e
knowing him, if I ever see anybody that looks a bit like him, I shun
them like poison, because I know as well as I need to that however nice
they may appear, you can't depend upon them. But before I knew him I'd
never stop to distrust anybody.

"It began with our setting up jokes together; he could be awfully funny
even when he was swearing like a pirate about his luck landing him in a
hospital. Bad language didn't seem so awful coming from him, because he
was so light-complexioned and boyish-looking. He was only passing
through the city, in an awful hurry to get West, when he got hurt, and
he was madder than a hornet at the delay. But after a while he quieted
down, because he'd got something else to think about, which was getting
me to go along with him to California, where he'd bought a share in a
mine. And me, star idiot of the world, it seemed the grandest thing that
had ever happened. I'd never had anybody in love with me that way
before. The boys had always liked me, but I'd been like another fellow
among them, and I'd never more than just been silly for a week or two at
a time over one fellow and another at a distance. And here was a solid
offer from a perfectly splendid man who had everything, money included.
They'd found several thousand dollars on him when he was picked up. And
the yarns he told about gold-mines!... But it wasn't that, it wasn't the
gold-mines, it was 'the way with him' that caught me. I guess when
you're in love you're no judge of your man. We two, I tell you, seemed
made for each other. He was as fond of a good time as I, and he loved
fun, like me. We were going to California to make our everlasting
fortune. You'd have thought there was no more doubt about it than the
Gospels being true. And the good times we were going to have while doing
it were nothing to the good times we'd have after, when I'd have my
diamonds and he'd have his horses and things. As I said, the diamonds
weren't needed; I'd have gone with him anywhere just for the fun of
being together. I couldn't see what I'd done to deserve my blessings. I
guess he was in love, too, as far as it was in him to be; I'll do him
that justice.

"Hattie and her ma, while they had nothing to say against Jim, wanted me
to wait awhile. But Jim couldn't wait. The moment he was well enough he
wanted to be off. And I didn't care much about waiting either. I felt as
if I'd known him all my life. So they said nothing more and gave us a
perfectly