Saint Mary's beacon., 1899-10-19

~@ ~%-~@ - k&Sse4 &8S<of mas =
my advice to fools that will get
marri2d. The girl got lonesome, /
suppose. being alone all dsy and
having no friends here; 90 she made
friends Of her own. Before Jim's
eyes we're opened she'd got in with
. fast crowd and was going it high.
Old Jim is just the sort Of Q fool
Who would have gone on the same
as ever and kept whist about it ;
bat she wouldn't have him. She
wanted livelier company, and she
left him.
"A shame" muttered the lad,
with some feeling.
q don't know. But that's the
story. Not much that's new about
it, you see. But it just fnished
Jim.'
Il see, see. That's why life is
all pi to him.
ooh, that's more of his blamed
foolishness. The woman don't live
who could make me care . RED cent
whether she went or stayed And
the foreman shrugged his shoulders.
what became of the woman p
"0h, she's right in town here. /
believe-shame!ess huzzy! She
wears finer clothes than Jim could
afford her and has gayer friends, /
reckon. / believe it would give
Jim untold satisfaction-it's his
only grip on life, in fact-if he
could see her downfall before he
cashes up his final string
He must hate her. said the
youngster, with a shudder.
Hate her That isn't the name
for it, ! reckon. He's just living
for chance to get back at her in
part payment Of the score he has
against her.
But il Jim was hoping to tri-
umph at the undoing of the crea-
ture who had wrecked his life, it
became evident to the thoughtful
men in the Office that the triumph
must come quickly. Jim's cough
grew more hollow, his step more
feeble, and the flush on either SAL
low cheek burned more brightly.
But he seldom missed days work.
He chung to his case with q fever
ish desire to be doing, doing, do
ing-to find surcease from thought,
perhaps, in busying his brain aud
fingers with the types. There was
no way to keep him out of the Of
flee but to discharge him, and the
foreman couldn't do that.
Jim lived at q cheap lodging
house, and eat at q still cheaper
restaurant. He appeared to have
no use for money, and along with
his cynicism be gained most un-
enviable reputation for stinginess.
'The boys couldn't see why 9 man
with nobody dependent upon him
should never put on a SUBJ
Through all kinds of weather Jim
plodded to and fro. The wintry
blasts did not seem to have so i'll
an effect upon him; but when the
spring came, he broke down sud-
denly. He had no vitality with
which to withstand the change, and
tottered feebly back and forth to
work. Often at noon he would 60
no farther than the doorway of the
newspaper building and sit there in
the sun rather than put forth the
effort to 90 to dinner.
At noon q crowd of idlers watch
ed from across the street the rails
ing of huge safe to sn upper win
dow of the building. With the
reckless unconcern of Americans,
there was an almost continuous
stream of pedestrians beneath the
bulky package in it's jute covering.
The blocks creaked, the ropes
strained, and the men tagged st
the cranks, while the thing slowly
rose in the air.
Suddenly there was O sharp cry
from some observing individual
in the crowd. Look there = and
q hoarse murmur arose from tie
spectators. The main cable hold
ing the safe had begun to strand !
And yet only few had seen the
danger. People threaded their
way unconsciouslessly over the coils
of rope and other debris on the
sidewalk beneath the menacing
mass of iron. A woman was COM
ing down the street-a woman
whose dress and manner attracted
the attention OF every lounger.
She picked her way over the