The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-17

too, If | feel like 1t, orders or no orders"
After the first wave of excitement had
passed and the obnoxious order had been
accepted as a fact, speculation became
rife as to who would be the first victim,
for 1t was a generally accepted fact that
at least the first offender would get short
shift for the sake of example. For the
next week or two, therefore, everybody
vas particularly careful as to where his
hclinations led him, and if there was any
mbibing it was done so much on the
quiet that not a soul could swear as to
having seen" anything.
The first pay day, however, saw Bar
hey true to his threat. With his check in
his hand he walked straight from the
pay car to the nearest saloon, called up
The house, and defiantly threw down the
little piece of paper with the order to
take it out of that" That the local
officials took no notice of this was prob
ably due to the fact that they knew he
was only bluffing. although it might have
been better if they had, for with him it
was but the beginning of the old, old
story. F'lattery was finally the means Of
his undoing. The admiration of his
companions, either real or pretended.
for the boldness he displayed, soon had
its effect. Such remarks as, you're too
good a man Barney. They can't afford to
lose YOU" turned his head From
steady and reliable workman he became
first careless and then reckless.
Nor was this the worst. To every man
who openly admired his nerve or praised
him for holding on to his rights" he
considered himself in duty bound to show
his daring until it came to a point where
he never made a trip without taking
drink Some of the cooler-headed ones
" bOv ma
10 drop word or two in his ear, but he
quickly advised them to take as good care
OF their own business as they did of other
peoples and then see how much better
on they would be. 1t came at last, how
ever After AN unusually lively afternoon
he started out on twenty-three as usual,
Dut he had gone beyond his limit, and
the motion of the engine soon got in Its
work.
When he ran the Rock Island crossing
the fireman began to suspect what was
wrong, and decided to keep an eye on
him, but when he tried to make the stop
at o., and came to a standstin at the
pump house about two and half miles
GOWN in the hollow, the entire train crew
kne" that the jig was up. The conduc-
tor was compelled to report the occurrence
tne investigation was held the next day,
ana as the trainmep put it, "old Barney
sot MS six months twice a year"
n a short time Barney and his family
moved TO N, a little town about sew
enty miles out from headquarters. where
ms Wife's folks lived. Here he made his
hVlng as best he could, driving a team.
working on the streets, or doing anything
tu 'ne line of odd jobs that he was able
70 PICK up. He made no effort to get
paNN on the road, not even to the extent
VI circulating a petition for reinstatement
ne realized he had made a mistake and
Wa honest enough TO accept the full linn
~ ~ his punishment, even to the extent
ol keeping away from the depot as much
D. possible, in order to avoid meeting the
tleA who went through on the trains. But
~, a. love for the old life still continued.
twenty years of continuous service on the
80 hts man into groove from which
~ mas II impossible to extract himself.
~ 'dlked but little about railroad mat
- out every item was as eagerly de-
e0"l'd and every chance as readily noted
d. though he were still in the service.
"H-n the news reached N that the
Wv packers We're going to make a test
Sae'"een his old road and the Midland TO
's who should get the Chicago ship
11's' ne was among the first to hear IL;
quo no one wished more sincerely that
- 'o1d would win. 1t was TO be a great
len cars OF meat, all loaded in the
@a'hs make of refrigerators, were to be
.s'' red to each road OF the Western
,.''N'nue' and whoever landed them in
80 irst was to get the contract for
..At three years. The rivalry be-
'ho two roads had always been or
vac nercest sort. This was due TO the
20 hot as they lay 80 close together
vas no trouble for shippers 20 transfer
80 from one 10 the other. ana the nip
'e 'ugk scramble Tor the local buslnes5