The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-01-21
THE LONG TRAIL.

boast, ne would say:
Il can ride IL ost as far in n day as old
Tim O'Connoll." Or tley described the
endurance Of person y saying, Hes
almost as tough as old i'm" The cal
most was invariably used, for none pro
sumcd to say enybody could do anything
iully as well as old TiLl. 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
u new leg one night:
"Tim O'Connell, sirs, is the toughest
man / ever saw. I'll be shot full of holes
If he amt got spirit like rawhide and a
body like-like--well, like this here wood
en- leg of\mine. It'll wear end wear and
never show "A splinter till r,l at once it'll
drop off and there will be an end of It,.
Old Tim came to Encinal when he was
u middle aged man-came riding into the
frontier on "a hungry looking horse and u
jaunty saddle. He turned the beast out
and traded the saddle to Bill Tumlinson for
q good horse. He made new saddle with
jackknife out of pair of old leggings
and asked Bill for 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:
"Tim, you needn t work SO hard. You'll
kill yourself
"Ruther be dead N poor all my life, -
answered Tim. And n man what won't
work. die poor" SO he went ahead work.
ing hard as ever. l was going to say
harder" but he could not.
But that was 20 years ago, and between
then and now he had kept on working, but
not getting much richer.
Bill Tumlinson lost his ranch, and Tim
was thrown out of a job, but his reputa.
ton as a worker got him one the next day.
He accepted the first offer and set to work
SO hard he never saw the rich opportuni
ties open for him. Soon after he had gone
to work for Scott Parkinson, Bill Tumlin-
son happened along near where Tim was
guarding bunch of steers and said:
why, Tim, you could have had 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 N poor, !" retorted Tim,
land aluan what won't work II die poor. "
Well, it happened that Bill failed to got
his affairs Strengthened up and had to live
with Parkinson himself. Parkinson made
Tim boss, and Bill was only cowboy
There never was such "a boss on the ranch
The cattle grew fat with careful herding,
and the cowboys grew lean. Bill would
be set on watch ut night, and Tim would
roll up in his blanket. But if Bill would
stop riding round the herd, no matter
what time of night--if he stood still SO
long as ten minutes, he would hear Tim s
voice roll out from the blanket:
"Riide around 'em, Billr' so that Bill
got to thinking Tim never did sleep.
W. 1ln WA of xrit i'm,
about excessive work, for lie invariably re-
piled, A man what won't work II die poor,
and I'd ruther be dead n poor.
The long trail that led round the whole
ranch was 20 miles in length. Most of the
cowboys made it "a two days jaunt, but
Tim, who rode it at frequent and irregular
intervals, made it in day. He would say
at breakfast:
Pm going down the long trail today
and one or 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 you'll come riding in from the
long trail dead
They said it just to hear him drawl out:
Better be dead N poor any time.
lin failed to get up one morning Bill
had gone to sleep on watch that night and
stood still an hour, and Tim never called
at him. He awoke with u start and hur-
ried over to camp fearing the worst. He
found Tim all afre with fever. The boys
tended the old man all day. Toward even
ing lie frightened up and suddenly jump
ing to his feet said:
"Why, I'mwell as ever, sirs. And guess
I'll ride down the long trail tonight being
as I've rested all day. The moon is bright
and it win be u cool trip
There was no use demonstrating; so Just
as the Others rolled up i'll their blankets
for the night-all but Bill, who had the
watch-Tim mounted and started down
the long trail.
"Never saw Tins eyes so bright" said
Jim Proctor. 'IIe looks as if sickness die
him good. "
ltd Kill an ordinary man" said Bill n:
he rode to go on watch, but Tim'll ride
in in The morning sitting straight up il
his saddle.
And, sure enough, he did. The boys
were at breakfast when Bill called out:
Here comes TimP' And there he die
come in the distance, jogging along on t
gentle rack, sitting up straight in the sad
die and never moving hand, and rode OF
down the long trail over the homestretci
quietly, as if ne had only been out for
little exercise.
Presently he neared the camp but HI
stopped at the corral, and his horse put it,
head down and began eating hay with thu
other horses. Tim sat there, unconcerned
as if in deep thought.
Better come and eat breakfast" called
Bill. But Tim paid no attention, ant
pretty soon Bill walked over to the corral
and as he laid his hand on Tins bridl,
band he called out in alarm:
why, boys, Tins deadp'
And, sure enough, Tim did sit there il
his deep saddle dead. There was no telling
how many miles his cold hand had hell
the rein as be rode down the long trail, bu
he had come to the end of it at last.-Cin
cinnati Post.