Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-04-25
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.
THE OUTWITTING OF
sORROWFUL JIM,

/ THE OUTWITTING OF i
! SORROWFUL JIM. !;
1:
Allyn rode across the prairie Joyous
ly and looked longingly toward the
east, where the sun was scarce an hour
high. The fresh, bracng air seemed to
permeate every fiber of his being, and
he drew In great breaths of it, fcelir !,
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 bcati1ic
state for two whole days. T,Are 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 a gay humor was an un-
heard of thing until the last day or so.
Allyn had once made the mistake of
considering life a very serious matter
indeed, and then. after trying for a
year to practice law and not getting
any one to practice upon he had given
1t 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 OH 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 IL 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 MS 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 married you for you money,
and don't intend to put myself In
position where such a motive could
be imputed to me. 1t would be unjust
to me and to you"
"Well Jim," and there were tears in
her voice, II 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 1
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 it took my father a lifetime to
accumulate. Why. by that time I'll
have wrinkles and maybe false teeth
and glasses and be a horrid, snutfy.
fussy old woman"
NO, 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 think you are
hateful and pighcaded just the same.
Would you marry me IL l hadn't any
money at all?"
Yes, gladly, and we would be happy
too You would manage somehow. But
now my self respect will not allow
me-"
So 1t was that he went to make his
fortune and 3t the same time pence
with his uDduly active conscience. To
his utter disgust he found, after n
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 living
around loose had also played out long
ago, and that it took lots of capital to
start ranching OH Il paying basis.
FUNDS were getting low, so he secured
a place as one of the herdsmen of the
ANN outfit and on account of his
grave demeanor was promptly named
by the other cowpunchers Sorrowful
Jim. And the name stuck to him.
During all his wanderings 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 a
fortune was In immediate prospect.
Absence had indeed made his heart
grow fonder, and he longed for sight
Of Nells laughing eyes and dimplcd
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 stiH
necked pride. acting as avant courier
and escort for n lot of wild eyed, long
horned steers, all the while cursing
himself for fool. So he and the rest
Of the outfit did not have very much in
common together, and he grew more
and more unsociable and lonely.
Small wonder was 1t, then, that when
he received a letter from her he felt
that his voluntary exile was broken.
His penance was done, and he was free
to return to civilization and Nelly.
You come on, Jim, DEAR" the letter
said-"that is, Of course, If you care to
take an almost dowerless bride. have
now only enough left to bring me in
$500 a year-exactly what you had. |
do not own another thing on earth.
had concluded that the money without
you Is not worth having, and as long
rs you are so stubborn about it saw
that must give in, so have done SO
nj 1yy