Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1894-07-05
CRAZY jim.
The Story Of How His Life Was
Ruined.

In the gathering twilight at the clo,<
Of q winter afternoon IN old man Wa
stumbling along rough country road,
The sky was somber and the Landscape
bleak. Cheerlessness pervaded the en-
tire scene The environment Of thu
man was singularly in harmony with
his forlorn appearance and misfor
tunea Like the trees that had been
deprived Of their summer foliage and
waved bare, gauut branches over his
head, he had lost what Is beautiful and
joyful in life.
The air was bitterly cold, aud the
aged traveller shivered In his insufficient
clothing. From head to foot his aspect
was that Of . tramp. His .inisshapeu
old soft hat with holes In Ito crown, the
dirty comforter around his neck, thu
tattered suit Of clothsA his great,
coarse shoes broken open At the sides,
all bore testimony to the poverty and
neglect which he endured. But hi
bent figure, his dull, sad face, wrinkled
and peaked. showing the effech Of .
continual struggle with discomforts,
contributed far more 70 his pathetic
appearance than did his bad apparel
lie carried In his hand rough and
heavy stick, which he used a. cane,
and now and then he thumped II
against the ground with an energy
surprising In one who looked so feeble.
Ills eyes, never wandering to the right
nor to the left, werc bent steadfastly
downward. The mind Of the angular
being was absorbed with troubled
thoughts; he muttered continually and
quite loudly, and occasionally shook
his head like one who was filled with
pcrplexity.
At a turn In the road few rods
ahead Of him two boys came In sight
aud gazed Of him curlously. One Of
the boys had recently arrived from the
city to visit his grandmother who
lived in the neighborhood. lie regard.
ed the approaching codger with some
alarm, but his companion quickly reas.
sured him.
ut Is only Crazy jim," said Robert
Mallory, HE looks savage, but he
would not hurm q mouse"
II nm glad to hear you say he ID
harmless, for was afraid he might at
tack us with that big stick" answered
Thomas Berkins.
"TIc does not look at any person OF
talk to anyone unless he Is first spoken
to-" said Robert.
whats the matter with him."
"lle Is love cracked, they say 1t Ii
the usual story which We hear about
these old hermits who bury themselves
In woods and caves. 1t Is related thai
when he was young man he was I'M
commonly smart and handsome III
dressed well, indeed, was almost
dude, although TO look at him now one
can scarcely believe It Ills folks wsrs
respectable, but not wealthy. lie fell
In love with the daughter Of o million
aire, and she was Just as much In love
% he was; but her cruel father sep
arated them, and few years later she
married somebody else Jim became
melancholy and partially lost his wits
After his parents died he wandcret
away from home, and has had no ont
To care for him since. For twent,
years he has lived In = hovcl In th'
midst Of forest about a mile from
here"
Robert ceased talking Us Jim wa
about to pass the boys
Hello, JIM" cried the country lad.
"Ilowdy do, answered Jim, absently'
"Where's your mind, old man2"
"Its with hcr. Oh, cannot find
her, | cannot find herl Win not ths
good Lord ever lot me sec her face
again?"
There was a pathos In the trembling
tones which prevented the boys from
disturbing jim with further questions
A few days later the two friends Wis
tied the hermits abode. lie was moi
there, but tho door was open and they
walked In. II did not tnke long to sat
isfy their curiosity The hut howell,
it can DO called, had no floor, and on
tho ground were scattered the wretch
ed belongings, consisting OF small
rusty stove In ons cor-er, lew cock
Ing utensils, an AK, piles OF wood, d.
lapldated wearing apparel, and mlsccl-
laneous articles Of small value. Slung
from two big hooks was Vie hammock
In which tho hermit slept The dirt
and disorder disguised the boys, and
they were about to leave when Thomas
saw on the only shelf in the ono apart
ment small Bible which had evident
ly been placed there with care. He
opened the book and read on an un-
printed page next TO the title page
these words: flames A. synlngton.
From bis friend Mabel t. Conroy."
Thomas turned pale and stared at the
words, reading them several times On
II he were spell-bound. lie put the
book back on the shelf and controlling
with difficulty the intense excitement
under which he labored, Joined his
Tho two walked into the
open air, and soon were beyond the
borders Of the forest
Thomas went TO the homo Of his
grandmother, Mrs Harrington, which
was large and handsome house about
three miles distant from the abode OF
crazy Jim. Mrs, Harrington was a
aged sixty-hve years She had
not lived happily with her husband,
md after his death had retired TO the
country residence just mentioned, there
10 spend, far from the city friends with
whom she had been long intimate, the
remainder of u disappointed life. She
possessed u striking countenancc, bor-
iered with snow-white hair, and In her
youth must have been very handsome.
But her severe trials, aided by the In
roads Of age, had caused her face TO as
sumo a stern and wrlnkled aspect The
habltual expression In her eyes was
serious aud melancholy. As might be
expected, her temper had not been i'm
proved by her unpleasant experiences
i