A boy of thirteen was often brought to Judge Lindsey’s Juvenile
Court in Denver, charged with truancy. Notwithstanding the judge
admonished him many times, it did not seem to do him any good.
The teacher kept writing, “Tim will stay out of school to work.”
Once, when reproving him, the judge told him that there would be
time enough to work when he was a man. “My father was a man,”
replied the boy, “and he did not work. He went off and left
mother and me. I guess that’s what killed her.”
Finally, Tim appeared in court one day with a happy face, and
pulling a soiled and crumpled paper from his pocket, handed it
to the judge. “I’m goin’ to remember all the things you told me
and I’m goin’ to school regular, now I got that done,” he said,
with some pride. Judge Lindsey examined the paper, which proved
to be a receipted bill, and found that, little by little, Tim
had paid fifty dollars for a headstone at his mother’s grave.
“My boy, is that what you’ve been doing all these months?”
“I wanted her to have a monument, judge.” Tim furtively wiped
away the moisture in his eyes. “She done a lot for me; that’s
all I could do for her now.”
(1908)