Evening star., 1925-06-28
Tim of Bush Valley
BY A. NJ. CHISHOLM.


children, but he had no money, and
he knew that the Rigney credit al
ready had been heavily strained
The money he had received from the
camp had gone. So had Mr.. Sankey's
S. bill, which would have solved the
problem. In this strait he received a
letter from his father. And when 1t
came to the written word father had
little on son. Thus Mike Rigney
wrote:
II got the dolls where you got
it to send it to me god knos unles
Jakman pad for the wood. ! put in
20 cords of creme to him at dolls
and ". He pad 1a then he was TO
pa the other ~ when it was dry so
he ows 35 dolls now unless he pad
you / hop he did. / bot a pipe an
Tobacco with the money an have som
left. / am havin' fine time smokin'
an restin' my leg is doin' fin an I
will be abel to walk soon an work.
God bias you al boy an Merry Chrismus
| wish it was more / could send with
love an now no NOR from your lovin
father.
Yours respectfully
m. Rigney."
The reference to the debt of Jack.
man for wood was a lead to be fol-
lowed up. Tim had not known of
this asset. Mr.. Jackman was one of
the leading men of the little settle
ment. He was chairman of the school
board and he was supposed to be well
off. But he had few friends, for
which fact a reputation for parsimony
and close dealing may have been
responsible.
Tim went to see him and came
directly to the point. Mr. Jackman, a
bag, f1eshy man with a bulls head and
a bulls stare, frowned down at the
boy.
Il took that wood to help your
father out" he said. 'and l paid him
at the time what it was agreed that
l should pay"
He says you paid half then" said
Tim, "and you was to pay the other
half when the wood was dry, and
it's dry now"
II want to see your father about
that wood Mr.. Jackman returned.
What for?" young Tim demanded.
Because when | came to look at it
1t didn't measure up. 1t wasn't piled
right"
"Lemme see t." said Tim.
AS Mr.. Jackman had used most OF
the wood in question he found this re-
quest embarra ssing. He frowned at
the DOS lmpOrtunltN.
'Ill talk to your father about it, ;"
he said with fnality. But Tim would
not have it that way.
You know he's in the hospital" he
said. II need some money pretty
bad"
HIM" said Mr.. Jackman, scenting
a possibility. We'll, as l say, the
wood was short measure. That will
have TO be made up. But l suppose
4
SO I'm willing to give you SIS in full
payment"
Tim shook his head. You're OWN
S35 on it
I'm not pay full price for short
measure
Nobody wants you to-" said young
Tim. But" he went on Loyalty, dad
never gave no short measure. His cords
is good cord n "a q uarter of what you d
get from some
Il know what wood | got Mr..
Jackman returned tartly.
$50 do l." Tim retorted, his youth
full temper beginning to get the better
of his awe of the big man. You got
90 cords, that's what you got. And. y
he added cogently, "if you was going
to kick on it why didn' you do it when
you paid dad half. You're OWN him
$35. and l won't take no S25."
"I'll pay no money to an impudent
boy" MIR. Jackman snapped. When
your father comes back I'll settle with
him"
IAN right" said Tim. But you don't
run no dam short-meas sure bluffs on
me. mister"
You're an impudent, profane young
pup" said Mr.. Jackman. Get to-um
that is, get out of here"
So Tim got out. bitterness in his
heart, not so much because he had
failed to raise the wind as because of
what he knew to be a false accusation
against his father.
THE old skim he muttered. embel-
fishing the epithet with several i'm
proper prefixes "Tryin' to do us out
of SO on that wood. l wouldn't take
a cent less nor what he agreed to
pay, nor dad won't And if l was dad
I'd larrup the face off of him"
But that financial avenue was
closed The ranch had nothing to sell.
He confessed that he was at the end
of his resources.
Il can't get nothin' for the kids"
he admitted to himself. But there'n
be something for them at the school
tree. Thatll have to do EN-
And so when the night arrived he
hitched up the old grays to a wagon
whose box he had piled with straw
and with his brothers and sister set
out for school. Arriving, they wedged
themselves modestly into back row.
The anticipations of the younger chill
dren ran high. They fixed eager eyes
on a curtain made of sheets which hid
the glories of the Christmas tree.
Now it so happened that the teacher
who had begun the Fall term had