Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1892-03-10

| had fallen in and succeeded in pulling
| him out, more dead than alive.
The little fellow was soon around
| again, however, and from that day
River jim" at least had one staunch
friend in Willie Franklin. In fact,
there seemed strange friendship
growing up between the uncouth, un-
lettered man and the little boy, and
almost any fine day one could see
Willie running around on the logs try
| ing to assist Jim in his work, and Jim
would say:
II tell ye what, Billy, I'll make er
great log driver out O. ye yit, if yell
| jist tend to yer knittin'.''
Say, Jim. do get around over the
| logs pretty handy, don't I?''
'River jim" never seemed to have
| any am bition higher than to he known
| as the most fearless driver on the
river, and he really had an idea that he
might have promising pupil in Willie
Franklin.
One day when Jim and the little fell
| low were together on the drive Willie
| said:
Say, Jim, it's pay day tomorrow,
amt it?"
"Guess it's, Billy. What's Their mat
ter now? Do we want me ter git ye
some new hummerdiddle?"
| "Oh. no, Jim; I wasn't thinking of
that. But 1 heard ma and Jennie
talking this morning about 1T, and
Jennie said she wished you wouldn't
get drunk every pay day and spend all
your money, and ma said she didn't
like to have me with you when you
acted So"
"Now, say. Billy, did yer ma and
sister say thet?"
Honest, they did, Jim, and ma she
said she had notion to speak to you
about it two or three times, but she
| was afraid you'd think it was none OF
her business, and-say, Jim, I wish
you wouldn't, either, cause it makes
me mad to hear the boys make fun OF
you and call you nothing but an old
bum.'
! Jim didn't answer the boy, and all
the rest of the day he was unusually
quiet
The next day when he received his
wages and went quietly to the hotel
there was at least one person in town
who was not surprised, although that
| person was only small boy.
When Jim reached the hotel he told
Willie that he wanted to see his
mother. The boy went to find her,
wondering what Jim could want He
| soon returned acco mpanied by Mrs.
Franklin.
Ibid you wish to see me, Jim?" in
| CURED the lady, as she came into the
office.
Jim, who was standing at the win
dow looking out over the river, turned
around, and awkwardly drawing some
thing from his pocket he held it to-
ward Mrs Franklin, at the same time
stammering out:
''Mrs. Franklin, w-wouid ye mind
takin' this and kaepin' it f-fer me?"
"Why, jim said the lady as she
saw it was small roll of money, ''do
you really want me to keep this for
you? What's the matter?''
"Well wye see," stammered Jim, "B-
Billy, the little cuss-h-he don't want
me t-tor go an git drunk every pay
day, and IL thought mebbe y-you'd
| jist as lief k-&eep io fer NINE, an then
,, couldn't have anythin' to make a
fool of myself with. S-say. yell dc
it, w-won't yep
! With these words he thrust the
money into her hand and rushed
from the room, across the street and
was soon seen at work among his IA
vorite COMPREHENSIVE logs.
For the remainder of the season,
every pay day Jim would punctually
| go to Mrs Franklin and after she had
| deducted his board bill he would ask
her to keep the balance for him, sc
that when the mills had finally finished
the seasons cut of logs Jim had quite
a snug little sum of money in the hands
of his banker.
One night, a short time after ma
jority of the mills had closed for the
season, the inhabitants of the towr
were startled by the shrill blowing Of
half dozen whistles at different mills