The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1904-03-31
. Red HEAD and Whistle Brooches



snce.
He listened silently until Father
Maurice had ended. Then he laid the
zen carefully by the inkstand, I'M
folded his gaunt limbs and arose.
'No," he said. slowly; Il cannot in
terfere'
"Eut his wife-his mother?" asked
the priest.
lie should have considered them
before said the Governor sadly. IF
you prepare II petition, I will consider
1t, but l cannot offer you any hope.
They all come to me with the same
plea-the wife and the mother-but
they do not take the wife and mother
into account when the blow is struck
1t is late to think of them when the
prison door Is closed You will pardon
me, father, but l am very tired to.
night"
He extended his hand in token that
the Interview was at an end, and Mike
arose from his chair in the shadow.
He stood awkwardly turning his hat
while the Governor shook the priest 3
hand and then shuffled forward to be
dismissed
"Good-night SIR" said the Governor
Il did not hear your name
Murphy said the priest, quickly;
Michael Murphy. He is the father
of the boy"
The Governor looked the old man
over carefully, and the old mans eyes
fell under his keen glances.
mike Murphy?' asked the Govern
or, slowly. Are you the Mike Murphy
who used to go to old No. 3 school in
liarmontown forty-no, fifty-years
ago? There was Mike Murphy sat
on my bench. Are you the boy they
called Rcd Head:"
The old man tried to answer. His
lips formed the words, but his voice
did net come. He nodded his head.
BE seated, gentlemen" said the
Governor, and Father Maurice sat
down hopefully. Mike Murphy drop
s. ped into chair with deeper deiec-
ton.
"Well well.' The Governor nodded
his head slowly. his gray eyes search
ing the rudy face before him. 80
YOU are the Mike Murphy who used
to drub me-"
He smiled griplly. His eyes stray
ed from the old mans face, and their
glance was lost in the air above his
head. He smiled again. rs he sat with
the fingers of his left hand pressing
the thin skin into IL roll above his
cheek bone. for he recalled an Incl
dent of his boyhood.
The Governor had once been an ar
rant little coward. His mother lived
in the big white house two blocks
above the schoohouse, on the opposite
side OF the street. Red Head Mike
lived across the alley In a. shanty.
The Governors mother bought milk
of Mrs. Murphy, and Red Head
brought il every evening. lie. was the
first to go barefoot in the spring,
picking his way with painful carefuIl4
ness over the clods in the street. and
he was the real thing. He even chew
ed n real tobacco. The others, clfowed
licorlce or purple thistle tops, but Red
Head had the real thing lie even
smoked a real pipe without dire conse-
quences, and laughed at the other
boys mild substitutes of corn silk and
LADY cigars" while the way he swore
was a liberal education All the bors
swore more or less, especially wreh
they were behind the barn 'smol,iu,,
corn silk, but they knew il was; not
natural. 1t was a puny Imitation. but
the Red Head article sounded right
But 1t was when 1t came to fighting
that Red Head proved his fright to
the worship of the words. He could
lick any two boys in the school.
The Governor, who was plain WIZ
lie Gary then, could not fight at nil.
His early youth was one great fear of
being whipped. The smallest bows in
the school We're accustomed to .prac
tice on him until they gained suffl-
Client dexterity or courage to attack
one another. He had hundred Oh.
probrious nicknames, which he accent
ed meekly. "Cry Baby was the IA.
vorite. When he was attacked he hid
his face in his arm and bawled, lean.
ing his arm against any convenient
fence or tree, while his tormentor
drubbed his back at pleasure He
was happy when he could sneak home
unmolested. The chiefest of his tor
mentors was Red Head, but there was
no Partially. All the boys drubbed
him.
One day Mrs. Gary made him a
pair of breeches They were good
stout breeches of dove colored cordu
roy, and his mother was proud of
them. So was Willie. AS he walked
to school he felt that every one saw
and admired them He felt as con-
spicuous as when. In dream, he
went to school in his night dress, but
he felt more comfortable.
He took his seat in the sclooroom
proudly, and when he was called TO
the blackboard TO do q sum he walked
with strut He felt that even the
big boys, the wonderful youths who
had money to Jingle in their pockets,
observed him. and he blushed AS he
imagined the eyes of the little women
on the girls side of the room follow
ing him.
AS he crossed the floor the legs of
his breeches rubbed against each
other giving forth the crisp corduroy
sound of t-whist-whist." It
IL hn Il, nj