The Mercur miner. [volume] (Mercur, Utah) 1895-1913, 1905-11-01
=. The Boy With The Flag :.
q x & 5.S55S 81 81


fellow, who usually had toke Cor the
men, and he was known TO be r.ln.
i've OF the contractor himself. McAdo
was the name Of the man who had
ueei nagsing, and Corny knew it and
trembled.
Hes no good. an I've fired him.
Mahoney declared, belligerently. lie
never seemed TO like the timekpcppr.
perhaps because he feared the latter's
eyes were sharply concerned I'm his en-.
ploycr's interest.
Il don't believe Mr.. Buttcrworth will
stand for boy 10 flag. Something
might happen"
"Now, YOU let the lad alone" Ma.
money clustered. He's all right.
BSldes, he tells me he needs the place:
there's raft Of young uns TO home
ana no father nor mother. III keen nv
eye on him."
And who'll keep trclr eye on YOU,
Mahoney" demanded the timckceper.
with laugh, and walked away. Ma
moneys fondnCss for liquor was pretty
wen known among the men, and on
several occasions the boss had been
within a narrow margin indeed of los.
ing his lucrative and responsible posi-.
ton.
thereafter. for several days. Corny
shook in his broken old shoes whenever
the timCIecper made his visit 10 this
portion Of the works. But the Young
flagman was not molcstcd. and It even
seemed that the jolly clerk took n Tx
ing to the solemn.faccd boy at the
crossing.
Don't you ever laugh. youngstor?"
he asked one day. stopping beside him
for n moment.
Corny looked confused. and blushed
furiously. II don't see anything to
laugh at" he stammered.
Il dunno" said the other. "Most
boys Of your age would laugh II they
got six dollars week." and he went
on, leaving Corny dumbfounded, for
he dlfn't know that Mahoney was ex-
tractlhg an extra generous "commis-
slon'j from the pay envelope of the
flagrhan.
But collecting tax upon the wage
OF the lnborers employed on his sec.
ton OF the work was not Mahoney's
only sin. The man was a good work
man when he let liquor alone. but he
grew both reckless ana abusive when
he drank, and as the contractor himself
seldom visited the piece Of ditchlng
there was nobody to report Mahoney's
lapSeS unless II was the tlmekeeper.
| fysf.
boss was usually very circumspect.
To oversee the various gangs Of men
ana plan the work mans head should
be clear all the time. Corny was i'm
pressed by this fact, for at first the
hustle and confusiou-the steam drills
going az several points along the ditch
where veins OF rock had been found.
the rattle Of the trolley overhead. and
the shouting OF the underbosses and
laborers-seemcd quite overpowering.
lie began by being afraid that he
should transmit the signals wrong 10
the engineer; but that individual told
him before his first week was up that
he was the best signal man they had
had on the job. Perhaps the engineer.
who was n good-naturcd fellow, said
a word In Corny's favor 10 the time.
keeper and that is the reason he was
allowed TO keep his position.
Everybody seemed TO like the time.
Keeper but the boss. and when Ma
honey, ms the men said "had the drink
IN him. he was ugly 10 everybody.
one afternoon the half-tipsy ovcrseor
sent the man who stood on the plat.
form above the end Of the ditch where
the shovellers filed the trolley car
away on another job ana took his
place for time. At once things be.
gan 10 20 wrong for Coruy not always
understood the boss signals. ana the
distance was too far for audible COM
mand 10 Zoe repeated
once Mnhoney walked over 10 the
boy ana gave him a tonguc.ashlng
which very nearly panlyzpd him. OF
course the boss blamed an the mistakes
, upon the iagboy
But when he had gone back 10 the
further platform the tlmekeeper
stopped beside Corny. He had been
in the engine house uud had seen the
whole occurrence from the window.
Don't fret yourself over what that
brute says TO you he said. seeing the
tears running down Corny's plnched
checks. "lIe isn't 50 big man as lie
? thinks himself IL he has got brother
in the city Hall and pun in Four.
teenth street"
p Then hc went on 10 the end Of the
p ditch. Mahoucy was believing at the
men IN his usual aggressive style. The
D tlmckceper stood nearby ana watched
D him nuobseTved.
, lust then the empty car ran along
% the cable aud stopped over the plat
form ON which Mahouey stood The
To- boss motloued for q "qulck drop" and
: the car came down on the run and