was good bit before Jim said
word, an all the time he jest set lh,r IN
inverted bucket nussin' his head ln las
nands, an actin like he waa diea f a
:ut up. We stood round an loo,ei at
nim, a wonderin' what it meant bu:
after while ventured TO speaB u tlnl
ssyin':
"'What's ailin' you, Jimp
"Then he raised his head sorter sic y
like an in tone SO sad and dldcIs,t
from what his allus was that dijnt
recognize it, he said
Boys, I'm jis' completely upso, by
what l heard over thar, an I feel so
blame sneakin' mean that I've great
notion to shoot myself. never knowed
before how cussed onery am.
Course we was all s'prised at that sort
o. talk from Jim, cause he was so blamed
tough we didn't s'pose nothin' 'ud tech his
heart, an we was anxious to know what
he'd heard over to the wagon, an so we
Rxed him.
"'Wal,' he said, 4 went over thar 10
shoot that settler, an / was slippin' up to
the wagon to git the drap on him, when
all at once l heard voice-the meekest.
pitifulest little voice ever hear in my
life, an knowed in minute it was the
voice of leetle GAL
"Jim's voice choked up so he couldn''
say nothin' more, so he waited a mo
| ment, an then he went on:
! "'Fellers,' he said, that voice Jest went
| through me like knife, an never felt
SO quare since / was born. 1t was sc
weak, an so pitiful, an SO helpless like
heard it say:
is the land pretty, pa? Is it greer
with grass like the old home back east
"'Yes, it is very beautiful, darling, a
man replied like he was cryin'. It's
very pretty, an you will find the green
| prairie almost as nice as the big meadow
/ oack at the old home. When you get
/ well you can romp over the plain and
/ gather flowers and be very happy"
! az amt never goin' to be well any
/ more, pa the little voice said. and
/ won't never gather no flowers nor romp
over the prarie; but Pm glad it's pretty,
cause when Pm in Heaven where the
angels are, an where everything is so
beautiful and bright, l want to know
hat you an ma have a nice home like
! The old one we lost. ] won't be with you
very long now, pa, cause can hear the
angels singin', an know they're comm
20 take me away. Don't cry, dear pa an
una, cause l amt sorry to go-only
don't like to leave you. I'm so glad
you're goin' to have beautiful home
/ where the grass an the flowers grow; an
sometimes. maybe, I'll come back to see
/ you.'
| wal, big jim, he told over all what
the leetle gal said, an never see any.
oody what talked so gentle an kind as
he did.
Fellows he said in conclusion, L
never felt so awful as / did while was
Itandin' there listenin' to them words O.
1 that child. Feared like every one of 'em
/ cas- knife, an that she was stabbin'
EN- into my cussed, wicked heart; an
though they hurt terrible l wanted 'em
TO stab deeper, cause knowed de-
served it. Thar was sneakin' up thar
like low down onery thief, intendin' to
shoot that feller fer tryin' to git home,
while he was in thar nussin' his dyin' child
an her a talkin' bout the grass an the
I dowers, an the old home back east. an
the angels an Heaven. Boys, I'd been
glad if streak O. lightnin had struck
me right then an thar
Wal, sir, we never heard nothin' more
bout keepin' settlers off en- the valley, an
we never tried to hold none of it 'cept
what the law titled us to hold. Big Jim
an all the rest of us helped the settlers
ever way we could, and when the angels
came fer his leetle gal an took her spirit
away we made grave on the prairie an
buried her whar the grass growed and
whar Big Jim planted a tree an some
flowers. never see old Jim cry before,
stranger, but he shed tears over that
grave like the leetle gal was his own, and
from that day he was a different man,
an as kindsan' gentle as a woman. -
/ Thomas p Montfort.
National Event.
EEThe holding of the Worlds Fair in q