The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-16
THE NIGHT WAS DARK.
BY c. L. DingwaII.


never been able to decide as to its chaIac-
ter in that respect
Kirby is married, and I will make the
assertion with the confidence Of one who
knows that a man who is employed by
any of the big contractors, jumping from
one place TO another, six months or a
year here and then, off to some other
part of the country, perhaps a couple OF
thousand miles away, for another SIX
months or a year, and mixing up daily
with the class of which a good part IF a
contractors force is composed and spend
ing his pay every pay night, as the ma
jority do, has no right to have a woman
tied 20 him. 1t is far from fair 10 the
woman. 1t is cruel. 1t is the one blight
on Kirby's upright and honorable, though
somewhat adventurous, career.
II was when We We're up in central Wis
consin, double-tracking piece of railroad
that the accident was Kirby's marriage.
We had long stretch of line TO be dou~
ble-tracked that year. with considerable
altering of the original grades and curves,
making. necessary almost half mile or
very heavy rock-cut. and a long and high
fiji" across a valley on the new Align
ment Our construction office, warehouse
and repair shops We're at Antioch, a CEN
trail point for all of the work. We estab-
lished the office in a residence which we
had rented for the purpose We lived up
stairs and had negro cook to prepare our
meals and look 90 our comfort, after bust
ness hours. Kirby and Chaplin, riggeTs by
trade, ran two pile-drivers that We're en-
ployed in building a light and temporary
trestle across the valley for the dumpcara
that would be used in building up This
high ''fill' or embankment when we be-
gan making the accompanying cut in the
neighboring hill This was some ten or
twelve miles down che road from Antioch.
Kirby and Chaplin and the pile-driver engi-
neers, the time-keeper, and some of the
railroads engineering help boarded and
lodged at a small country hotel near the
FILL that was kept in a style commensu-
rate with his rates, by one Conrad We
had nearly a thousand men on that work,
all in camps distributed along the line
of the railroad.
Kirby had been ordered down to the site
of the rock cutting to erect a derrick, and
to do this he would have to get up very
early in the morning and drive to Antioch
at which point he would board a con-
struction train going down the line with
men and materials. He made his prepara-
tions the night before, grumbling all the
while at his ill-iuck at having to leave his
warm bed on a dark, cold and probably
wet December morning, ordered his rig
for 4:30 and crept beneath his blankets
before the other boarders had ceased their
usual nightly hilarity in the rooms below.
Chaplin was among the last to turn in.
Chaplin is a sound sleeper under ordinary
circumstances. but the night was very
cold, no fire was in his room and the only
means of heating was smoke pipe from
the stove in the saloon below, which pass
ed up through his sleeping chamber. That
gave off little or no warmth when the fire
burned low. Chaplin awoSe in the middle
of the night and, the cold preventing him
from getting to sleep again, he jumped out
of bed with the intention of finding addi-
tional covering. The proprietor was of
frugal nature, believing not in the luxu-
ries of this life. and provided no feecy
blankets ready at the foot of the bed for
use IN an emergency. In truth, it was
very much in this hotel as in most other
encountered on contract work when away
from cities, case of the best man getting
the available comforts. or the food on the
table for that matter, and the rest getting
what they could
So Chaplin, not finding in his room what
ne sought for, sailed out into the hall. and
tried the doors OF the rooms on that floor.
All were locked, with the exception of the
last one at the end of the hall, which was
hirby's. This he opened and stepped in.
he CROPPED his way to the bed. and at
tempted TO arouse the sleeper and inter-
est him in the search for warmth. think
4ng that possibly Kirby might have an
extra blanket on his bed or In his room.
o, Kirby" he said. There was no an
swer.
Kirby got any blankets?"
The sleeper snored on, blissfullv upoon-
scious Of the other mans dilemma
say, you, let me have a blanket" con-
tinued Chaplin.
Kirby did not move Chaplin did as
he would have been done by.
Wen, then" he said, IT will take
them' and gathering up handful of
blankets ne remorselessy jerked the COW
erlhg from Kirby and rushed from the
room. He fied down the han to his own
room, but when ne got to the door he
heard Kirby coming after him. so no
continued on up the stairs to the attic
moor above. Kirby followed mutterine
curses in his half-awake condition Cba
pin tried the door he came 10 at the TON
of the stairs. Ii opened, and he stenned
through, closing it after him. all b1f
crack through which he heard the lrate
ana shlverIng Kirby come up the STAIRS
three at time, and pass the door a
dirty DEVILS trick" he was mutterins "r,n
punch Chapin's head for him when I get
him." He ran to the end of the mira
1ioor nall, and down the front stairs in
pursuit of Chaplin. But that worthy well
knew it would be useless to go hack 10
his own room TO enjoy his ill-gotten spoil
so he made himself comfortable In Inc
unused bed of the room he was in.
Kirby, not finding Chaplin in the Iatter,s
room. ana not hearing him, doubled bach
up the front stairway silently ana lis
tening intently to catch a sound Of his
pirating co-employe. but ne heard notb-
ing Finally he gave up the search ana
tumbled into bed again, getting up once
or twice TO pay visit to Chapin's room
But the night was too cold for slceD with
only summer covering. so, under the i'm
preston that the night was wei spent
and that 1t was nearly time to 20 10 An
tioch anyway. he decided to get IN ana
dress and wait for his rig. Moving around
with his clothes on was preferable TO trv-
ing to fight the cold in bed. He was about
through with his toilet when he heard
the sound of wheels ana the loud 'svvhoa"
OF driver on the road below He thought
1t was his conveyance ready for him
and, hurriedly completing his dressing. he
put on his overeoat, snatched up his bun
Ole and ran down the stairs.