Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-01-27
. Red Head and Whistle Brooches

He was a gray haired man, and his
face was the face Of q nObleman.
Clear gray eyes were set deep under
his brows. and his mouth was
straight line Of uncompromising hon
esty. He sat with one knee thrown
over the other. With one hand he
fingered a pen on the desk at his side;
the other he ran again and again
through the hair that stood in masses
on his head. His face was long, and
the cheek bones protruded. His nose
was power and his chin was resist
ance.
He listened silently until Father
Maurice had ended. Then he laid the
pen carefully by the inkstand, I'M
folded his gaunt limbs and arose.
"No," he said, slowly; II cannot in
terfere."
"Eut his wife-his mother?' asked
the priest.
"do should have considered them
before" said the Governor, sadly. IF
you prepare petition, will consider
it. but I 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.
It is late to think Of them when the
prison door Is closed. You will pardon
| me, father, but I 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 priests
hand, and then shuff1ed forward to be
dismissed.
"Good-night, SIR" said the Governor.
81 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. care you the Mike Murphy
who used to go to old No. school in
Harmontown forty-no, ffty-years
ago? There was a Mike Murphy sat
on my bench. Are you the boy they
called Red Head"
The old man tried to answer His
lips formed the words, but his voice
did not come. He nodded his head
BE seated, gentlemen" said the
Governor, and Father Maurice sat
down hopefully. Mike Murphy drop
ped into a chair with deeper dejec-
ton.
"Well. WE'LL" The Governor nodded
his head slowly, his gray eyes search
ing the rudy face before him. $50
you are the Mike Murphy who used
to drub me?
He smiled grimly. His eyes stray
ed from the old mans face, and their
glance was lost in the air above his
head. He smiled again, as he sat with
the fingers of his left hand pressing
the thin skin into a roll above his
cheek bone, for he recalled an Incl
dent of his boyhood.
The Governor had once been an ar
|
in the big white house two blocks
above the schoolhouse, on the opposite
side Of the street, Red Head Mike
lived across the alley in q shanty.
The Governors mother bought milk
Of Mrs. Murphy, and Red Head
brought 1t every evening. He was the
first to 60 barefoot in the spring,
picking his way with painful CAREFUL
ness over the clods in the street, and
he was the real thing. He even chew
| ed real tobacco The others chewed
licorice or purple thistle tops, but Red
Head had the real thing. He even
smoked 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 q liberal education. All the bows
swore more or less, especially when
they were behind the barn smoking
corn silk, but they knew It was not
natural. It was a puny imitation, but
the Red Head article sounded right.
But 1t was when it came to fighting
that Red Head proved his right to
the worship Of the words. He could
lick any two boys in the school.
The Governor, who was plain VIII
lie Gary then, could not fght at all.
His early youth was one great fear Of
being whipped. The smallest boys in
the school were accustomed to prac-
tee on him until they gained suffl-
cient dexterity or courage to attack
one another. He had a hundred op-
probrious nicknames, which he accept
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
drubbsd his back At pleasure BE