The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1905-06-15

TIMOTHY Kelley was hopeless
case, at least that is what the
citizens of Heron Park declared,
with few exceptions. Little
Betsy Weller was one of these excep- |
tions; she-and a few others whom we j
may learn to know later on-differed |
from the rest of the population at
Heron Park in their opinion of Tim |
Kelley.
The story of Tins past was sad
one. Early in his life his father had
filled drunkard's grave, leaving his
son and widow almost destitute. The
little hut they called home was their
only worldly possesslon-the only
thing of value that the elder Kelley
had not turned into whisky. Mrs.
Kelley was compelled to take in wash
ing and go out as scrubwoman, and
do other odd jobs of house work IN
order to keep the wolf from the door.
Consequently Tim was left very much
to himself. He began by playing
truant from school, and soon became
the leader of the tough boys of the
town. He began using tobacco at
the age of seven, and when he was
twelve he had twice been intoxicated.
He became envolved in drunken
brawls and acquired the reputation of
a bad character. His wicked deeds
were related from mouth to mouth the
town over. Some of the suspicious
souls had gone to Mrs. Reiley early in
Tins wicked career to remonstrate
with her and induce her, If possible, to
send the boy to the state training
school. Mrs. Kelley denied most en-
phstically that her boy was bad. On
the contrary, she insisted that he was
as good as the rest of the boys in town,
and little better than whole lot of
them. ga boy that will stay at home
and chop wood or turn washing
machine for hours at time when he is
told is not bad" said Mrs. Kelley. "Tim
never in all his life refused to do what
asked him. He may be little wild
sometimes, but he always obeys me.
And boy who obeys his mother is
not bad," she repeated. And they con-
tinued to tolerate Tins evil ways for
the sake of his mother. So things went
on until Tim was about twenty. He
had worked in one place or another all
over the town. He would apply him
self with will for few days, then
he'd get drunk, have fight with some
one of the other employees and then
get fired. He became the theme for
the conversations of the village gossips.
But the towns patience became ex.
hausted when some Of its "irst citizens
were seen about with blackened eyes
and sticking-plaster on their faces
There was no need to ask who theiI
decorator was; they knew Tim Rel
ley's work by the thoroughness of the
job. So the "SocietY of Loyal Tenn
perate Neighbors" appointed com
mittee of three to interview "tha
good-fer-nothin' Kelley fellow" and tel
him gently but firmly that he mus
desist in his artistic decorating o.
Heron Park citizens. Tim happened
to have on "a spelP' when the mem
bers of the "Neighbors" went to SCI
him, and he lit into and whipped th'
whole three of them. When the liv
ing cyclone had passed and the.
picked their bruised and aching bodie
up out of the dust they felt cheap; ant
all agreed that "this mustn't leak out.
And the pugilistic Tim was left alon
for while. 1t was about this tim
that he met little Betsy Weller, tn
girl with the great thoughtful eyer
Tim was fine manipulating fellow
and it was not long ere he becam
timid little Betsy's hero. He now n
solved to be good. But luck and hi
past record were against him. No on
cared to employ such drunken bull
as he was reported to be. Then h
disappeared from Heron Park. Peopl
wondered some at first where b
might have gone to; Mrs. Kelley, if ST
knew of his whereabouts, did not tel
Betsy only shook her head and smile