The Delawarean. [volume] (Dover, Del.) 1859-1927, 1900-04-14

Instantly Mr.. Hardy stepped an betlCeen
the ttcO men before Burns could rise.
dy said: You may so If you want to.
Why didn't YOU ask for leave off If you
wanted it? What reason have you to
suppose the company would refuse
such a request? Now, what is the
trouble with the rest? The company
is not in position to grant holiday
at this particular time, and you know
1t. Come, be fair, men! | cant shut
down the shops all day to let you go
and see railroad wreck. Be reasona.
Bile! What do you want?"
eve want more pay and freedom
from Sunday work" said big fellow,
the Norwegian who ran the biggest
planer in the shop. He had more than
once proved troublesome to Burns. but
he was remarkably intelligent and
skillful workman, and the foreman had
endured much irritation ON that ac-
count.
Mr. Hardy replied, still speaking
pleasantly, "'"he matter of more pay is
one we cannot well discuss here now,
but will say to you and all the rest
that as far as it is in my power there
shall be no more Sunday work de-
manded" while live" Mr. Hardy
was on the point of saying, but he
said instead, ''of the men in the shops"
Still, that is not the question: re.
piled the man i'm an insolent tone. Mr..
Hardy looked al him more closely and
saw that he had been drinking. Sew.
eral of the workmen cried out:
"Shut up. Herman! Mr.. Hardy be
right! We be fools to make row now
at this timer
A dozen men started for their ma
chimes to 60 to work again. while
Burns went up and laid his hand on
the Norwegan's arm and said to him
roughly:
"Quit off now. You've been dipping
that beard of yours into whisky bar
rel. Better mind your pegs or you get
your walking papers"
"NIind your own. Burns" replied the
big man heavily. You be something's
of beard drinker yourself if you had
the beard"
Burns was so enraged at the drunk
en- retort that he drew back as if to
strike the man, when the Norwegian
smote the foreman a blow that laid
him sprawling in the iron dust In
stantly Mr.. Hardy stepped UP between
the two men before Burns could rise
We have spoken of Roberts intense
horror of the coarse physical vices. 1t
seemed totally wrong to him that a
workman should degrade himself with
drink. Besides, he could not tolerate
such actions in the shops. He looked
the drunken man in the face and said
sternly:
"You are discharged! | cannot af-
ford to employ drunken men in these
shops. You may go this instant"
The man leered at Mr.. Hardy, raised
his arm as If to strike, while the man
ager confronted him with a stern look.
but before he could do any harm two
or three of the men seized him and
hustled him back to the other end of
the shops. while Burns rose. vowing
vengeance.
The men went back TO their ma
chimes. and Mr.. Hardy. with an anx-
ious feeling of heart. went back into
the office, satisfied that there would be
no trouble at the shops for the rest of
the day at least. He felt sorry that he
had been obliged to discharge Herman,
but he felt that he had done the right
thing. The company could not afford
in any way to employ men who were
drunkards, especially not just at this
time, when it began TO be more than
plainly limited that the result of the
accident on the road was due to the
partial intoxication of track in