Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1905-07-18


FORM.
that he was no cringer or time server.
He respected man as man and not
because he held position. Three times
in five years he was called upon to
contribute to a fund to buy an official
silver dinner set, and three times he
refused and was discharged. He did
not refuse because he disliked the man
who was to benefit by the gift, but
because he believed that the official
should be satisfied with his salary, the
same as he was.
In the course of ten years Tim was
discharged seven times, and seven
times he was taken back after he had
loafed around for a couple of months.
The term for 1t in railroad parlance Is
suspension without pay. In no In
stance was there cause enough to war
rant putting his name on the black
list, and Tim had an affection for the
W. and W. road and did not look for a
position on any other. The seventh
time he was taken back he was sent
down the line to a wretched little sta
ton ON half salary. He had TO be
freight and passenger agent and teie-
graph operator at the same time. Tim
did not object to his new place. He
knew that within a few weeks he
would be invited to come up higher.
There was much chatting on the part
of other operators along the line, but
Tim took it good naturally and went
on with his work.
He had been holding this position al
most two months when crisis hap
pened. There was an accident four
miles up the road from his station,
and an employee was sent back to do
telegraphing. He found the office
closed. The hour for closing was 9
o'clock, and it was now midnight. Per
haps this part OF 1t would have been
excused. but that night Tim happened
to be off to dance with a crowd of
young people. There were no orders
forbidding him to 60 to dance when
off duty. and he was not supposed to
know when accidents were going to
happen, but he was held to be crimi-
nally guilty and told to prepare for de
capitation.
Two days later the superintendent
arrived on a special train. He was
showing committee of the legislature
over the road. On the same train was
q telegraph operator who had come
,aa~,v,, ~ @,a~o r-;rnsc r.lano The cr.a
cial had twenty minutes to wait thai
the run east might be clear, and the
superintendent personally saw to the
transfer of the station. Then he told
Tim that he should never click an In
strument on that line again. Tim re
piled that it would be no loss to him
and a few hot words passed.
As it happened. Tim had received hi
pay the day before and was free to q
where he would What he did was Il
cross the tracks and take a>eeat on {
pile Of ties and wonder whether b.
should turn NAVY or farmer The su
perintendent's train was to make rur
Of fifteen miles, side track for seven OF
eight minutes and then have cleal
run of sixty miles. Tim could hear thu
new man clicking away after the traiI
had pulled out, and he heard the wore
come back that it had reached r.
and taken the side track Three min
utes later he was on his feet and al
attention.
Darkness had fallen, and far up thu
track he could see locomotive head
light. According to arrangements mad
there should have been no following
train for half an hour. The headlight
was three miles away when sighted
but Tim knew by the humming OF til