The Afro-American advance., 1900-10-13

A LLYN rode across the prairie joy
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 a 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 beatiic
state for two whole days. The rest of
the cowboys of the outfit did not
know what to make of it. 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
1t 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
rioutly also. 1t went hard with him,
for lie had nothing on earth except a
few bonds an old aunt had left him,
and ihe revenue from them did not
amount to three hundred year. At
the rate his practice was not increas-
ing, Methuselah would have been a
youhgster compared with Allyn. il 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 il deserted
her, and an unreasoning love for him
took it's place. Still, even then. she
had more of IL left than he had to
start with.
"Jim," she said, 'you are acting
very foolishly. What does it matter
IL you haven't any money? ! don't
want money-I've got enough, or will
have when am "a, when / get control
of 1t. The income from two hundred
thousand would keep us very nicely.
and would hold us up until you could
establish paying practice. Now
don't be silly"
Nelly" he replied. solemnly, 81
cannot afford to marry you now. Peo-
pie would say that l married you for
your moncy-and l don't intend TO
put myself in a position where such
a motive could be imputed 10 me. II
would be unjust TO me. and to YOU"
well, Jim." and there were tears
in her voice. 81 don't think you are
acting fairly toward me. Here l am,
an orphan, with nobody on the earth
to love except an old guardian-and
despise 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 IL took my father a
lifetime to accumulate. Why, by that
time, I'll have wrinkles, and, maybe,
false teeth and glasses. and be a hor-
rid. snuffy. fussy old woman"
NO, Nell, don't want TO make 200.
e0O-if / had 1000 IL would be all
right. And IL viii not take long-out
SeSt / will make 1t quickly. Just you
stand fast, and wait for me-"
soh. I'll wait. but think you are
hateful and pig-headed. just the same.
Would you marry me II / dida'i aase
any money az all2"
Yes. gladly. and we would be happy.
TOO. We would manage. somehow. But
Row, my self-reSpect win not allow me
TO-"
20 II vas that he went to make his
fortune. and at the same time. peses
vita his July active eonscience. To
aus utter disgust. be found. after
ysaFs prospecting. that gold mines
Msrs hct AZ al p.enfifal. and that every
i"oi Of the mountains had been pros
p.etec over time and sgain. A year En
Aexico assured him that the business Of
Anesng silver mineE lying around locse
saa also played cut, and that ia took
.os OF capital 10 start ranehsnx on q
Fglng bsais. Funds ware getting low,