Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-07-22
TOMMY'S TOMBSTONE.

Tommy Mrtiutfy was growing old
The skin ~ hiS atirnnaipi fare WIS 81
shrunk and so stretched from wrinkle ~
wrlnkI. That II serinr,l narrowly ia -
rapr hreakinI About the pointed chm
ami the rhrrk bunes It hail the color ~
faded hrlrk
OLD Tommy hal become So thin that
ne dared not venture tu the top of the
hill albvr nis native village OF Rear
war,l nIlon windy day
Ills knees hent comically when he
walked
For s,inc wears the villagers had been
counting the nephrws and nlrceS To
whom the savings OF the old retired
dealer III dry gpolS would eventually de.
scend
Ten Thousand dollars and a hnnse and
lot constituted heritage worth Hntici
pating IN Itrarward
The innocent old man was not upon
terms Of intimacy with his prospective
heirs Having remained unmarried. his
only CLOSE associates were two who hll
been his companions In that remote
ppriu which had been his boyhood
One Of these. Jerry Hurley. was Il child
less widower "A very estirlbr and high
Is respected man who owned two farms
The other like himself bachelor was
Billy Skilmure the sexton OF the church
and therefore the regulator Of the town
clock upon the steeple
There came u great shock to old
Tommy one day AS old Mrs Sparks
said. derry Hurley "all student like
Just took notion and died
The wealth and standing Of Jerry
Hurley insured him an imposing funeral
They laih his body beside that which
hal once been his wife's IN Rearwood
cemetery Its heirs possessed his farm
and time went on-slowly. as it always
does al Rrarwond
Tommy went frequently to Ilurley's
grave and wondered when his heirs
would erect "A monument Ia his memory
II ~ necessary that ynnr grave be married
with monument VI yuu would stand
high IN that still sWirtN that holds rtcr
nal assembly beneath the pines and vii
luws where only the brerzrs speak, and
they IN suhtlnrl voices
Years passed and the grave ~ Tom
my- nid friend Jerry remained mn
marked Irrry~ relatives md postponed
the duty 80 lnng thu they had grown
gallons "a pnhlr nplnlnn B.sltlrs they
had other purIWS's Ia winch Ia apply
.Ierrys money II wa titSy enough 10
avoid rrprsirh they hal only To refrain
from VISITING the graveyard
derry never deserved Surh treatment
Tommy wanlA say 10 Billy the sexton
IA the two met 10 talk II over every
sunny nfternnn
Its Hn outrage. that's what IL is,'
Billy would reply for the hnndredth
time
u was, III their eyes. an omission nj
nnrst equal 10 that OF baptism or the
funeral service
tine day as Tommy was hiding him
sell alnng tie main street 80 lstarwarl
by means ut hickory stick. a frightiul
thunght came 10 hrn He turned cold
What II ma uwn heirs should neglect
Ia mark his own grave
IN hurry home and put the money
for u nSidc III stocking fnt nj once.
thnnghi Tommy aud his knees bent
more than usual M he accelerated his
pace
but rs he tied knot In the stocking
came the fear that even this money
might Oe mlsappliel. even htS will
might te ignored through repeated post,
ponempnt aud the law indifference
Who Styr old Billy Sliidmurr. wonll
care whether old Tommy Mciuify's last
resting place were designated cor not.
Onrr let the worms begin operations
urnn TINS antique mnrsel. what would 1t
matter To Rearwarl folks where the
banquet WAS taking placer
Tommy now underwent second ~
tark nf horror, from which he came vic.
torinns, gleeful smile momrntarily
Hitting the dimness from his excessively
iaChrymal eyes.
'l.ii Tx EN- he said 10 himself .i'll
20 talay Ia Ricketts,. the marble cutter
and or,ler my own tombstone.
Three months thereafter Ricketts,. the
marble cutter united the knot IN the
stocking that had been Tomnys and de.
PASTED the contents IN the local savings
bank.
In the cemetery stood new monu
mrnt very lofty and elaborate. Around
i, was an iron fence. Within the incio
sure there was no grave rs yet
Here. said the monument in deep.
cut letters but bad English. lies all that
remains of Thomas MctiniIy. born In
Rrarwood. Noy IL. lsa0 died ---
tiune whittier the wicked cease from
troubling aud the weary are nj rest
This supplementary information wa.
framed ia the words of FnmnyS favor.
iIt. passage IN his favorite hymn Iii.
liking tor this was mainly On account Of
It's tune
He had left the date Of his death To ~
inserted by the marble cutter after 1t,
occurrence
Rrarwarl folks were amused at sight
al the monument. anil they ascribt.d the
placing oil Il there To the eccentrcity OF
tatltnrn old man
Tommy setined to derive mnrh pleas
nre from visiting his tombstone upot
mid daYs lie spent mauy hour. con
irinplatiug " lie would cutter the iror
inelusure. lock the gate after hln AM
~ npon the gruund that was INTENDED
anne day Ia cover ms haiy
lie WAS u familiar sight To people nd
* "r walking ptst the graveyard Thu
an old man lraning upon his cane. con
'"ate'iiy pon,lering over the Inscription
ul9si his own tombstone
~ hi.hnhst5liy tauHd much innocent
pleasure IA TINS
thu ailrru,a4n rs ne. Wa =, ,.r,,,.,sa