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Show , THE BALLAD OF TIM O'REAGAN. 'Twas the miner Tim 0'Rc.agan, sat in his cabin lone. And the tune that Tim was humming was of melancholy tone. The miner Tim O'Rcagan, looked at his cabin bare, He filled his pipe and lighted it, and then began to swear. "Bad Luck," said Tim, "upon the claim it does not show a trace And the blizzards of the winter now are coming on apace, -jxJL - & And only until Chi istmas ..will Nora for me waitp "She told me so the other night before the auld mon's gate, And said she must a cabin have, some chickem and a cow, A pig, a bed, a rockin' chair, for 'tis the fashion now For girls before they give consent to be a duffer'i mate, To fix to have a bit of stoyle come with the mar riage state. How iver can I make it in this d d old hungry ground, Where not a trace of color of a mineral can be found?" To the cabin of 0'B.eagan, a brother miner strode, He worked across the canyon on what Tim said was no lode, His name was Mike O'Rafferty, a grave-faced Mick was he, Who never any part would take in miner's deviltry. devil-try. But O'Rafl'erty that evening was exultant, and he cried, a, "Have 3'eos dny gin or lager or good whiskey on the side? I've struck it bigger nor a wolf, horn-silver, lid and gold, The biggest showin' iver made within these mountains moun-tains old, ) L've now four tons upon the dump, its wid'nin ivcry blast, Thank God, I have a fortune, Tim, in these old hills at last." 'Twas the soul of Tim O'Rcagan that green with envy grew, But the artful man dissembled, and from his cupboard drew A large and weighty demijohn, and with his sweetest sweet-est smile, He said, "We'll drink your health auld mon, may yees clain up a pile". And the wary Tim O'Rcagan plied his neighbor with the drink, 'Till he saw his form relaxing and his head in slumber sink, Then he hied him to his neighbors claim and when he went away, A sack of dazzling chloride ore upon his shoulder lay; Four times he crossed the canyon, four times his steps retraced, Four sacks of richest chloride ore were in hi tunnel placed. 'Twas O'Rcagan gave O'Rafferty a bracing morning dram, Ho cooked for him a breakfast, eggs and Kansa The blackest pot of coffee that eve miner brewei Hot bread and hot tobasco and some prunes that he had stewed. Then ho said, "My friend ,0'Rafferty, you should not wait a day M()U MftVY'1'' But should hurry to the city and-fceat4yourrock byj&xe assay." V 'Twas thominer, Mike O'Rafferty, who to the city hied, And had his new bonanza by an expert' rock- sharp tried. I And the showing was so "fearful big" the mining B sharps went wild, I And up to Mike's bonanza in a long procession I filed. I 'Twas the miner, Tim O'Reagan, who through that autumn day Inside his long dark tunnel was tamping in the I clay, Four ample sacks of what looked like the rarest chloride ore, I He tamped it in the tunnel's face, the sides, the I roof, the floor. 'Twas the miner Tim O'Reagan, his day's work I ,rhcjng o'er, "UI I His doodeen filled and lighted, smokod by his I open door. When, up the canyon came a stream of eager men to see I The wonderful bonanza found by Mike O'Rafferty. H One of the crowd, a tenderfoot, but filled with gall I and guile, I Sighted across the canyon to O'Reagan's grey B dump pile, Then leisurely strode over to where O'Reagan sat. I He bowed to Tim O'Reagan, bowed low and doffed I his hat, vLwr 'w And asked if in his tunnel he'd discovciany ore, B Or any indications in its face or sides or floor. Twas then grave-faced O'Reagan with a candor sweet replied, I "I have some little spots of ore along the tunnel's B side, But no fixed body have I struck, and as I judge the ground, B Quite twenty feet must yet be run, before much B ore is found. 'Twas the stranger then who sighted across the canyon wide B From O'Reagan's corner monument to O'Raffcrty's B hillside, Where the big bonanza ore was gleaming in the I HSht' $. V And 'twas clear he thought he saw afc extension !?