The Monmouth inquirer., 1893-02-16

forgive me, Jim,N said his sister softly.
II didn't know about this. Tell me about
Whistling Billyg"
Jim leaned back in his chair and closed
his eyes and commenced the broken dis
jointed narrative in tone almost trernu-
lous:
Il knowed him in Arizony We drifted
around the country good deal together;
we slept in a shack in the mountings, and
on blankets on the prairies, and on the
sands in the desert. never asked him his
name, and he never asked me mine. was
Captain Jim and he was Whistling Bill
IL. And the way he could whistle On
some of them lonesome nights, when thar
was only coyotes around US, and the stars
was shining, and was homesick, he would
whistle Annie Laurie which dad used to
whistle Mt home, and would throw my
arms about that boy and kiss him, it
worked on me so. And he told me stories,
Nellie; stories that made him break down,
and then I broke down. We roughed it
together many month--did Billy and |. !"
The captain drew his hand over his damp
forehead and continued, his eyes still closed:
ssOne might've was in Arizony-Billy
and me was camped by a little hollow, and
thar was sand all around us, and the
Apaches were near, we knew, but we didn't
expect danger We was already to go to
sleep, we had slung a hair lariat in a circle
around us to keep the snakes away, and
Billy told me about a sweetheart of his in
the east--a gal, he said, was just ike an
angel-and he said when he made his pile
he was going back to marry her. We
couldn't sleep, somehow; the tarnal skee-
ters bit so thar was no rest. And the moon
come up, Nellie, as bright as silver. Ye
never see moonlight till ye're in the des-
ert, whar it glitrers on the sand. And
Billy says, says he, 'Seein as we can't sleep
I'm going to paint YOU pictpre.' He was
q curious chap about that; he always
lugged around some paper and two or
three bricks of color. And I'll never for
get him as he sat thar in the white moon
light laughing and painting. He handed
me the picture you see. Says he: Captain
Jim, what's the use of the whites butcher
ing the reds, and the reds scalping the
whites? Some day thar'll be peace, and
the nations will shake hands,
''The words were scarcely spoken, Nell,
when pingl went rifle. and Billy rolled
over dead, the blood streaking down his
face that was smiling still. And tie
bullets ratified around me, but | didn't
mind. only knowed my pard was dead.
buried him in The sand thar
Captain Jim's voice failed him. He arose
and walked across the room to and fro. ane
his sister sat crying.
Il avenged him. Oh, Whistling Billy
wasn't buried alone Thar's graves all
around his if the coyotes haven't emptied
them"
And Captain Jim sat down again, and
held the picture before his eyes and grew
calmer.
Nellie" he said in little while
didn't you say this was the day lovers
sent pictures to their sweethearts?"
''Yes, Jim: why:"
81 don't want TO keep this picture any
more; can't stand it, ye see, to look at it.
So am going to send it to Ella, and some
day ye can tell her its history"
but, Jim, that isn't the kind of a pic
ture to send to = young lady on Valentine
Day. 1t doesn't express the right senti-
r,ent"--
1T does, too; it expresses the sentiment
that the best feller on earth painted it just
before he died. And I'm going to send it
to her right now"
There was no arguing with Captain Jim.
He rolled the picture up aud addressed it
and then called in a neighbours boy, and
with the generosity which had made him
an object of veneration to the young of
the town gave him dollar to carry it to
the residence of Miss Fansler
''If she asks ye any questions, kid, tell
her it's a valentine from Captain Jim, and
my sister'll explain it.
When the boy had vanished Mrs. Evans
explained to her brother that it was against
all precedent to let lady know from whom
her valentine came. but Jim couldn't see
the logic of the proposition
s'Of course,s he said, she'll want to
know who it came from; it's only nat'ral
And now, Nellie, I'm going to take long
walk and try to forget my pard Billy and
think about what's to be done.'
Then the great, gnarled and rugged cap
tain left the hotel and roamed into the
desolate country by the river and strobe
on, hour after hour The short winter day
was deepening into dusk when he returned;
he was tired, and he slept well that night
and awoke in the rnSscing almost happy
il the prospect of goipr haN- - -