Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-10-09
WHALEN's LUCK.

UoCdluo pIUN6IUldl lLo ldClS u6lS IT,
corded are but specimen pages from the
book of his experience.
When the Consolidated Canal COM
pany went into insolvency, its assets
consisted Of mortgaged right of way
through the sagebrush and several com
pleted but detached sections of a big
ditch.
Mr.. Brick Whalen, the contractor on
section 8, had finished the heavy work
there and was preparing to move camp to
section 6 when the company went
broke. 1t was in fact, upon the very
day the suspension was posted that
Whalen, having had his contract work
inspected took the engineers certificate
up to headquarters to get his check. He
received instead statement that the
company was in temporary difficulties
and an assurance that it would soon re-
sumo.
Whalen had before this worked for
shaky corporations. He knew better and
lost no time in acting OIL his knowledge.
mo good howlin over broken pipe
or tryin to save the pieces" he told
himself. To his gang Of 30 men he
said: "B'ys, the company's broke and
SO am I. I can't pay ye and can't feed
We. You got to rustic. I"
whats the matter with us taking
the mules?" said one.
"Them mules and scrapers don't be-
long to me, as I've often told ye," ssid
Whalen, whose custom it was to refer
to legendary hacker. "This ditohing
outfit is the property Of Martin Of San
Francisco, and any man that NEEDLES
with it will get the sheriff after him.
"I'll take one, just the same" said
Shorty, "and tell Martin he can have
him again when my wages is paid.
That's about fair.
A few others took the same view Of
the equities involved and took mules,
to which Whalen made only wordy
resistance. Most Of the men were in
duced to accept orders Oh the defunct
company for the amount due them,
payable with large interest. "And if
you don't get it very soon the interest
will double your money" said Whalen.
When the last man had gone, Whalen
went out to the corral and counted the
mules. "Forty-one head That was
pretty close CALL" said he.
1t was late in the season to find an
other job Of scraping, but the mules
could not live on sagebrush and were
at once started for the railroad. On a
small stream where camp was made
one night band of trail sheep was
also camped. Whalen eyed them dis
painfully.
II see the beggars eat sage, " said be-
"Why, certainly" replied the sheep
man. "That's the finest kind Of feed for
sheep"
II wish work mules would do that"
said Brick. II never was SO near
sheep in my life, he continued. "The
smell Of 'em mile away is enough for
me. Funny little fellows. and they look
some like mules with ears and tails cut
off. What do you do with them?'
Double our money on them every IL
MONTHS was the reply.
No extended description Of sheep
farming would have impressed the
fancy Of the veteran mule skinner, but
double your money" was his own ia
miliar phrase for describing any hope
full venture, and on that evening he
smoked many pipes Of black plug over
1t. A brute that can thrive on brush
diet and double your money every year
is an interesting creature.
At daybreak Whalen was in the sheep
camp negotiating q trade Of sheep for
mules on basis Of 80 to and pre-
pared to accept mach less Three days
later he sat in the door Of the shack
which had long done duty as mess
house on section 8 Of the canal as
many an evening before he had sat
watching the mules come in from
water. Tonight there was never mule
in sight Down the breeze came
pungent odor and tinkling Of little
bells. Over the crest Of an adjacent hill
appeared the flock, browsing on the
rank sage.
"They do look some like mules, he
goliloquized, land I'll bet I'm the only
Irishman IN America ever owned q
herd Of sheep"
Winter came and passed, and the only
Irishman prospered. Byroofng in cut
with brush he had commodious sheds,
and cross sections Of poles divided the
broad ditch into as many ccrrala as he