The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-08-03

eyes OF his just ~ though he was looking
Tor someone whom he was mightily dis
APPOINTED In not findingf
But the riddle was solved one day ana
verybody came to know the secret OF
Flimsy Jim.
A dozen or SO of the hardest men from
the "up-country" dropped into Para
disc one day and proceeded to make
things warm for the town.
Bill Waller saw them heading for the
Rest.
keep yer nerve, Jim," he said In q
precautionary way; "here comes
mighty tough gang"
"Don't you borrow no trouble on my
account, Bill" said Jim with quiet
smile; " Paradise can't hold candle to
Anacondy fer fellers like themp
And then the up-sountry" gentry
filcd into the Rest.-as miserably vicious
q set OF men as one could find anywhere
In the section they hailed from. Life and
death sat lig htly in their villainous faces.
AS usual, the faded blue eyes OF Fiimsy
Jim took In the crowd with the old, anx-
ious stare. Aud when he drew liquor
for one Of the men, his hand failed him,
and the glass crashed to the floor.
AucTc was unlNcIsai yoii, uhu VIC inuu
whose glass Jim had dropped muttered an
path, drew his revolver and sent ball
crashing into Bill Walters elegant pier
glass, altogether too near Flimsy Jim's
mead for any kind Of comfort. The man
had white hair and whiskers and limp
in his left leg.
After the shot Jim turned deathly pale,
but he continued waiting on the others as
,hnu0h bod hannanad while
Waller observed that seven up-country
fellers could be genI'men II they tried, an
he hoped as how they'd try"
After several stout rounds of whiskey,
they adjourned to the card tables and
launched into two or three intensely
quarrelsome games OF poker.
Flimsy Jim did not once take his eyes
of the old man with white hair and beard,
and the limp in his left leg.
Suddenly there was desperate quarrel
at the particular table Jim was watching.
The quarrel was between the white haired
man and two others. The disputants
finally rose to their feet with drawn
weapons.
"Hold up there" cried Jim, spfinging
over the bar and placing himself in front
OF the old man; "two 10 one-that amt
right"
Flimsy Jim's reply was two bullets tha.
found Q mark in his meager frame and
laid him sprawling on the floor.
In an instant Bill Waller came from be-
hind his bar with Winchester.
Not novel" he cried. "I'll let day
light plumb through the first COW
puncher as draws his gun. mean it,"
There was deep silence, broken only
by the sharp "click" of trigger os
Waller cooked his rife and low groan
from Flimsy Jim.
With sullen murmur, the lawless elc-
ment acknowledged itself cowed into
submission, and stood back while the
white haired man reached down and lifted
the head OF Fhmsy Jim.
"Don't you know mel" asked Jim pain
fully.
"Know you, stranger?" said the old
man in his ha 'sh voice, drawing back to
look at him. Then, as il with a sudden
yleam OF recognition, he brushed the hair
back from Flimsy Jim's forehead.
"What, Jim? Good God, is this Jimf"
eyes, pop. thought I'D find We ar
I'm glad did. I've hunted most awful
long. You didn't know me when you
fred at me fer breakin' the glass, did
ye?'
"No, no, Jimi Course didn't. Rnise
up, boy, an look me in the face. Let me
lift ye. Tell me bout yer mother. You
ain't very bad hurt, air ye, Jim? Not
bad, is he fellersi Don't look at me that
way, Jim-merciful God, he's dyin'i No,
he ain't-he can't be. My own sonl"
There was lull in the Cowboys Rest.
No one spoke, but watched the old gray
headed wretch as he clutched the boy to
his heart. And they saw the head drop
back, and the faded blue eyes grow dim
and CLASSY, and then
The old man laid him down and limped
to the bar. "Gimme whiskey," he whis-
pered. After emptying two glassos in
quick succession, he looked once at his
dead boy, threw up his hands in hopeless
despair and vanished from the place
Detroit Free Press.