The Grit-advocate., 1902-12-26
The Story of =
"OId Jimmy Z
II xFFfTEEEETEEH = EH


His name was Herbert jameson He
~as in the prime of life as far as
years are reckoned-certainly not
more than thirty-five-but we, his
colleagues, always spoke of him as
odd Jimmy" This was partly
from the feeling of affection
we all had for him, and partly be-
cause, in spite of his few years. he
really looked much older He walked
with stoop, and his face, except on,
the rare occasions, when it was lighted
up with smile, looked so furrowed
a and careworn that it was easy to see
that at some time or other the black
OK OF trouble had trodden down heav-
lily upon his foot. Yet Old Jimmy was
Kindness itself, and as gentle in all
his ways as woman. When his face
did break into smile it did one good
to behold 1t, and one instinctively felt
when looking into those frank blue
eyes-"Here is a man, a gentleman,
honest and true as steel" Everybody
had good word for Old Jimmy
He had been scholar of Balliol,
and had taken a First in Mods and
Greats; therefore. as might have been
expected, his work lay chiefly with
the Upper Sixth. Yet it was in the
company of the younger boys that he
most delighted. They simply adored
him.
In his younger days he must have
been a very handsome man; in fact,
he was SO still, in spite of the deep
burrows on his face.
One popularity he had, and that
was his great liking for the crimson
flowers commonly known as French
currant blossoms. l never saw him
wear any other flower, but every
morning through the spring and early
summer he was sure to appear with
spray Of French currant in his but
tonhole. 1t had grown to be an old
joke with us that he wore it because
he thought it suited his complexion.
Whenever I went to his rooms, and
that was every day, there was always
a large bowl of these flowers on his
table.
We hazarded all kinds of guesses as
to what the trouble was that had be-
fallen him, but could never come to
any satisfactory conclusion. Some
said he had never been intended for a
schoolmasters life, but had taken to
it for living, owing to heavy losses
while at Oxford; but for one did not
believe 1t. In the first place l believe
he became schoolmaster because he
liked the life; for he never seemed so
happy as when in the company OF
boys, and though I have known a few
schoolmasters who hated boys, I could
4 hpf-4+--t---Nnderstand why they did not
rather break stones upon the roadside
or drive cab, than enter upon a pro.
fession which in their case must have
proved . perpetual hell. Then, again,
Old Jimmy had always plenty of mon.
ey TO spare for those in need. Why.
to my certain knowledge, when the
ffteen-year-old daughter of Spook, the
porter OF st. Anselm's, was said to be
going into decline, Old Jimmy paid
for her to be sent to Ventnor and kept
her there for almost twelve months
When the boys of the village school
about mile away from ST. Anselm's
wished to start juvenile cricket club.
but wished in vain owing to lack Of
funds, who supplied them with
whole set Of apparatus and set them
going? Old Jimmy, of course. But
he never liked these things to be
talked Of. Oh, no! When l happened
to say, Il see the village boys have
at last found a friend to provide them
with cricketing outfit" he looked up
in the most innocent and surprised
way, and said, "Oh, indeed" And one
day, as he and l were going out
through the big entrance doors,
stopped to ask Spook how his daugh-
ter was. "Gettin on fine, sir. all ow-
in to the kindness of Mr.. -" Sud.
denly Old Jimmy broke in with:
"Spook. there goes Collins minor
across to the cricket pavilion; run as
fast as you can and tell him-tell him
let me see! oh, tell him he should
be wearing his school cap"
But this is all by the way.
No, it was some other kind of trou.
BILE that had darkened Old Jimmy's
life; and, though l never knew the
full facts of the case, | afterwards
h learnt enough to account for a good
deal.
One day new boy arrived. He was
n quite a youngster-nine years old, in
q fact. Old Jimmy and l happened to
be strolling in the avenue when he
#came, and we reached the front doors
ust as he was alighting. l saw Old
immy start and look curiously at him
br a few moments. 4 :ar-away,
earning look came into his eyes, and
n heard him mutter to himself-for ns
soften had habit of talking to him
fM~<iS alaud-nIn1r ct r. n H.