The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-10-22
THE LONG TRAIL.

Tim o Co1Heil was the hardest rider on
the Rio Grande. All the COW boys had one
opinion Of him When one wanted to
boast, he would say:
II can ride most as far in a day as old
Tim OiConnell- Or they described the
endurance Of a person by saying, He's
almost as tough as old Tim The .'a1-
most" was Invariably used, for none pre-
sumed to say anybody could do anything
fully as well as old TIN They knew it
was not in human nature to do so He
was the ideal beyond which the cowboy
Imagination never dared pass Why, even
old Timberleg once said, as he sat shaping
a new leg one night:
Tim OConnelI, sfrs, Is the toughest
man ever saw. III De shot full Of holes
if he ain got spirit ike ravzhide and
body -lEe-vell, Ike this here wood
en- leg of mine tn wear and wear and
never show a splinter till all at once it II
drop of and there win be an end Of it. -
Old Tim came to Encinal when he was
a middle aged man-oame riding into the
frontier on a hungry looking horse and a
iaunry saddle He turned the beast out
and traded the saddle to Bill Tumlinson for
a good horse He made new saddle with
a jaokknife out of pair Of old lsggings
and asked Bill for a job, and Bill hired
him He was set to riding the creeks, and
he rode day and night and worked so hard
Bill said to him one day;
u a
kill yourself .
Ruther be dead n poor all my life, -
answered Tim And a man what won't
work u die poor. - So he went ahead work
ing hard as ever. was going to say
harder, but he could not
But that was 90 years ago, and between
then and rRV7 he had kept on working, but
not getting -auch richer
Bill Tumlinson lost his ranch. and Tim
was thrown out Of a job, but his reputa-
ton IS a worker got him one the next day.
He accepted the first offer and set to work
so hard he never saw the rich ODportuni-
ties open for him. Soon after he had gone
to work for Scott Parkinson, Bill Tumlin-
son happened along near where Tim was
guarding g bunch Of steers and said.
Why, Tim, you could have had q bet
ter job than this. You work too hard
Pretty soon you'll be dead and nothing to
look back to but hard work. "
Better be dead a poor, retorted Tim,
and a man what wont work. II die poor. =
Well, it happened that Bill failed to get
his affairs Strengthened Up and had to live
with Parkinson himself. Parkinson made
Tim boss, and Bill was only a cowboy.
There never was such boss on the ranch.
The cattle grew fat with careful herding.
and the cowboys grew lean Bill would
be set On watch at night, and Tim would
roll up IN his blanket. But il Bill would
sLCP El4llE LDA44 me leLU. No matter
what time Of night he stood still 50
long as ten minutes, he would hear Tins
voice roll out from the blanket:
Ride around en-, Biur' so that BIZ
got to thinking Tim never did sleep
There was ne way of arguing with him
about excessive work. for he Invariably re-
piled, A man V hat Won { work II die poor,
and d ruuher be dead n poor. y
The long trail that led round the whole
ranch was 20 miles in length Most OF the
COW boys made 1t a two days jaunt, but
Tim, who rode it at frequent and irregular
intervals, made it in day. He would say
at breakfasts
I'm going down the long trail today, -
and one Ct another OF the boys would ven
ture. Tim, you oughtn't to make that IN
one day It's too long for an old man
Some day youIl come riding IN from the
long trail dead
They said it just to hear him drawl out:
Better be dead n poor any time.
Tim failed to get up one morning. Bill
had gone TO sleep On watch that night ard
stood still an hour, and Tin never called
at him. be swoke with a start and hur-
ried over to camp fearing the worst. He
found Tim all afre with fever The boys
tended the old man ali day. Toward even
ing he frightened up and suddenly jump
ing to his feet said;
Why, n vel as ever, airs And guess
IN ride down the long trail tonight, being
as We rested al day. The moon is bright,
and it viii be a cool trip. -
There was no use demonstrating, so just
as the Others relied up in their blankets
for the nighC--all but Bid, who had the
watch-Tim mounted and started down
the long trail
Never saw Tins eyes 50 bright. said
Jim Proctor He looks as if sickness did
him good %
1T d xiii an ordinary man, " said Bill as
he rode to go on watch, but Tim II ride
in IN the morning sitting straight up in
his saddle.
And. sure enough, he did The boys
were at breakfast when Bill called out:
Here comes Tims' And there ne did
come IN the distance, jogging along on a
gentle rack, sitting up straight in the sad
die and never moving hand, and rode on
down the long trail over the homestretch
quietly, as If he had only been out for a
little exercise
Presently he neared the camp. but he
stopped at the corral, and his horse put its
head down and began eating hay with the
other horses. Tim sat there, unconcerued,
as if in deep thought.
Better come and eat breakfast, - called
Bill But Tim paid no attention, and
pretty soon Bill walked over to the corral,
and as he laid his hand on Tins bride
band he called ont in alarm:
Why, boys, Tim s deadl'
And, sure enough, Tim did sit there IN
his deep saddle dead There was no telling
how many miles his cold hand had held
the rein as he rode down the long trail, but
he had come to the end OF is at last.-Cin-
cinna1 Post
Ee-eae