The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1902-01-09
A FIGHT WITH FATE.
BY W. BERT FOSTER.

town on the New England coast
was aroused from it's somnol-
ence by exciting news. The
railroad which passed through
the place was to lay a double
track system, had bought large
piece of land (mostly mud nats)
along the bay shore, and announc-
ed its intention of erecting repair
shops and building sheds
on its new property.
The sleepy town awoke to the
the Importance of this news at
once. In years past the place
had been of no little Importance
as a seaport, but asAmerican ship
ping declined Rivermouth had
gradually become fossilized.
The decision of the railroad com
pany to establish it's shops there
meant a new lease of life to the
town.
The company gave out the con-
tract for the filing in of the mud
flats and the building of sea-
wall at once, and the contractor
whose bid was accepted engaged
many of his workmen on the spot,
instead of importing foreign la
borers. This made the man as
well as the improvement doubly
popular.
One reason why Rivermouth
people were glad to see the work
go on was that in time it would
clean out one of the bad quarters
of the town. The tenements Dor.
dering on the flats were old and
disreputable, and scattered
among them were several notori-
Gus dram-shops. In one of these
-Cafferty 'sra man had been
killed only the year beforehand his
murderer, once man respected
in the town and of good family,
had been sentenced to a long
term in the State penitentiary.
So the good people of Rivermouth
were as glad to see the possibil-
ity of having that selection of the
town effaced as they were to see
the unsightly flats themselves
filed in.
The contract called for the com
pletion of the filing and the sea-
wall within a twelve-month, and
the number of men engaged in
the work was large. Yet if they
did not work together and work
well, the contractor could scarce
ly keep his agreement with the
railroad company.
The workmen were divided in
to gangs, over each of which was
an overseer; but the contrac-
tor soon saw that there must be
somebody to Oversee" the over
seers, or slackness, and inatten-
tion would result. AT first it
was his practice to go about
among the different gangs him
self; but he soon found that it
needed the entire time of one
responsible man to do that, and
he looked about him for such a
person.
One day, at eleven o'clock in
the forenoon, he went out where
the sea-wal was being built, and
on reaching the spot found sol
itary individual busy on the face
of the wall. 1t was a young fel-
low still in his teens, with an in
telligent, though very grave, face.
He had a bucket of cement and a
trowel, and was engaged in
pointing" the wall; that is neat
ly filing in the seams and inter-
stices with stone and cement.
1t was nice work, and required
competent workman.
Where are the rest of the men?
asked the contractor.
It's eleven o'clock, sir; and
they've all gone over to old CAT
ferty's after their beer.
Don't you ever go with them?
The young mans face flushed
deeply, and he turned hastily
away, The contractor repeated
the question.
Never, sir! responded the 9th
er, in low, strained voice.
Why not?
+ don T. n rink