Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-07-16

boyhood's days, and the golden haired dar-
ling with curls that used to sit across the
aisle from him in school. Next morning
Jim got up earlier than usual, because he
was going back to the cabin and ordered a
big breakfast of everything there was, be-
cause he kind of hated to settle down again
to his own cooking and after he was about
half way through, here comes Minnie
promenading along into that dining room
like a mulley COW into a cornfield, and the
waiter brings her along and sets her down
square in front of Jim, and on the other
side of the same table, and Jim never said
q word, only kind of sized her up and
went on eating his breakfast and thinking
to himself probably hat he was glad that
"Minnie' wasn't that sort and wondering
what kind of a man would get her for a
husband. And she didn't know him either,
because some of the women in the hotel
who were on to the game had told her that
Mr.. Reed hadn't come in from the mine
yet, and she had said the same yarn about
being schoolmates, and so on, so they must
| have fixed it up between them to tell to
| the folks.
Minnie didn't seem to be hungry like
| Jim was, SO she got through almost as
soon as he did, and when she came out in
to the office the clerk called to Jim, and
when be came up the clerk says: "Miss
Watson, permit me to introduce Mr..
| Reed" For a minute Jim didn't seem to
catch on at all, but when he did he never
staggered a bit, nor let on that 1t wasn't
exactly what he had been expecting.
But when they were alone in a little
,,,rIov 1i,,, oorc SkVnI15uo Iac1ivo1 mo ~
CLOVIS that, says she.
"The photograph you sent me wasn't
yours" says Jim.
"And the photograph you sent me wasn't
yours" says she, and no more it was, be-
cause when they first began writing letters
Jim didn't know that it would ever
amount to anything, and as he was living
SO far away from town that it wasn't cor
venient to have his picture taken, he sent
along one of a good looking fellow who
was a cowboy down Rocky Ford way.
"Now, see here" says Jim, II can't
marry you, that's sure. But I'll tell you
what I will do. I'll pay your expenses,
and I'll give you $50 besides if you'll go
back to North Carolina"
"Jim Reed" says the woman, and her
eyes began to shine like you've seen the
fire creeping up through a lump of Ignite,
"Jim Reed" says she, "for l reckon that's
your name, according to what these folks
out here told me, / { didn't come out yere
for no $50. Maybe I amt no fine lady,
and maybe l amt nc orange blossom for
beauty, but / am an honest, hardworking
ing girl that hasn't got anything to be
ashamed of unless it Is this yere fool trick
that I'm playing now. I've done said
goodby to all the friends I've got in the
world, I've done spent all the money I've
earned by hard work a-1ixin up for this
yere trip, I've done pawned my trunk to
the railroad company to get me to this
place, I done come all the way out to Col
orado for love of a man l never seen, to
marry you and be a good wife to you, and
fore the Lord, MI. Reed, I'ze g'wine to
do i'll"
And she did.
The ceremony was performed by the
minister in the hotel parlor. Jim paid his
last $40 bill to get the BRIDES trunk from
the grasp Of the unfeeling corporation, and
the newly married pair started for the
cabin at the coal mine.
There isn't much more to tell, except
that she did make Jim q good wife. There
wasn't a better kept or more comfortable
cabin on the creek than Jim's, and there
wasn't a warmer heart or a more generous
hand in all the county than Mrs. Jim's.
For everybody that came along that road,
from the minister down to a Mexican
tramp, there were a kind word and a square
meal. After awhile Jim was made post
master, and Mrs. Jim says the postmaster
general in Washington sent Jim a letter
thanking him for being such a II good post
master and saying that the government
would hardly know how to get along
without him, but the postmaster up at
Trinidad says that was only a circular that
wa sent to all the postlnasters. Jim lev
er did quite get over his shock at the hotel.
He did get SO he was pretty well satisfied
with the postage stamp girl, but he never
was real proud Of her, but she was Of him,
and If she ever saw anything wrong in the
way he acted toward her she never let on
to anybody, and when the dispute about
the coal claim was settled and Jim moved
away everybody around cared a good deal
less about seeing him go, for all he was
popular, than for losing Mrs. Jim.