La Junta tribune., 1907-06-29


as soft Tommy While his father.
who was one OF the largest railroad
contractors In the country. was known
as a level beaded man. his only son,
Tommy. Was playing going TO COZ
iege" and making . fool Of himself
whenever occasion offered. compIia-
tion OF the idiotic things Tommy did
In the course Of two years would make
| n small volume OF statistics. He get
drunk he bet on horses. be played pok-
er, h. fell In love with his isundres.,
be got into Jail. be ran himself and
| his father into debt TO the tune Of thou
sands. As q windup he fell IN love
with chorus girl at New York the
ater. went on drunk lasting two
| weeks and WAS disSracefuily expelled
f. from college. His old man stopped
building the Colorado Midland long
enough to come east and brihe the
chorus girl TO let 60 pay up Tommy's
debts, talk to him in vigorous Eng.
( iish and then take him west to Ill
some unimportant position where he
| could keep aD eye on him.
| Tommy's haIcyon days were over
| He had to knuckle down and be good.
| In the course OF two years he became
so good and SO sensible that he was
| permitted TO go east and marry the
| daughter OF locomotive builder. with
/ whom he had become acquainted while
/ she was making a tour of the west. II
was conceded Oh all sides that Tommy
I 10, hus
| Interested in his fathers work. been
| given Il partnership. and he was looked
upon ms coming man in the business
1 OF constructing and outiittinS railrOldE.
Tommy and his bride were to do
the east and then bring up In their fu
ture home in Denver, and everything
went according TO programme until
they headed for the west. Then Tom
my received word to bring alon- u
sum OF money from Wall street. The
fact that he had S-D.Ov1 buttoned w
behind his coat caused n relapse from
virtue on Tommy's part He became
soft" again. lie drank and swaS
gc9cd and told everybody what big
/ man he was In the Colorado Midland,
and soon after leavin. Ashley on his
home coming he fell Into the hand' ol
the Phlllstines. Three thieves aul a
gambler had spotted him and We're
after his inouey. They didn't care how
they got hold OF II, but after awhile
found that the game of poker would De
the easiest way. When Tommy be-an
I drinking he became obstinate. and.
( leuslng his fearful bride In the purlOr
I car, he took hand Ia the game start
ed elsewb here for his particular beueiit.
/ Then the chorus Sirl made her, en-
| trance. She had let 90 OF Tommy FOR
! .ood She had never cared for lin In
a sentimental way. She had drifted
! from the chorus In New York 10 the
vaudeville In II western town OF hard
rcpute and was on her return from
| trip to Chicago when she ran across
Tommy and his wife. Her first emo
,lons were those OF jealousy 10 think
! that he had married, and she thirstcd
| Tor revenge against the child faced
1 bride Then she reasoned that she
never intended To marry Tommy any
/ way and that he and his papa had
treated her very literally. and she
| gave over her IDEA of revenge. Tommy
| didn't recognize her during the long
| day that she occupied seat directly
across the aisle. but she saw that lie
/ had something on his mind and was
drinkin. himself M to II. The gam
/ biers Were going 10 make up game
( for the night. anl he wanted Ia be
counted In and arrive In Denver with
n few extra hundred dollars in his
I pocket The protesting bride was or
Z ,,ered 10 the stateroom. and Tommy
( went in search OF the game. He soon
/ found il. The eS-chorus girl had sized
mp the newly married couple and the
I situation. and she reasoned them out
'as follows:
Tommy the soft is nc. as big a fool
taken in by those card sharps. From
his swagger he has evidently got n lot
Of money with him. He has gone and
forgotten me and got married Instead
of pininc along in single b!esse,lness
hut won't hold that up against him.
That wife of his Is little innocent
She may have seen circus once O..
twice in her life. hut her knowledge Of
the world stops there. lf she would
take Tommy by the ear. as | used to
do. instead OF playing the baby. she
could bring him to the mark. But she
hasn't the pluck. Tommy will gamble
lose his money. and there Will he q
scene when he f;,ccs his father. I
must do something for the helpless In
fants''
The game was going on In the snok
er. There were only two or three pas
sengcrs In the ear. and II may have
been that the conductor stood In with
the biaeklecs At any rate. when the
ex-chorus girl made her appearance in
the ear he politely limited that size had
made Il mistake.
Not II the court knows herself was
hnr. rc.lIN Il GANG In hcr1. tn ..uf n