The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-01-07
TRANSFORMATION OF BURHEy

In behalf OF Sir Walter Sootn,ng piaflt
let us look into the case of Martin Bur
ney.
They were constructing the Speedway
along the west bank of the Harlem river.
The brub-boat of Dennis Corrlgan sub
contractor. was moored to a tree on the
bank. TWENTY-FIVE men belonging to the
little green island toiled there at the
sinew-cracking labor. One among them,
who wrought in the kitchen of the grub
boat was of the race of the Goths. Ove-
them all stood the exorbitant Corsigal,
marrying them ike the captain Of a galley
crew He paid them so little that most
of the gang, work as they might, earned
little more than food and tobacco many
OF them were in debt to him. Corrisan
boarded them all in the Drub-boat, and
gave them good grub, for he got.it back
In work
Martin Burney was furthest behind of
all. He was little man, all muscles and
hands and feet, with a gray-red. stuDoy
beard. He was too light for the WORK
which would have glutted the capacity of
. steam shovel
The work was hard. Besides that. the
banks of the river Were humming with
mosquitoes. As child in a dark room
fixes his regard on that pale Dg.-- OF a
comforting window. these tOiiers watched
the sun that brought around the one
hour of the day that tasted less bitter
After the shutdown supper they would
!. huddle together on the river bank ard
s'send the mosquitoes whining and eddy
ing back from the malignant pufffs of
banded against the foe, they wrenched
oat OF the hour a few weIl-smoked drops
from the cup of JOY
Each week Burrey grew deeper il debt.
Corrigan kept a small stock of goods on
the boat. which he sold to the men at
prices that brought him no loss. Bur
ney was good customer at the tobacco
counter One sack when he went to
work in the morning and one when ne
came in at night; so mucn was his ac-
count swelled daily. Burney was some
thing OF a smoker. Yet il was rot true
that he ate his meals with pipe in his
mouth, which had bean said OF him. The
little man was not disconnected. He ha,.
plenty TO eat, plenty o. tobacco and
tyrant to curse, so why should not he, an
Irishman, be well satisfied?
One morning he was starting with the
others for work when ne STOPPED at the
pine counter for his usual sack of to-
baco
There's no more for ye.' said Corri-
gan. Your accounts closed. Ye are Z
losing investment. No, not even tobaccy.
on account If ye want to work on and
eat. do so, but the smoke OF We has al
Id
new job"
II have no tobaccy to smoke in my
pipe this day, Mr.. Corrigan." said Bur-
ney. not quite understanding that such a
thing could happen to him.
Earn it" said Corrigaa, "and then buy
It."
Burney stayed on. He knew of no other 1
Job. At first lie did not realize that to-
bacco had got 90 be his father and moth
er, his confessor and sweetheart and
wife and child
For three days he managed to fill his I
pipe from the other mems sacks and
the nthey shut him off. one and all. They
told him, rough but friendly. that Of all .
things in the world tobacco must be .
forthcoming to a fellow man
desiring il, but that beyond the immediate
Temporary need reduisition upon ,fe store
OF cemrade IS pressed with great dan
ger to friendship.
Then the blackness of the pit arose and
filled the heart of Burney Sucking the
corpse OF his deceased dudheen he stag
gered through his duties with his bar
rowful of stones and dirt, feeling for the
first time that"th curse of Adam was
l.;
might have recourse to other delights. but
Burney had only two comforts I'm life
One was his pipe; the other was an &c
static hope that there would be no Speed
ways to build on the other side of Jordan.
At meal times he would let the other
men go first into the grub-boat and then
he would go down on his hands and
knees. grovelling fiercely upon the ground
where they had been sitting, trying 10
find some stray crumbs OF tobacco. once
he senaked down the river and filed his
pipe with dead willow leaves. At the
first Whit Of She smoke he spat in the
direction Of the boat and put the finest
curse he knew on Corrigan-one that be-
gan with the first CorTigans born on
earth and ended with the CorTigars that
shall hear the trumpet of Gabriel blow
He began to hate Corrigan with all his
shaking nerves and soul Even muir
der occurred to him in vasue sort Of
way. Five DAYS he went without the
taste of tobacco-he who had smoked all
day and thought the night misspent in
which he had not awakened for a pipefll
under the bedclothes.
One day man stopped at the boat Il
say that there was work to be had In the
Bronx park. where large number Of
laborers were required in making some
After dinner .Burney walked thirty
yards down the river bank away frcm
the n,addening smell of ths others pipes
He sat down upon 4 stone. lie was
thinking he would set out for the Bronx
At least he could earn tobacco there
What II the books did say he owed CORR
gan? Any mans work was worth his
keep. But then he hated 20 so without
getting even with the hard-hearted crew .
who had pu. his pipe out. Was there any
way TO do it?
Softly stepping among the Gods came
Tony, he Of the race OF Goths. who work :
ID in fhe kitchen. He grinned ar Bur
aey's elbow. and that unhappy man, fuI !
II race luminosity and holding ursanity
n contempt, growled at him: What dye /
want, We -- pago?"
Tony also contained a g:ievance-and 2 /
plot. He, too. was 4 Corrigan hater. and
aad been arimed 10 see it In others
How you Ikea Mr.. Corrigan?" he (
asked You think-a him nice-a man -
ITO he'll with m he said. May his :
iver turn TO water and the bones Of him