Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1904-04-12
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!: DARNEY'S
!: REDEMPTION ;
By A. W. WHITEFORD
Copyright, 1905, by A. w. Whiteford .
By A. W. wHITEFORD

1
+ Copyright, 1900, by A. w. Whiteford !
Is~s*s*s*s*e**s+s*s*s+s*s I
I-~.ra THIN six hours after the new
sHj general manager issued his fa'
ISvI nous dry" order it was the
- most discussed subject on tie
division. The first thing the men had
to decide was why it had been issued
and the reasons they advanced were
| almost as varied as the men them
selves. Some claimed that it was be-
cause he had lost the contract for car
rying the Consolidated Brewing COM
pany's Kansas and Iowa shipments.
others asserted just as positively that
it was because he would not believe
the fog" explanation for the last
head-end wreck. in which two of the
largest compounds on the system had
been put out of service, while the bal.
ance contented themselves with sar'
castle illusions to his prohibition
tendencies" and his devotion to prin-
ciple." But on one point they all seem
cd 10 agree. and that was that it was
entirely too severe.
"ro think" said Barney Mcdonald
as he stood in the midst of a group of
engineers and tiremen just outside the
roundhouse Office. I'VE are not even p
be allowed to so into saloon. won'
der where he thinks we intend to get
our checks cashed. Maybe he intends
to furnish travelling identiiier so as
to enable us to walk into bank like
respectable people and have some
young snipe of a clerk ask us to sweaI
that we are the person named Oh the
check. No. sir" he continued EN-
phatically. drawing himself up to the
full height of his six feet four; mot If
| know myself I've had my checks
cashed in saloons for the last twenty
years. and I've never been drunk yet,
and III do it again. too, if feel like It.,
orders or 10 orders"
After the first wave. of excitement
had nassed and the obnoxious order had
been accepted as fact speculation be-
cnma rife as to who would be the first
victim, for it was a generally accepted
fact that at least the first offender
would get short shrift for the sake OF
example For the next week or two.
therefore. everybody was particularly
careful as 10 where his inclinations led
him, and If there was any imbibing 1t
WAS done so much on the quiet that not
soul could swear to having seen
anything.
The first pay day. however. saw Bar
ney true to his threat. With his check
in his hand he walked straight from the
pay car to ;hc nearest saloon. called up
the house and detiantly threw down the
little piece of paper with the order to
take it out of that" That the local Of
ficials took no notice of this was proba-
bly, due TO the fact that they knew he
was only blutiing. although 1t might
have been better if they had. for with
him ii was but the beginning of the
old. old s;ory. Flattery was finally the
means of his undoing. The admiration
of his companions. either real or pre-
tended. for the boldness lie displayed
soon had its effect. Such remarks as
You're too good Il man. Barney: they
can't afford 10 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
lie considered himself in duty bound to
show Lis daring until it came to a
point where he never made Il trip with
out taking drink. Some of the cooler
headed ones soon saw how things were
going and tried to drop word or two
in his ear. but he quickly advised them
to take as good care Of their own busi
ness us they did of other peoples and
then see how much better off they
would be. 1t came ut last, however.
After an unusually lively afternoon he
started out on No %. 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 cross
ing. 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 standstill at
the pump house. about two and half
miles down in the hollow, the entire
train crew knew that the Jig was up.
The conductor was compelled to report
the occurrence. the investigation was
held tie next day. and, as the trainmen
put it, "Old Barney gets his six months
twice year"
In short time Barney and his fam
lily moved to n. little town about
seventy miles out from headquarters.
where his wife's folks lived. Here he
made his living as best he could. driv-
ing team. working Oh the streets or
doing anything in the line of odd jobs
that he was able to pick up. He made
no effort to get back on the road. not
even to the extent of circulating a pc
tition for reinstatement. He realized
that he had made mistake and was
honest enough to accept the full limit
Of his punishment even to the extent OF
keeping away from the depot as much
as possible. in order to avoid meeting
the men who went through OH the
trains. But his love for the old life
still continued. Twenty years Of con-
tinuous service on the road fits man
into groove from which he finds it i'm
possible to eXtricate himself. He talked
bat little about railroad matters but
every item was as eagerly devoured
and every change as readily noted as
though he were still in the service.
When the news reached \. that the
Iowa packers were going to make
test between his old road and the Mid.
land to decide who should get the Chi
cago shipments he was anon" the first
to hear it. and no one wished more sin
cercly that his road would win 1t was
IN he rtfat .ace. Ten cars Of meat
all load.t in the same make OF refrig
orators. were to be delivered to eac
road at the western terminus. ana who
ever landed tEcm in Chicago first WA.
10 re; the con: ract for tie next thre'
Hood Farm Liniment
For Man and Boast.
uS. ovfapnol romodv f0r