Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-11-04
THE LONG TRAIL.

Tim o'Connsil was the hardes; rider on
,hs RIO Grande All the cowboys had one
oplnion Of him When one wanted 70
boast, hc would ny
II can rldo most ~ for In day ~ old
Tim O'connei" or they described the
endurance Of person by saying, Hes
almost ~ tough NJ old Tim Tho al
most" was invariably uscd, for none PR
,umcd 10 say anybody could DO anything
fully NJ we'll ~ Old lin. They know u
was not In human nature to do 20. llo
was tho ideal beyond which tho cowhoy
Imagination uovur DARED pass Why even
old Imborlog onoc aid. Us be- sat shaping
a now leg one night
Tin O'Conncli. sirs, Ia the toughest
man I ever saw. IN h. shot full n holes
n be Amt got u spirit like rawhide and a
body likc--likc--wcll, like this hero wood
en- leg OF mine lt'll wear and wear and
never show "a splinter till all at once it'n
drop OF and thcrc will he an end Of H..
Old Tim cnme 90 Encinal when he was
n middle aged man-oamo riding Into The
frontier on hungry looking horse and q
iaunty saddla lie turned the bcast out
and tradcd tho saddle 10 Bill Tumlinson for
n god horse lie made new saddle with
jackkniic out " pair Of old lcFrlnra
and asked BIZ for n job, and hill bird
him. He was sot 10 riding the crvcks and
he rode day md night and worked ~ hard
Biii said 10 him one day
"1im, you needn't work ~ hard. You'll
Hill yourself 4"
"huthcr 10 dead n roor nll my NE. "
Answcrd Tim AID n man what won't
woIk'li diopoor" 70 ho went ahoad work.
Ing hard NJ ever. was going TO ~
harder" hut ho could not.
Hut that was 90 years ago, and lctWcon
thon md now be- had kept ON working, but
not l,ettlng much richer
Bill Tumllnson lost his ranch, and Tim
was thrown out Of a Job, bat hia rcputh-
ton NJ a worker got him one the next day
lie accepted tho first offer and ut tn work
" hard he never saw the rich opportuni.
ties open for him. Soon after be- had gous
20 work for Scott Parkinson, BIN Iumiin.
son happened along near WHORE Tim was
guarding bunch Of steers and said.
why, Tim, yuu could have Ind q bot
ter Job than this You work too hard
Pntty roon you'li bc dead and nothing 10
look hack 10 but hard work"
better b. dead n poor, rctortcd Tim,
"and aman what Won't work n die poor. "
Well, Il happonsd TINT Blll filled 20 get
his atialrs siraightcncd up and had 90 live
with Parkinson himself. Parkinson made
Tim boss, and 1911 was only cowboy
1hcru mover wns such bo-i on the mnoh.
The cattle gruw fat with careful hcrilng.
and tho cowboys grew lem. Bili would
b. ct on watch nt night. and Tim would
roll up Ia bis blanket. hut " Bill would
stop riding round tho herd, no matter
what time Of night-if 10 stood aill 20
long as ten inmates. he would hcar Tins
yoloc roll out from tho blanket.
"lii.idc around en-. I'm" ~ that Bin
got 10 thinkinR Tim never did sloCp.
Jhcre was no way OF arguing with him
about excessive work. for ho Invariably ~.
piled, \ man what won't work ~ die poor,
and I'D riiiher he dead m poor.
The long trail that led round the whole
ranch was 20 miles In length. Most Of the
cowboys made " a two days iaunt but
Tim, who rodo 10 NJ frequent aud Irregular
intervals, made 1, In day. lie would say
ut breakfast.
Pm going down tho long trail to-day"
aud one or another Of tho boys would ven.
turui Tim, you oughtn't 10 make that In
one day. It's too long for an old mnn.
some day you'll come riding IN from the
long trail dead "
They aid IL Just 90 hear him drnwl out.
better bc dead N poor any time
Tim failed Ia get W ono morning. BIZ
had gono 10 sleep ON watch TINT night and
stood atill an hour, and Tim never called
at him. lilo hwoko with start and hur.
ricd over 10 camp fearing tho worst lie
found aim all afro with fever. Tho boys
tended tho old man NIL day. Toward even.
Ing he frightened up md suddoniy Jump.
ing 10 his loot snld.
why, I'm well aa evcr.slrs. And guess
IN ride down tho long unll tonight, being
~ Two rested all day liz, moon u bright,
ard II will ho a cool trip"
lhorv was no uno rvnioastrntinR. No Jus,
a. tho Others rolled up In their hlnnkets
for the night--ail but llill, who had tho
watch-1im mounted and started down
tho long Trail
NEVER SOW Tim'a eyes ~ bright, " said
Jim Proctor. "Ho locsgs a. II sickness did
him good.
It'd Nil an ordinary man, " said nh n,
no rode 20 20 ON watch, "but 1im'll rids
In In The morning sitting straight up In
his s,ddle. f"
And, sum enough, no did. The boyl
F'sN - et'AhiAaN WIN mn fasAlNN NNNs
Hero COMES TimW Aud thcro he aid
come In the distance, jogging along ON d
gentle rack, sitting up straight In the md
die and never moving hand, and rudo on
down tho long trail uscr tho homestr1tcl
quietly, ~ u ho had only been out for d
httle exercise.
Presently hc nchrsi the camp, but IL
stopped ut the corral, and his horse put IL
head down aud bcgnn eating hny with IN,
othor horses Tim sAi therg, unconocrncd
~ " Ia deep thought
Better como and INT breakfast. " Gallo,
BILL But Tim paid no attention, ant
prutty soon bill walked over to the corral
ana as he hid his hand ON Tins bridl,
band ho rallied out In alarm.
Why, Toys, Tins dcad'"
Aud, SURF enough, Tim did ut there IL
his deep saddle dead, 1hcrc WIN no tollln,
how many miles hls cold hand had hol,
the rein ~ he rode down tho long trail. bu
be had come 10 tho ond VI II at last.-Cin
cinnht Post