Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1900-10-25

a
n ously, and looked longingly to-
ward the east, where the sun was
scarce an hour high. The fresh, brac-
ing air seemed to permeate every fiber
of his being, and he drew in great
breaths of it, feeling wild sort of
pleasure in the mere fact of being
alive.
For once in three years he was hap
py-and he had been in that beatifc
state for two whole days. The rest of
the cowboys Of the outfit did not
know what to make of 1t. Cayuse Ike
swore he had been "locoed." For AL
lyn had been nicknamed by the camp
"Sorrowful JIM" and to see him boy
ishly exuberant and in a gay humor
was an unheard-of thing-until the
last day or so.
Allyn had once made the mistake OF
considering life very serious matter,
indeed. And when, after trying for a
year to practice law, and not getting
anyone to practice upon, he had given
it up in disgust, and migrated to the
home of opportunity in hope of get
ting rich. But there was another rea-
soma woman.
During his idle hours Allyn had fall
en- in love. And he took that very Sc
riously also. 1t went hard with him,
for he had nothing on earth except a
few bonds an old aunt had left him,
and the revenue from them did not
amount to three hundred year. AT
the rate his practice was not increas-
ing. Methuselah would have been a
youngster compared with Allyn, if he
waited for the revenue from his pro-
fession to enable him to marry.
Nelly, however. looked at the mat
ter in a very common sense light.
Common sense was her strong point,
until she met him. Then it deserted
her, and an unreasoning love for him
took its place. Still, even then, she
had more of it left than he had to
start with.
Jim" she said, you are acting
very foolishly. What does it matter
if you haven't any money? l don't
want money-I've got enough, or will
have when l am "a, when l get control
of it. The income from two hundred
thousand would keep US very nicely,
and would hold us up until yoa could
establish a paying practice. Now
don't be silly"
Nelly" he replied, solemnly, II
cannot afford to marry you now. Peo-
pie would say that l married you for
YOUR moncy-and 1 don't intend to
put myself in position where such
motive could be imputed to me. 1t
would be unjust to me, and to you"
"WeI, JIM" and there were tears
in her voice, 81 don't think you are
acting fairly toward me. Here 1 am,
m orphan, with nobody on the earth
10 love except an old guardian-and l
5espise him. You've made me love
you so that life without you will be
worse than no life at all-and now
YOU say you cannot marry me until
you make what it took my father a
lifetime to accumulate. Why, by that
time, I'll have wrinkles, and, maybe,
false teeth and glasses, and be hor-
rid. snuffy, fussy old woman"
"No, Nell, don't want to make 20o,-
DOO-if had 100000 it would be all
right. And it will not take long-out
west will make 1t quickly. Just you
ltand fast, and wait for me-"
"Oh, I'll wait, but think you are
hateful and pig-headed, just the same
Would you marry me If didn't have
any money at ALP
Eyes. gladly, and we would be happy
too. We would manage, somehow. Bu
now, my self-respect will not allow m
to-"
So it was that he went to make hi
fortune, and at the same time, peac
with his unduly active conscience. 1
his utter disgust, he found, after
years prospecting, that gold mine
were not at all plentiful, and that ever
: foot of the mountains had been pros
pected over time and again. A year i
Mexico assured him that the business
finding silver mines lying around loos
had also played out, and that 1t too
lots of capital to start ranching on
paying basis. Funds were getting low
so he secured a place as one of the herd
men of the xxx outfit and on a.
count of his grave demeanor, w'
, promptly named by the other co
punchers "Sorrowful JIM" and tt
name stuck to him.
: During all his wanderings, he ha
written to Nellie as regularly as 20
- sible, and had begun to regret In
. measure his puritanical conscience.
= $40 a month and grub he did not 81
that fortune was in immediate pro
pect. Absence had indeed made h
! heart grow fonder, and he longed for
!. sight of Nelly's laughing eyes an