Evening star., 1925-06-27
CONTINUED from Yesterdays star9
Tim rendered verse much as a Gov

Tim rendered verse much as a COW
wades through a swamp, with the
same slow determination and with
much the same tendency to bog down
He had been. letter perfect the day
before, but when he faced the crowd
with a scowl Of fierce discrimination,
the whole thing passed from his mind.
leaving an utter blank. With prompt
ing he achieved the first stanza,
stammered his way with more prompt
ing through the next, and then stuck
hopeIessly. with the finality of a
dead engine.
go on. Tim" the teacher prompted.
Week in. week OUT
1--WE kin. we kout, Tim repeated
Loyalty, ana came to a full stop amid
filters.
From morn till night" the girl
prompted with sinking heart. But
Tim was sunk without trace. "Oh.
Tim!' she whispered tensely. cant
you remember"
Tim shook his head.
II forget the dam thing" he said
in a perfectly audible voice. and de.
scended to hide his shame in the OBJ
security of the back seats. Later his
father took him to task.
Tis not that ! mind ye fallin'
down on the piece that was set ye fr
to speak," he said. But ye should
not have swore."
II know" Tim admitted penitently
i did not go for to say it. 1t slipped
of me tongue before I thought.
Maxim po'try about a blacksmith is
crazy. anyway. But ! will tell the
teacher / am sorry"
Tis all a man can do most times"
Mike nodded. LAS ye say, black.
smiths is no things to make potry
about. But swearin' in public sounds
ltke-I mean it's not right"
So far things had gone very well
with the Rigneys; but the following
Summer fate struck them heavily. In
July Mike Rigney's wife died sud.
denly: and In q dry August a brush
fire swept down on the little ranch.
The house and stable were saved, but
standing crop was scared with the
scorching breath of the fire. The old
grays survived, but two good cows
never came out Of the brush.
When Mike Rigney had buried his
wife, and bought enough feed to
bring his remaining stock through the
Winter and grubstake for his family,
he was in debt and worse off than he
had been two years before. Sad-eyed
and discouraged. he took counsel with
his son. whom little by little he had
admitted to terms almost Of equality.
Il must get me a Winters job in
the camps" he said. An thatll
mean yen have to run the place,
Tim"
u can do It," said young Tim with
confidence.
'Tis takin' ye away from school
when It opens" his father went on
regrerfully; an Barney an Tessie
too, for he's big enough to help We
a hn
house an cook. After Christmas
maybe ye can go. 'Tis a shame to
lose yer schoolin'. but povertys hard
master
There's a new teacher" said Tim.
Don't worry, father. I'll be lookin'
after the ranch all right, an the kids
too
So Mike Rgney got a job in a
logging camp, where, to put a climax
on the misfortunes of the Rigneys, a
log slipped as he was working on a
skidway. He came out of it with a
fracture of the right leg, several
broken ribs and the possibility of in
ternal injuries. But he was lucky to
be alive, for a rolling log is the most
things. He was driven in a springless
wagon over frozen. rutted roads bare
Of snow 80 miles to a hospital. The
boys passed the hat and sent Tim $40.
Tim could not go to his father, be-
cause he was needed at home. He
wrote him the first letter he had ever
written to anybody, an epistle Of
weird spelling and fearful construc-
ton. but nevertheless direct. This
missive he committed to the care of
Sam Hake, to be posted.
But dammit. kid" said Hake when
he heard the bad news, can you
make out all right? How are you fixed
for grub?"
Fine said Tim. 1--WE got lots"
Hake sized up the wood pile and
estimated the feed stacks.
BE careful of your fires, son." he