Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1891-09-04
TOMMY'S TOMBSTONE.

Tommy IcGufy was growing old.
The skin Of his attenuated face was so
Ehrunk and so stretched from wrinkle to
wrinkle that Il seemed narrowly to es.
cape breaking About the pointed chin
and the cheek bones it had the color Of
faded brick
Old Tommy had become so thin that
he dared not venture to the top Of the
hill above his native village Of Rear
ward upon a windy day.
His knees bent c%omically when he
walked.
For some years the villagers had been
counting the nephews and nieees TO
whom the savings Of the old retired
dealer in dry goods would eventually de-
scend.
Ten thousand dollars and n house and
lot constituted a heritage worth antici.
pating in Rearward.
The innocent old man was not upon
terms Of intimacy with his prospective
heirs. Having remained unmarried, his
only close associates were two who had
been his companions in that remote
period which had heen his boyhood.
One Of these, Jerry Hurley, was a child
less widower; a very estiinable and high
ly respected man who owned two farms.
The other, like himself a bachelor, was
Billy Slidm0re, the sexton of the church
and therefore the regulator of the town
clock upon the steeple.
There came a great shock TO old
Tommy one day. As old Mrs. Sparks
said. Jerry Hurley. ''all suident like.
just took a notion and died"
The wealth and standing of Jerry
Hurley insured him an imposing funeral
They laid his body beside that which
had once been his wife's in Rearwood
cemetery Ills heirs possessed his farm
and time vent on-slowly, as it always
does at ltearwood.
Tommy went frequently to Hnrley's
grave and wondered when his heirs
would erect a monument to his memory.
It is necessary that your grave be marked
with a monument if you would stand
high in that still society that holds eter-
nal assembly beneath the pines and will
lows where only the breezes speak, and
they in subdued voices.
Years passed, and the grave Of Toan-
my's old friend, Jerry. remained an.
marked Jerry's relatives had postponed
the duty so long that they had grown
Gallons 10 public opinion. Besides, they
had other purposes to which to apply
Jerry's money. 1t was easy enough to
avoid %reproach; they had only to refrain
from visiting the graveyard.
Jerry neye.deaerved such treatment. "
Tommy would say to Billy the sexton,
as the two met to talk it oye every
sunny afternoon
ITS an outrage, that's what it isl
Billy would reply for the hundredth
time.
It was. in their eyes, an omission al
most equal to that Of baptism or the
funeral service,
One day as Tommy wa aiding him
self along the main street Of Rearward
by means OF a hickory sick, a frightful
thought camo to him. lie turned cold.
What if his own heirs should neglect
to mark his own gravel
an hurry home and put the money
for it aside in a stocking foot at once
thought Tommy. and his knees bent
more than usual as be accelerated hi;
pace.
But as he tied a knot In the stocking
came the fear that even this money
might be misapplied; even his will
might be ignored through repeated post.
ponement and the laws Indifference.
Who, save old Billy Skidmore, would
care whosher old Tommy McGury's last
resting place were designated or not
Once let she worms begin operations
upon this antique morsel, what would il
matter to Rearward folks where tts
banquet was taking placer
Tommy now underwent a second at
tack Of horror. from which he came vic
torious, "a gleeful smile m%omeutarily
lifting the diinness from his excessively
lachrymal eyes.
"rn fix 'em, be said TO himself. an
60 today 70 Ricketts, the marble cutter
and order my own tombstone.
Three months thereafter Ricketts,. Ia,
marble cutter, united the knot I'M tho
stocking that had been Tommy's AMI de
posted the contents in The local saving.
bank.
In the cemetery stood q new monu
ment. very Lofty and elaborate. Aroun,
1t WAS an iron fence. within the incio
sure there was no grave as yet.
Here said the monument On deep
cut letters but bai English, ''lies al tina.
remains OF Thomas McHuGy, born IL
Rearwood. Nov n, 1899. died -
Gone whittier the wicked cease from
troubling and the weary are az rest
This supplementary Information wa
framed Ia the words Of TomIny's favor
'essage ia his favorite hymn. Hi
this was mainly on account o
aafo of his deathto b.
e uarble ser agter il.
folks were amused at sigh.
.rument. and they ascribed IN,
Of it there to tho eccentriciey q
aciturn old man.
Tommy seemed to derive much pleas
ure from visiting his tombstone itpoi
mild days. he spent many hours con
templating II. He would enter the iroi
Enclosure, lock the gate after him sn,
sit upon the ground that was ntende,
some day 10 cover his body.