The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1904-03-12
Old Tom
Brophy


shape. and piece of black felt hat.
A good many city people have GER
tain contempt for old Tom; feeling
which IL they but knew. is no more
than returned by Tom.
Once there was man from Chi
cago who attempted to give old Tom
a quarter as a tip for helping him
cut and drive some tent pegs.
Thank you. rather not" said
Tom. refusing the coin. III hadn't
of liked you. I'd have seen you further
before Id have helped you"
At which the city man felt \ bit
Ashamed and wondered If he really
had the old fellow sized up right.
Every Sunday morning. instead of
getting up at 4 o'clock. as usual. old
Tom lay lnxuriously in bed until half
after 6. Then he arose and bctook
himself to the lake. Thirty feet out
from shore stood the broad stump of
an old pine tree. Wading calmly out
through water up to his hips old Tom
sat down on. top of the stump, dis
'bed-an exceedingly simple process
and proceeded to take bath. Then
.
red and yellow mackinaw jacket
and started away at his slow and dig
nlned -,alk over the hlazed trail.
through the hemlock swamp which
led to French Jacks" shack and
homestead on Seven Mile "crick."
II cal'late to step over and file
Jacks saws fer him."
How far IL 1t. Tom?"
Eighteen mile. comm an goin'."
Cant he nle his own saws?"
TOO old and too much busted down
By hard work and lIkker. Jacks Is.
you know, and we're the nearest
neighbors he's got. Jacks got the
trembles so bad he can't hardly run
. saw. let alone file err"
How much does he pay your"
"Payf Huh! I'm as ornery as they
make 'em, but amt takin' no money
OF OF French Jack fist yit. Besides.
won't have to go over many more
Sundays. One of these days Ill find
the old cuss petered plum out over
tkere In his shack. Got to keep q
goin' till then. list to be %iecint.'
Then the man from the city did
some more thinking as to the right
Of old Tom Brophy to be classed as
member of good society--in the best
sense.
One August evening q genuine
tramp came suddenly out of the trail
which led back into the great pine
forest and shufied UP to the shack
where four men were sitting. old
Tom among them.
Now q tramp is as rare In the big
woods as an Austrian grand duke in
Chicago and excites Just as much
curiosity and interest. though the
woods people are not 30 vulgar ~ to
show Il openly.
''Ev'nin'. gents" said the shifty-
eyed vagabond, dropping the bundle,
done up in a red handkerchief, which
he carried at the end of stick.
'Ev'nin'," returned the four men In
front of the shack, four pairs OF
steady. shrewd eyes all the time
studying the pathetic. curious figure,
bulging at all sorts Of unexpected
places with stored plumber.
kin . Teller git something to eat?"
asked the tramp.
He kim" answered .le push" OF
the camp. and prasently brought out
from the shack q heaping plate full
of boiled beef and potatoes.
Thank you," said the tramp, when
he mad eaten. (which way does this
trail lead tot"
Straight into the big woods" said
the push" They amt = clearing
along 1t for twenty miles."
well, must be a-goin'. So LONG.
The tramp shufiied away into the
forest. and big Dan" spoke first.
"Nust be tryfn' to git away from
the oficers. Likes not he's . muir.
derer."
"Er one them big embezzlers. No
real tramp'd fuss around In this coun.
try. ninety miles from everywhere"
said Scotch Aleck.
Il do hope to thunder he amt got
no matches about him." said Big Dan,
THE woods is As dry AZ gunpowder."
Fire is the one great dread of the
people who live in the big woods
Imagine a log hut standing in the
midst OF little clearing and entirely
surrounded by 4 tangled forest; set
that dry forest on IRE and see the
great pillows Of flame sweeping up
hundred feet or more against the
sky and running before = thirty mile
gale. and you can imagine something
Of the dread with which q SON of the
north woods looks upon o IRE In the
forest.
; The tramp disappeared down the