(. Pm in sight j BkAfi adroitly as he could he questioned Tim to find ' If the ore that he found resembled that which Bj Mike had mined. J&& Then the truthful Tim O'Reagan lookotf in the stranger's face Bj And answered that he though he could a clear re-H re-H semblance trace. "Indeed" he added, "side by side, if both ores could B be shown, H I hardly -think that I could tell which of the H two I own." BJThen hospitable O'Reagan with solicitude inquired, H If the stranger would not take a drink, he looked BJ so spent and tried. The tenderfoot was shy at first, but later thought H he would. j A little of the fluid try, perhaps 'twould do him H good. And then they talked about the mine and fenced, these subtle men, And in the conversation touched the benzine now and then. O'Reagan took the tenderfoot the long dark tun- ncl trough BJ Showed him the ore in face and roof so plain was H it in view. Both haggled, both dissoinblcdj O'lleagan would not sell, " I'he stranger did not want to buy, they talked H and talked, and well Ne stranger bought the claim at last, he paid three thousand down, M And gave his note for four times three, -when Now H Year should come ground. Then the miner Tim O'Reagan to the city took his way, Bought a lovely three-room cottage the front window was a bay He bought some Leghorn chickens, he bought a Ilolstein cow, A pig, a bed, a rocking chair, then chuckling, said "Well now" "How's this for style?" And then, with winged feet he strode To find and show to Nora, their new, beautiful abode; When he met a bridal party from the church just coming back, Mike O'Rafferty the bride-groom, and the bride, alas! alack! It was Nora in her loveliness, and as she passed she smiled, That smile that had Tim's soul so all-absorbingly beguiled. 'Twas then that Tim O'Reagan turned a corner in dispair, lie swore a whole long list of oaths, he swore and tore his hair, When, looking up, the tenderfoot stood squarely in his way, And smiling said "O'Reagan, come, it is my treat today, Last night the tunnel struck the ledge, it's big and rich, it's great. '- Come with me Tim O'Reagan and we will celebrate." cele-brate." 'Twas there that Tim O'Reagan, though chagrined and wrathy, said "All right my lucky tenderfoot, we'll paint this old town red." Thrice drank Tim with the tenderfoot, and then again times three, And worked up swiftly to a state of mild hilarity. And then a game was started, the experts call it Illii?lBl "SlufT" 5ifTBl And the luck of Tim O'Reagan was what's denom- jj ?' inated "tough"j !'ffW!B The tenderfoot, won back his notes, the money 4 ff Tim had left, ft ii tfl And then of chickens, pig and cow O'Reagari' was , U j bereft, xu cf $ The bed and rocking chair went next, .lastly the f t cottage neat. ' k . f '.VJ 'Twas then that Tim O'Reagan rose on his un- 1:'HB steady feet, &!'! And aimed to smash the tenderfoot before the guy I'HI'b! could rise, M kjM But ho was wary, and he tinged with black, iiiT"fbM O'Reagan's eyes. ?l ? ?;, fl And left him limp and bloody and in a weeping pit' 'I state; ' V jP 1 Then e're the officers arrived, slipped through the f ly ) , ;i postern gate. n ' 'j fl If! HI Next morning ho awoke from sleep on Tim's ve- 3 ' randa floor m Msl ' To read how "Virtue is its own revard" the 9 MM motto o'er the door. , P-B The miner Tim O'Reagan, on that same morning 1 'I'Ib stood, 'm,', , i'B Battered and sad before a judge; coagulated el$lliB blood, lIlrilB Had smeared his shaky hands and face, he stood iwflflfff there in a daze, HHlllfB And hardly heard the sentence read "The rock llillflfl pile, thirty days." JilI'IlB The miner Tim O'Reagan, as he was led aside, mIIi-mbI Wai heard to murmur blessings on O'Rafferty'o fHnfll young bride, - ' BfllilB And everlasting curses on the tenderfoot who came J lilffiB On that very sad occasion, to beguile 5romJirm '"' V IfrfB his claim. nhv Vm M, it im |