The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1883-04-06
LITTLE TOMMY TUCKER.
Why Jack Harmon Didnr Go to Colorado
sLlzAnETn sTuAnr rmELr,

kLlzA.ETH STUART PHELPS.
1.-THE following. by the author Of Gatss sjdr. |
from her book. Men. Women ami Ghosts, ~ repub
lished In Choice Literature" The rcenc IL laid on
train leaving an eastern city for New York;
There were but three persons In the car; q
merchant, deep In the income list of thu
Traveller, an old lady with two bandboxes
man In the corner with bis hat pulled ovel
his eyes.
Tommy opened the door, peeped In, hest
tated, looked Into another car, came back
gave his little fiddle shove on his shoulder
and walked In.
"Hil Little Tommy Tucker
Plays for his supper"
shouted the young exquisite lounging on the
platform I'm tan-coloured coat and lavender
kid gloves.
40 Kids, you're there, are your Well, I'd
rather play for IL than loaf for 1t, had, VI
said Tommy, stoutly.
The merchant shot careless glance over
the top of his paper at the sound Of this
petit dialogue, and the old lady smiled be-
nignly; the man in the corner neither looked
nor smiled.
Q Nobody would have thought, to look at
that man In the corner, that he was at that
very moment deserving . wife and five
children. Yet that Is precisely what he was
doing.
Avillian? o, no, that is not the word. A
brute? Not by any means. A man, weaS,
unfortunate, discouraged, and selfish, As
weak, unfortunate, and discouraged people
are apt to be; that was the amount of 1t. His
panoramss never paid him for the use Of his
halls. His travelling tin-type saloon had
trundled him into . sherif's hands. His
petroleum speculations had crashed like .
bubble. His black and gold sign, r. Harmon,
Photographer, had swung now for nearly .
year over the dentists rooms, and hs had
had the patronage of precisely six old women
and three babies. He had driftsd TO the
theatre In the evenings, he did not care now
TO remember how many times-the fellows
asked him, and 1t made him forget his
troubles; the next morning bis empty purse
would cape at him, and Armies mouth
would culver. A man must have his glass
too, on Sundays, and-well, perhaps little
sftener. He had not always been fit to 60 to
work after IL; and Armies mouth would
culver. II will be seen at once that IL was
exceedingly hard on man that his wife's
mouth should culver. "Confound II! Why
couldn't she scold or cry? These still
women aggrayate fellow beyond reason"
Well, then the children had been sick;
measles, wbooping- cough, scarlatins, mumps,
he was sure he did not know what not; every
one Of them from the baby up. There was
medicine, and there were doctors bills, and
there was sitting up with them At night
their mother usually did that. Then she
must needs pale down herself, like q poorly
finished photograph; oil her colour and
roundness ard sparkle gone; and If ever n
man liked TO have pretty wife about il was
he. Moreover she bad cough, and her
shoulders had grown round, STOPPING 80
much over the heavy baby, and her breath
came short, and she had way of being tired.
Then she never stirred out of the house-hs
found out about that one day; she had no
bonnet, and her shawl had been cut up into
blankets for the crib. The children had
stopped going to school. "They could not
buy the new arithmetic" their mother said,
half under her breath. Yesterday there was
nothing for dinner but Johnny-cake, not q
large one at that. Tomorrow the saloon
rents were due. Annie talked about pawn
ing one of the bureaus. Annie had had
great purple rings under her eyes for six
weeks. s..... ..
He would not bear the purple rings and
quivering mouth any longer. He hated the
sight OF her, for the sight stung him. He
hated the corn-cake and the untaught chill
dren. He hated the whole dreary, dragging,
needy home. The ruin Of IT logged him
like o ghost, and he should be the ruin Of 1t
as long q be stayed In 1t. Once fairly rid Of
him, his scolding and drinking, his wasting and
failing, Annie would send the children To
work, and find ways to live. She had energy
and invention, plenty Of 1t In her young,
fresh days, befor. he came across her life to
drag her down. Perhaps he should mako .
golden fortune, and come back to her some
summer day with silk dress and servants,
and make II all up; In theory this was about
what ne expected TO do. But II his ill-luck
went westward with him, and the silk dress
never turned up, why, she would forget him,
and be better Oh, and that would be the end
Of II.
So here he was, ticketsd and started, fairly
bound fer Colorado, sitting with his hat over
his eyes, and thinking about It.
"Hm-m. Asleep" pronounced Tommy,
with his keen glancs into the corner. "Guess
I'll wake him mp"
He laid his cheek down on his little fiddle
You don't knew how Tommy loved that
little fiddle, and struck up gay, roliicking
tune
~ care for nobody and nobody cares for me"
The man In the corner sat quite still.
When 1t was over he shrugged his shoulders.
"wbsn folks are asleep they don't hist
their shoulders, not Is general thing, OBJ
served Tommy. "We'il try another"
Tommy tried another. Nobody knows
what possessed the little fellow, the little
fsllsw himself least of oil; bat be tried this
"we'ye lived and loved together,
Through many changing years"
1t was . new tune, and he wanted practice,
perhaps. aNE#ff
The train Jared and started slowly; the
glovsd exquisite, waiting hacknen, baggage
masters, conee-counter, and station walls
slid back; engine-house and prison towers,
and lsbyrinths Of tracks slipped BY; lumber
and shipping took their place, with clear
spaces between, whers sea and sky shown
through. The speed Of the train increased
with sicksning sway; old wharves shot past,
with the green water sucking q their piers;
the city shifted BY and out Of sight.
we've lived and loved together"
played Tommy In . little plaintive wall,
"we'vs lived and loved
aConfound the boy!" Harmon pushed up
his hat with Q Jerk, and looked out Of the
window. The night was coming on. A dull
sunset lay low on the ws.er, burning like .
bale-frs through the snaky trail Of smoke
that went writing past the car windows.
Against lonely signal.houses and little de-
sartsd hearhes the vater was plashing