The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1913-10-30
none or the best people. Anybody wno
was anybody wouldn't think OF moving


none OF the best people. Anybody VINO
was anybody wouldn't think OF moving
away. '
Except Mr.. Curran. He wondered
why he bad come back. Sentiment
brought him as 1t had sent him forth,
as 1t directed most of his affairs. Senti-
ment, this September afternoon, kept
him sitting on q bale OF stock paper In
front Of the News office, watching the
town kids bat flies on the vacant lot
next to him. 1t was press day, the
weeks issue was run off and Aleck and
Jim Minis, the tramp printer, were
wrapping the mail list to take to the
postoffice In a w~heelbarrow. Mr.. Cur
ran ought to have been Busy, but he
smoked and watched the town kids.
In that. same lot he batted flies with
the same fence for q. back stop, yelled
the same derision at the pitcher. broke
same alley when old Marshal Be came
doddering from the court house on
complaint of the Widow Steger. Mr..
Curran could sentimentally forget that
he was 80. b.
A clamor of the high school football
practice came from behind the curtain
Of yellowing sugar trees on High street.
Only the younger town kids still ling
cred at the summer diversion, Of fly
batting, n for every urchin who hung
his bare legs over the News walk in
the tarweed, waiting his turn. there
were at least two dogs. As Jim Minis
said. all the yelps and kyoodles in town
were there. Mr.. Curran s~entimentally
wished he had a dog-he felt himself
worthy a good dog. He listened to
Aleck Shaping his paste on the
wrappers and watched the ky
coolies yawing around the kids feet,
scratching their spines In the tarweed
and grinning UP with all the pleasure
OF II. and he said suddenly aloud: ..
Gee. ] wish / had a dog!"
Then somebody. whom he had not
noticed-a big dusty man wearing a
new and absurdly small derby hat
stopped with his hand on the hitching
post before the News and retorted:
Gee, / wish / had a dog!"
The editor turned and then stood up
and yelled And the big dusty man
took his hand and he yelled. =
WILEY old topl"
"Rube, o old Indian!" .r / s.
RUDE grinned all over his swarthy
face. "Old top, how are your"
High, wide and handsome!"
You don't look that last. Wiley.
How's the old lady?'
Aunt Abby's At as silk. Come up
to dinner" ~. ".5' - . "'+sE
II Intended to. Hey, the kids st1l
playing ball or the lot like they did
when I vas q kid" ...s
Season closed. Rube? Where did
YOU bunch wind up?"
"In the cellar. Tn through with the
game, Wiley. I can't throw to second
no more My arms all In. No more
OF this bush league ball for me. Car
michaefs stin 20 that Job for me-
chambermaid to his livery horses"
Mi. Curran laughed sorrowfully. So
did Rube Var Hart. He rubbed his big
1 rad ~ andn anA kHH~ n kAIlAnIA - $500
n looked down at the town kid who
had assembled to gaze in awe. One
raced off to the high schol practice, to
spread the news: Hi. Rube Van Hart
has got backi"
Everybody knew Rube. Poor old
Rube! The whole nation knew RUDE a
while back-let's see. Was II with the
Cubs. 1901 or 'o2? Eth, the bubble rep
utation! There were other mighty.
men now. RUDE had gone back to the
BUSH"
Next spring" went on the former
Lacquer. "Tn stay and coach the high
school bunch, Wiley" .
mo o won't" smiled the editor.
when you begin to read the Sunday
sups. and spring training opens up
down in San Antonio. you'n be miss
ing some fine morning. Gone to help
break In the Cub recruits, and then
you'll play the season with the Cotton
league or the Tnree-C,"
N more. Here's my finish, Wiley,
right here where / learned the game
next the News lot. Back in the old
town where o come back. too, Wiley.
Back where we was kids together" -.
The editor looked wistfully across
the court house square. The big lea
guer's glance followed. A bar Of the.
sunset lighted the dingy old court
house. The windows were open. From
the court room above came the voice
Of some lawyer droning his plea to a
farmer jury. In an office on the lower
floor could see a woman bent Sc
riously over a desk. btered with pa
pers and reports. .>'.
INJURED Rube. And there's Janet Vance.
and now she's county superintendent,
n I'm all in. n you're a foo edi-
tor. That girl got ahead Of US all,
Wiley. since we was kids together"
Wiley sighed. He pulled his short
brown beard. that Vandyke which, in
Rome, lent him a foreign air and gave
him the reputation Of being literary,
whatever that meant. Nobody. not ever
the fool editor. knew exactly. Yet no.
body was afraid Of Mr.. Curran. The
kids spoke Of him as Wiley; all the
old women came In to tell him their
~neighborhood troubles; and on High
street the best families ignored him,
even with their. irritated feeling that
on points of the worldly name he was
infinitely better versed than they. and
that he we laughing at them. 1t was
known that. Mr.. Curran had been TO
Europe. 1t was rumored that he had
been in Jail. One can learn a deal In
each. Mr.. Curran. it seems. had learned
to laugh. .