Beautiful Jim of the Blankshire Regiment Author:John Strange Winter General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1900 Original Publisher: R.E. King Subjects: History / General Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-... more »Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: " An offer ? No! It's from my mother," returned Jim, promptly, and in a disgusted tone. He made his escape to his own quarters in peace. But then, with the door safely locked, he pulled out the letter again and read it once more. " After all," he read, smiling, " it is pretty good proof that I didn't see much amiss with your looks." And then he folded the letter up again, and put it safely away in the most secret recess of his dispatch drawer. " That's a dear little woman," he said, as he turned the key of the door. " I shall look in on Saturday." CHAPTER IV. THE PROUD AND VICIOUS FEW. Like many other cathedrals, that of Blankhampton -- familiarly called " the Parish " by the inhabitants of the town -- stood in an open space. It was open all round, so far as buildings were concerned, but only on three sides for vehicular traffic, except such as had the Deanery or the Kesidence for its distination. The three sides which were entirely open to the public had the ordinary appearance of a cathedral close, but the fourth one had a very different aspect. For you passed through wide and handsome gates, which were closed every evening at nine o'clock, and foundyourself in a miniature park, with a broad and well-kept drive, and a footpath which was much used by foot-passengers as a short cut to the other side of the Parish. In this little park the Deanery and Eesidence stood, and there on broiling summer and chill autumn days the children from the adjacent poverty- stricken slums came to play, and shared equally in the delight of green lawns, shad...« less