Evening star., 1901-02-16

manager issued his famous 'dFy oIuei' -
was the most discussed subject on the III
vision The first thing the men had 10 ue-
eide WAS why it had been issued and the
reasons they advanced We're almost as VI"
rfed AZ the men themselves. Some claimed
that it was because he had lost the contract
for carving the Consolidated Brewing
Company's Kansas and Iowa shipments
others asserted just as positively that II
was because he would not believe the FOG
exclamation for the last head-end wreck III
which two Of the largest compounds on
the system had been put out OF service
while the balance contented themselves with
sarcastic illusions to his prohibition ten
denotes" and his devotion 10 principle
But on one point they all seemed TO agree
and that was that it was entirely too Sc
we're.
..To think said Barney Macdonald, as
he stood in the midst of a group OF ehsi
neers and firemen just outside the round
house office I'VE are not even to be al
lowed to go into a saloon. j wonder Where
he thinks We intend to get our cheeks
caShed? May he he intends to furnlsh a
travelling identiiier so as 10 enaole vio US 10
walk into Il bank like respectable people
and have some young snipe of a clerk ask
Us to swear that we are the person named
on the check No, sir he continued en-
phatfcally. drawing himself up to the fun
height of his six feet four. mot If 1 know
myself I've had my checks cashed in sa-
Ioous for the last twenty years ana We
never been drunk yet, and j ii do II again
too if | feel like it. orders or no orders.
After the first wave of excitement had
passed and the obnoxious order had been
accepted a fact, speculation became rlie
as to who would be the first victim, for II
was q generally accepted fact that at least
the first offender would get short shrlft
for the sake of example. For the next
week or two. therefore, every body was par
ticularly careful as to where ms lnchna- ma
tiGns led him. and if there was any i'm
bbing it was done much on the quiet
that not a soul could swear as to having
seen anything
The first pay day. however. saw Barney
true To his threat. With his check in his
hand he walked straight from the pay car
10 the nearest saloon. called up the house,
and defiantly threw down the little piece
of paper with the urder'to take 1t out of
that That the local officials took no no.
tice Of this was probably due to the fact
that they knew he was only bluftng, al
though II might have been better if they
had. for with him II was but the begin
ming of the old, old story. Flattery was
finally the means of his undoing. The ad-
miration of his companions, either real or
pretended. for the bOldness he Displayed
soon had its effect. Such remarks as
You're too good man, Barney. They
can't afford to lose YOU turned his head
From a 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 con-
sidered himself in duty bound to show his
daring until il came to a point where he
never made a trip without taking a drink.
eSome of the cooler headed ones soon saw
how things were going, and tried to drop
a 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 off they
would be. 1t came at last, however. After
an unusually lively afternoon he started
out on tWenty-three as usual but 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 standstili at the pump house
about two and a half miles down in the
the jig was up. The conductor was COM
PEELED to report the occurrence, the In
vestigation was held the next day, and as
the trainmen put it, "Oid Barney got his
six months twice a year
In a short time Barney and his family
moved to N, a little town about seventy
miles out from headquarters, where his
wife's folks lived. Here he made his living
as best he could, driving a team, working
on the streets. or doing anything in the
line OF odd jobs that ne able to pick
up. He made no effort TO get back on the
road, not even to the extent of circulat-
lied that he had made n mistake and was
honest enough to accept the full limit OF
his punishment, even to the extent OF keep
ing away from the depot much pos
sble in order to avoid meeting the men
who went through on the trains But his
love for the old life still continued. Twenty
years of continuous service on the road
fits man into a groove from which he
finds it impossible to extract himself. He
talked but little about railroad matters
but every item was as eagerly devoureC
and every change as readily noted a:
though he were still in the service.
When the news reached N that the
Iowa packers were going to make a tes
between his old road and the Midland tC
decide who should get the chicago ship
ments he was among the first to hear it
and no one wished more sincerely that hi!
road would win. 1t was to be great race
Ten cars of meat. all loaded in the same
make of refrigerators, were to be delivered
to each road at the western terminus, anC
whoever landed them in Chicago first wa:
to get the contract for the next three
years. The rivalry between the two road:
had always been OF the fiercest sort. Thi:
was due to the fact that as they lay ST
close together 1t was no trouble for ship
Ders to transfer trade from one 10 th'
other. and the nip and tuck scramble fol
the local business kept all the division
points at fever heat.
As Barney figured Il the chances in the
coming test were about even. Taken alto
gether the Midland had perhaps a few less
miles of track but 1t had more hills. Or
the western division ii had the advantage
but on the eastern division IL was the Other
way The real test would come over the
middle division. and whoever got into head
quarters first would undoubtedly win tho
race.
As the appointed day drew near Barney:
interest increased TO such an extent tina
he decided 10 overcome his scruples fO
once and go down 10 the depot with tn
crowd. That the racing train would no
stop ne was certain. for he knew that tIes
clear track orders respect nothing bu
water tanks and coal chutes. with perhap
an occasional railroad crossing. and as tn
town possessed none of these his only sat
isfacton would be a glimpse Of yellow pain
as the refrigerators flashed by: but he con
sidered this much worth the effort.
When he reached the platform. which wa
already well filed with people, he foun
them all discussing the one subject Me
who had never set foot in an engine ca
were busiIy engaged in showing just hoy
the Midland was going TO get beaten. Will
an equal number of others. possessed of a
equal amount of knowledge. We're showin
how ii was impossible. Some were bettin
on the time that would be made, others o
the amount OF meat carried. and still other
were telling just how much the lucky roa
would clear on the contract in the mex
three years.
In ,F a