The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1904-02-17

trail and presently old Tom Brophy
followed him.
Where soin', Tom'" called Big
Dan. .
waikiki" answered Tom. Which
was plainly the truth.
Three hours later Tom came back
and the tramp was with him. He
bunk. Then he came out and sat
down with the rest about the fire.
He's bughouse," said Tom. "Jist
plum crazy. He runs away from the
asylum down to Milwaukee I'D he's
been chasin' himself through the
woods now for nigh three months.
comes up with him back these in the
woods and him and me has cutie an
argament. Finally he agrees to come
back here with me, an I'm goin' to
take him to town In the mornin'.
Thought they was somethin' queer
about him in the fust place. An l
knowed that no sane feller'd start on
down that trail like he did, without
any grub or any place to go to-"
The Chicago man kept getting new
lights on old Toms character almost
every day. OF course there was an
other side to 1t, too. In the spring.
when Tom came out Of the woods
with a couple Of hundreds OF hard.
| earned dollars In his mackinaw, he
was wont to get beastly drunk and
to remain In that condition until both
his money and his credit were ex'
hausted. It usually took all the sum-
mer to get the whiskey bills paid. But
they were always paid, exorbitant
as they usually were.
One hot July afternoon old Tom
was peellng hemlock bark at peel
ing camp four miles from the shack.
Four miles In the opposite direction
was the Rawlins cabin, where three
women and a small boy lived alone
in the woods. Presently Tom, look
ing up, saw a thin column Of smoke
rising high above the trees In the
direction of the Rawlins place. He
watched it for a few minutes and
saw it grow larger and blacker. Then
he took off his shoes, stripped of
most of his clothes and started on a
heavy run through the deep sand OF
the trail which led to the Raylins
claim.
Four miles through the sand on o
hot afternoon is pretty strong exer
else for a man of so, but Tom was
still full of vigor. When he got neal
enough to see that the fire was get
ting close up to the Rawlins cabin or
the west, the three women were Out
doing their best to stop the fire with
buckets of water.
Tom grabbed an ak and cut dowr
half a dozen small trees which stood
close to the cabin. Then he started
the women carrying water in bucket:
from the lake, while he stood close
to the roaring flames and put it where
it would do the most good.
1t seems foolish thing for single
man to attempt to conquer fores
fire. with whole birch and hemlocl
trees wrapped in pillars Of flame al
about him. But that was exactl.
what old Tom did, with GOODNESS
ar skill that wasted no drop of wa
ter. He fought that fire until hi
whiskers were half burned away ant
his face, between sweat and fallin!
cinders. was as black as that of ;
negro. He scorched lis bare feet
hundred times by stepping on thu
still hot trunks Of fallen trees. ant
the gray shirt on his back wa
burned through In half dozen places
And. Incredible though II seem, h,
/ conquered 1t. Towards the last. tw,
, or three other men came in over tn
| trails and helped him put out tn
smoldering embers and soak tn
, ground to depth of several feet s,
that the fire should not be carried TN
, der the surface by the burning roots
I But 1t was old Tom who really Tough
the battle and won 1t.
"And now" he said finally to tn
I Rawlins women, III you'll fix me
, bunk some'ers III sleep here tonight
SOS you needn't be scared about n
, fire Dustin out again."
, You see, old Tom Brophy is moth
Ing but dirty and disreputable oil
I. lumber Jack. Really, 1t would spoi
!, ones reputation to have anything I
, do with him.-Chicago Tribune.