Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1883-12-09
BOB TINkHAM's LITTLE rADoIE.
Why the Old Lawyer showed Back
From the Table and -Didn't Feel
Like Playiu' keerds.c

Bsn Wylde in Chicago News
After the hand was played, and while
the no seman and the justice were dis.
cussing as to whose deal il was, the old
lawyer sat with elbows on the table,
his chin resting on his hands. He
seemed to be thinking OF something far,
far away. Now and then his heavy gray
head nodded slightly and his parted
lips moved as ii he were saying some.
thing away down in his soul lie had
forgotten the game; his mind was over.
whelmed with the past, and the fond
memories that fitted bef re his ewes
aided the glistsning drops that stood in
them to shut out the vision Of the pres
ent.
There's your hand"
The words aroused the old lawyer,
and he raised his head, but his eyes
held fast their gaze on the table top.
BOYS" said he. roughly brushing the
tears from his eyes, and wiping his spec.
tarles, Il s'pose it's awful foolish
like fur big teller like HE to sit here a.
cryin', but when 1 seen them marks
there they minded Inc o the day Bob
Tinkham sot right here where do now
an KEEP game there on the table. That
was nigh twenty years ago, but somehow
cant get it of my mind how Bob sot
here a-laughin' an jolin', an havin' the
best kind O. time, an all at once, with.
out bit O. warnin', how jim Dempsey
come carryin' Dob's little boy Taddie
in, an said as how the pale little fellow
had been run over by hay rack aud
was dead. Bob was Jest maxim that
ere mark that's only half as long
es the rest when jim kicked in the deer
and put the boy on the floor right there
by that ere winder. I've seen good
many pretty solemn-ik things, nut
that was the solemnist thing l ever
seen. Little Taddie warn't dead, but
Jest as Jim put him on the floor he
opened them pre-, ty little blue ewes O
his'n an said: "Oh, papa Then to
see Bob Tnkham-great, big, husky
man as e was-git down on is knees
an cry like is heart d break, il was
enough 10 make the meanest man in tile
world boo-hoo right out. An then
little Taddie said: "Oh, papa: it's
gittin so dsrk-oh-oh papa, don't let
little Taddie die. Tell bod not to let
little - and Taddie broke off what
he was sayin' Jest as his pa had broke
oil maxim that mark right in the middle,
an he never said another word in the
world.
"An' Bob Tinkham, as he never
prayed since he come to Oxford in '37,
put his hands towards the roof an told
God lie didn't know nothing about
prayin', but he'd give anything he had
il Taddied Jest open his eyes once
more and only say papa jest once. An
then he PRAYED like i never heard no.
body pray before sence was born; an
/ said to myself faint big fine words
that gifts up to heaven, but it's feelin's
Jest like Bob Tinkham's. An, boys,
sure as you live, I've been sorry ey'ry
sence thet couldn't a laid down
there an died an let little Taddie live.
Jest think, an old critter like me
with roomatiz all over me SOS can't
10 notllin' worth anything for anybody
Il kin live along furever, but little
boy like Taddie, Jest when he's havin'
all the fun there is in life has TO mp an
die and leave everybody that loves i'm
an wants i'm TO live tell We they kin
say what they're mind to bout there
bein' no other world after this 'un, bat
eff there amt then things amt built on
the foundation Of justice, that's all.
Say, boys, don't feel like playin'
keerds no more to-day And the old
lawyer pushed back from the table and
sat long, long time with his elbows on
his knees, and bis face on his hands
looking ut the floor.