The Oskaloosa herald., 1900-12-27
CAPTAIN "TOMMIES'
TACKLE.
BY .FrIIx," ~ "pLAcK SOIL I


Tom Briggs received the sobriquet of
Captain Tommie" at school and il chung
to him closer than any brother all thru
college, and out into the world. He Was
a very popular as well as athletic fellow,
and whenever a base ball or foot ball team
was to be organized, Tom generally had
his finger in the pie and was chosen cap
tain. Nor wac it very Surprising, for Tom
was one of those fellows who could do
almost everything with a fair degree of
excellence. He was a swift, strong n
about as good on a long distance as at a
sprint. He was just as expert OIL a wheel.
As a jumper, either standing or running,
he was hard to beat. he was a very good
shot, with rifle or revolver, and could wing
his bird with a shotgun as well as any of
the hunters around that part of the coun-
try. He was the best base ball pitcher in
the country, and no one will ever forget
the time he struck out twenty-seven men
in one game. But his forte was in foot
ball. Llght, why, and quick as a cat, he
was an ideal quarterback, and as captain
of the Hawkeye College Eleven, won re-
nown. both for himself and for his team, by
his exceedingly brilliant work as a player
and as a captain.
But all these eKeellencies failed to profit
him after he left college. He graduated
IN 1894, and commenced his career in life
during that period of discouragingly hard
times. His father had the misfortune to
lose almost everything in the panic of 1913,
and could not help Tom. Positions were
hard to find and Captain Tommie" finally
drifted west, and entered the Office of "The
Hard Pan Gold Mining Co." of C
Colorado. It was while there that his
ship came in" tho it was a disguised
blessing at the time. At first he occupied
the exalted position of General Roust-
about" aud he used to write home to his
parents and say that Colorado was a great
country, where the lowest position to be
had was that of General. But, before so
very long, the Pay Clerk was called east
by the illness of his father, and Tom was
gwen his place, tho not his salary. Tom
was too green a hand to get much pay.
In fact It was pitifully small, End barely
sufficient to keep him. The boy who had
been pampered all his life felt the meager-
ness of such an existence much more
keenly than one would who had been in
ured to poverty from a child.
But he must live, and being of a bouyant
nature, always expected better things in
the future, and pegged away, learning rap
idly and ding all he could to please his
employers. So the months wore on, and
as nothing better came, the monotony of
the steady grind was beginning to dis
courage even Tom. Being of an observ-
ing nature, he soon saw that the manager
had personal ends in view in which Mr..
Thomas Briggs did not figure at all, and
he considered himself lucky to even hold
the position he had.
One blustery Friday afternoon in late
December, Tom was sitting alone in the
Office. He was through with his work,
and was occupied in watching the big
snow flakes drifting down from the leaden
sky, whirled hither and thither by the fit
full wind. He was lonely, homesick and
discouraged, and the drifting snow flakes
only helped to remind him of happier
winters in the east. He wanted and ex-
pected to nave spent Christmas at home,
but with all his pinching and scrimping
he had not been able to lay by enough to
pay his railroad fare.
As he sat there looking out of the win
dow, with a very wOe-begone expression
on his face, the boss entered, carrying a
small grip, which Tom knew contained
the money to pay the men for December,
so that they might the better enjoy their
! Christmas.
"Hereyar, young man, take good care of
this" said the manager grufiy. as he swung
the satchel over to Tom, who had risen on
his ARRIVAL. There's over fifty thousand
In there; pay for the new drills, besides
the mems money, this time"
"why, what's that for?" asked Tom in
surprise, 81 thought the eastern office
always paid those things direct"
"Oh, some deal, 1 guess" said the man
ager, as he sat down at his desk. Bought
the drills of the R. & s. people, I under
stand; anyway its none of our lookout.
Got the pay roll figured tonight"
eyes, SIR" said Tom, pulling it out of
a pigeon hole and giving it to the manager.
IAN right" said that worthy, Il guess
YOU can go now" and he turned his atten-
| tior to the list which he held in his hand.
| Tom put the griPiu the money box, locked
the iron door and gave the key to the man
ager. Good night, sir" he said courte-
ously.
"Good ni-er. Oh, by the way, Tom, 1
almost forgot, but the night watch has to
be off tonight, and you will have to take
his place. He said that his wife was very
sick and that he had to go. Get here by
eight, anyway" and he turned to his
papers.
Tom buttoned up his coat and went out
| into the storm. He didn't enjoy the idea
of sitting up all night, when he knew that
| the next day would be the hardest of the
whole month for him, and besides it was
no small responsibility to stay all night in
the lonely mine Office, guarding fifty thous-
and dollars. Tom found himself ~envying
the ~watchman with the sick wife. But
"what can't be cured must be endured"
and so Tom prepared to make the best of
il. When he reached his room, he loaded
a couple of reviewers, which had been a
graduating present sent from his college
chum, SO that if anything should happen
he would be prepared. Then he ate his
supper, borrowed a couple of novels from
a fellow boarder and taking his reyolvers