The Whitefish pilot. [volume] (Whitefish, Mont.) 1904-current, 1910-01-20

ut is good to me to be hack again"
he admitted, IF only for few nours"
"Why few hours. Jimsy!''
"Willia ms expects me to take the
midnight train for Boston There ~
some legal tangle about our dock ,pase
there"
''Oh. see. Did Joe tell you about
our good fortune! Or course you can
see the change" and she made u yes
ture that took IN the whole room.
"You nean the raise 10 salary and
back pay?'
Eyes Wasn't 1t splendid of Captain
WilliamsY
at certainly has agreed with you"
he responded evasively. "Never saw
you look SO we'll"
did the captain tell you about it?"
mo; be never mentioned it."
"Why notY'
captain Williams has habit OF
keeping Il whole lot to himself"
ut came as u complete surprise-at
least to me."
Seems to have done your mother
whole lot of good. She never did
shine up to that Harlem dat"
'ln all the years I've known you,
Jimsy. you've never spoken of your
mother or father. l suppose you don I
care to-"
An expression of pain fitted over his
face.
mo: 1t ain't pleasa nt." he confessed.
Mrs. Brooks was sincerity sorry for
her rather thoughtless remark
"Forgive me. Jimsy. wish hadn't
said that Could help to make it
more pleasant? Id like to-" she said
sympathetirally.
He gazed ut her with queer look
and for a few moments did not speak
He appeared to be debating something
In his mind.
MY mother, as near as have been
able to find out. hiked out into Colo
RADIO when 1t was territory. There
wasn't much law and. | guess, no con.
ventionalities. Everybody kind O.
drifted along the best or the worst
they could. the majority voting the
straight ticket for the worst A shake
Of the hand was as good us a bond.
and there wasn't any law In the land
except that between man and woman.
Some of them out there yearned as
much for the sanctity OF the marriage
vows as an Arab in the Sahara does
for sun bath. 1t was louise coun
try. full Of loose people. My mother
fell in love with a rowing miner. aud
he promised to marry her. but before
the parsOn wandered into the camp to
make u little loose change tying mat.
rimonial knots pa got into an argu-
ment concerning alcoholic capacity
and got plugged with AS"
"Killed?"
"Yes. He passed on. Later | was
| showed into the midst Of an unSuSpect
ing public My coming into the world
without the usual legal credentials hi
my poor mother awful hard. and bv
fore | could open my eyes she died
Then there was an awful argument
about where l belonged"
"How?"
1.-TWO cities claimed me. Denver sait
was born in Omaha. and Oma II:
blamed it on Denver. Those that look
ed after me when | was a kid got ,
little careless about my education. an(
finally the city of Denver adopted I'M
as favorite son. Fathers only known
name was Jim. l grabbed it. had t.
have last one on the handle. so
chose Smith. feeling tolerably certain
it would pass the scrutiny of an in
quisitive world without raising storm
of curiosity"
He paused. then concluded. with 3.
wan smile:
"You see. Emma. am some shy"
I'm awfully sorry. Jimsy. but
doesn't make lot Of difference. doe
it?" she said consolingly.
mo. only that's why I came east
The west amt conducive to pleasan
recollections."
Its nothing you could help"
mo, figure you can't Away
blame people for what they can't help
If a fellow comes into the world shy
he's shy. and the chances are be-
doing the best he can the very time b.
goes to the bad"
"How? In what way?" a..
"You seem puzzled" he sad. movin,
his chair so that 1t brought bin
squarely facing her "Well. for In
stance, out in Denver knew fellow
who married girl who'd had prett.
much what she wanted. but bed beef
In hard luck. 1t was u love match al
right. both parties being clean foolisl
over each other Well. he didn't &c
on. and she had to work pretty hard
Finally he thought her health AM
spirits were about busted up on &C
count of the work. and he commenced
appropriating other folks mouey-go
way in. and the harder he tried to &c
out the deeper be houndered Final.
the big exposure came or He was
thief. Now. what do you think abou
him, Emma? Do you think because b.
was long on love and short on homo
ho woS all had oh ~