Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1901-02-04
THE OUTWITTING OF
SORROWFUL JIM.
Observation-Disclosures.

high. The fresh, bracing air seemed to
pcrmeate 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 beatitic
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 Allyn had
been nicknamed by the camp Sorrow
full Jim, and to see him boyishly eXu-
berant and in gay humor was an I'M
heard Of thing until the last day or so.
Allyn had once made the mistake of
considering life very serious matter
indeed, and then, after trying for
year to practice law and not getting
any one to practice upon he had given
it up in disgust and migrated to the
home Of opportunity in hope of getting
rich.
During his idle hours Allyn had fall
en- in love- and he took that very seri-
ously also. 1t went hard with him, for
he had nothing on earth except few
bonds an old aunt had left him. and
the revenue from them did not amount
! to $500 year. At the rate his prac-
tice was not increasing Methuselah
would have been youngster compared
with Allyn if he waited for the revenue
from his profession to enable him to
marry.
"Jim," she said, you are acting very
foolishly. What does it matter if you
haven't any money? don't want mon
cy. I've got enough. or will have when
| am "a, when | get control of it. That
would keep us very nicely and would
hold us up until you could establish a
paying practice. Now don't be silly
nelly" he said solemnly. II cannot
afford to marry now. People would
say that l married you for you money,
and l don't intend to put myself in
position where such n motive could
be imputed to me-. 1t would be unjust
to me and to you"
"Well, Jim," and there were tears in
her voice, 81 don't think you are act
ing fairly toward me. Here | am an
orphan, with nobody on the earth to
love except an old guardian, and l
dnspise 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 lifetime to
accumulate. Why, by that time III
have wrinkles and maybe false teeth
and glasses and be horrid, snuffy.
fIssy old woman."
mo, Nell, don't want to make $780,
600. If had 100000 it would be all
right. And it will not take long. Out
west will make it quickly. Just you
stand fast and wait for me-"
"Oh, I'll wait, but l think you are
hateful and pigheaded just the same.
Would you marry ME if hadn't any
money at allT
ives. gladly, and we would be happy
too. You would manage somehow. But
now my self respect will not allow
me-"
So it was that he went to make his
fortune and at the same time peace
with his upd'lly active conscience. 10
his utter disgust he found, after a
years prospecting, that gold mines
were not at all plentiful, and that
every foot of the mountains had been
prospected over time and again. A
year in Mexico assured him that the
business of finding silver mines lying
around loose had also played out long
ago, and that it took lots Of capital to
start ranching on paying basis
Funds were getting low, so he secured
place as one of the herdsmen of the
MN outfit and on account of his
grave demcanor was promptly named
by the other cowpunchers SorrOwful
Jim. And the name stuck to him.
During all his wanderngs he had
written to Nell as regularly as possible
and had begun to regret in measure
his Puritanical conscience. At $40 q
month and grub he did not see that q
fortune was in Immediate prospect
Absence had indeed made his heart
grow fonder, and he longed for sight
of Nell's laughing eyes and dimpled
face.
Yet he would not acknowledge him
self beaten or that he would give in
Much against his inclination he re-
manned consumed with desire to see
her, yet impelled to remain in still
necked pride, acting as avant courier
and escort for lot of wild eyed. lone
horned steers, all the while cursina
himself for fool. So he and the rest
of the outfit did not have very much ir
common together, and he grew more
and more unsociable and lonely.
Small wonder was it, then. that wher
he received a letter from her he fell
that his voluntary exile was broken
His penance was done, and be was free
20 return to civilization and Nelly.
"You come on, Jim, DEAR" the letter
said-"that is. of course, if you care t.
take an almost dowerless bride. have
now only enough left to bring me II
$500 a year-eXactly what you had.
do not own another thing on earth.
had concluded that the money withou
you is not worth having, and as long
as you are so stubborn about it I saw
that l must give in, so have done 81
gladly. have got to be "a, rs 70,
know, and have absolute control ovel