The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-02-28
Finnegan's Absalom.

knew him from the time Of bis birth,
twenty-four years ago, shook the nurse
less and physicianless frontier communi.
ty in Jack county, which was then on
the foremost edge Of advancing eiviliza-
ton, to its foundation.
Finnegan had been a respectable clerk
in his native Ireland, at starvation sal
ary, and Mrs. Finnegan poor depend
ent who acted as nursery governess and
general slave and scapegoat in the fami-
ly Of coarse, unfeeling. well-to-do rela-
tive.
They had loved each other long and
faithfully, but timidly, and dared not
venture marriage on poor Finnegan's
pittanee of salary. But things come to
people-even so far off as Ireland-who
wait patiently long enough, and do not
die and when this pathetic couple were
middle-aged legacy came TO Finnegsn
without apology for its tardiness, which
enabled them to marry, and with which
they Immediately came to Texas, of all
places, and bought, ofall things, q cattle
ranch.
HoEever, fate appears sometimes posi-.
lively ashamed to be unkind to such in.
nocents, when they are delivered over
into her hands and the Ffnnegans were
as prosperous as most oftheir neighbors.
Their loneliness was dispelled in the
course of year or two by the arrival oi
a son, the only child of this gentle pair,
and the or'nariest baby that ever howl.
ed the roof off a shack. At . or years
old, when he got to be an expert on his
feet, and with his fists. and his voice, he
made the ranch house so hot that the
boys were glad to give it the cold shake
and be out on the range or in camp and
by the time he was ne ran the ranch,
whaled and bit any one that interfered
with him, and made himself such ter
ror that not Mexican would stay on the
place. Finnegan bad to build a mess
house for the men, although the head
quarters house had not long since been
made large purposely to have them all
together.
The foreman, who was myself, and the
cowboys only stayed for love Of Mrs Fin
negsn-Aunt Mary, We called her-and
l was always losing my best hands on
account of the little euss.
He was smart enough; he didn't lack
enterprise and savey. He learned to
ride-and ride Ike the dickens,-before
be was 6. He used TO fairly roar and
cavort because the men would not stand
still and let him rope them. He practic-
ed on every animate and inanimate OBJ
ject about the ranch and by the time he
was s he could ride cutting pony that
was just tightening and rope calf, or
even yearling with the best ofus.
In the eourse Of q couple Of years
things got much worse. Heretofore we
had only TO stay away from headquarters
house to be rid Of him; but now on his
pony he haunted the camps, the outfits,
the roundups, and was the most everlast-
ing, lively, ingenious torment.
When he was about 10 or II l remem-
Der he was in camp one day when we
were moving about, getting ready to go
10 round up. He had a new California
rope he was awfully tickled with, and
he kept riding up behind the men, jerk
ing the moose tight around them, arms
and all, so they were helpless till he got
done whooping and laughing and slack
ed upon them.
l saw Frosty get out his big-bladed
knife, as sharp as razor, and when the
kid, after awhile threw his rope over
him, Frosty slashed it smooth in two at
a point where it lay for a moment on his
saddle horn Robbie went back almost
out Of the saddle, as he braced back for
the jerk that never came; and when he
saw his new California rope cut in two
he yelled with rage.
He ran his pony up to FrOsty's and
raised his quirt, blubbering like great
baby.
"You cut my ro-o-pel I'll kill you :"
You little gAdfiy," said Frosty, catch
ing his arm, you touch me with that
quirt and III pull you off your pony and
wear you to frazzles with it. I'll stripe
you like zebra-Fll skin you You'll
get it once in your lifeif I'm fired for it
before sundown. Now cut loose and
quirs me ifyou want TO :"
Bat the kid didn't want to any more.
He had taste of the sort of thing that
would have cured him all along, and he
went off as quiet as lamb and never did
monkey with Frosty any more.
He followed Alex MeRlven's outfit
along one day-Alex was one Of my
wagon bosses-and kept up his usual
tricks ofroping the riders, stealing things
out Of the mess case and charging the
middle of the remgdA. scattering the
horses in every direction.
Finally Alex, slow serious Scotch
man, but as hard to turn as a buffalo
bull when his blood is hot. ierked him
of his pony and gave him regular
scotch CovenanteF thrashing.
Those who witnessed the spectacle say
Il was a most pleasing and diverting
bowling ike pack Of tim
Der wolves, with grief terror and amaze
nent, Alex, thrashing away conscient-
o1sly and methOdically, almost with
ears in his eyes, ss he reflected that
Aunt Mary would execrate him, and Fin
1egan fire him Immediately bat deter
mined to finish the Lords work at any
- 40 x-,nn0 Ffnneranis auzfnrav or his I