The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-06-26

(cestAsssx. f;sss yesfsrls,3
Tank got up,straightway. He huns
his cigar from him, and stretched a
6eavy, almost fatherly hand on
bDunne's shoulder.
Ny boy" he said, you're on q
lwrong lead. Kathryn said last night
Eyou.d think that, but told her no,
you wasn't such blamed fool. That
little girl is my daughter
The Boss, with all his roughness,
uttered the last words with infinite
tenderness AS he spoke, his small
blue eyes filled with tears. and a
ehaky spot appeared in the center OF
Mis- huger chin.
Your sdaughter." exclaimed Dunno,
IN amazment. half whispering the
words: "'Your daughter? Kathryn
Moore your daughter? thought
lswhy. thought did not know you
mad daughter
\ YES" said Tank, speaking In a
How reminiscent way, with voice OF
deepest gravity, in tones SO solemn
land tender that Dunno thought he
lhad never heard any priest, or
preacher. or actor approach them:
'eYes, she is my daughter"
"Then her name Is not Moore? "
lhe&asked ,stumbiing and clutching at
1.-The different features of the startling
f1eyelation as they presented them
gselves ITO his mind.
\ "Yesy' said the Boss, breathing
eheavily,i and laboring under strong
Remotion.,, Her name is Moore. Ny
bname is, not Tank. That's only q
bnickname, they gave me in another
|ftown. Without much en- tell you
1.-THE story no man ever heard before.
RTwenty-two years ago yesterday I
<comesin from spree to find my wife
Bdead. and our little baby, Kathryn,
Ebeside her cryin' with hunger. No,
~ hadn't killed her. never struck
Fiber. / never gave her harsh word.
HShe was frail little thing. Just
hkilled her by neglect. In them days
III was nothin' but a sponge, lush,
la tank. That's what the boys called
me, and that poor little girl just broke
her heart. Well, it sobered me. I
crept out and got drink Of liquor
on jawbone for myself, and on some
more jawbone / got drink Of milk
for the baby. There amt many words
saids over drunkard's wife when she
dies. and the next day I took the
|fbaby and left the place. But before
III left' that room, I, sot at twenty
sIthree, stood up and promised AL
hmighty God that I'd do for the girl
Ewhat ] failed to do for her mother,
Land / crossed my heart, and said,
r. An so1help me, God, I'll make man
eof myself, too. So l got her into q
aCatholic Home, and drifted around
sfor fewtmonths, tryin' to work when
N.could, and readin' some and studyin'.
III thought maybe I'd be second
RGeorge Washington or an Abraham
E1dncoln, fbut nothin' didn't come OF
Ethat. wasn't built right or bred
fright. Twas Graded too close to the
tgutter, guess. Well, after a while,
IL strNck this town. / hadn't made q
Estarttyet, because l. couldn't seem to
bget place to start from. About the
Esffrna 1opdod bara oo+ ~ an. ~ .
1.-THE place for Teller to start from is
fright where he is. I was just bar
broom bum, and right there woke up
land got onto myself, and started-in
Ethe>bar room. quit tankin' 30 much
Fand took to hangin' out close up to
mike Hennessy's free lunch counter.
p cleaned out spittoons and took out
fold sawdust and put down the fresh.
II used to help carry the drunks up
fstatrs to sober off, and the like of
tthat. got into better physical
fcondition, too, and, one night when
fthey was big row in Mikes place,
band 1t looked like shootin' and a lot
Rof 1t. / climbed in amongst them. and
kcuffed few fellers out and bluffed
tsome more, and took away about a
Ebushel basket full of guns from EN-.
EThen | sent EN- home in different d.
Tections. When it kind OF quieted
Edown, Mike sticks his head out from
hunder the bar:
"' What's your name, cove?' he
says.
Dan Tank says 1, and that day
n buried Dan Moore forever. Well.
Dan Tank says Mike, you're on the
payroll from now on. You sleep up
stairs and you live off the counter and
there's five week besides!'
That give me start. NV long
tsuit was handlin' the rough necks, and
been handlin' 'em ever since. That's
why I'm boss. I've always drunk
some, but I've never been drunk since
Il struck this town. I've never seen