The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-11-09

y Ao". ho ""HttiIy uttu d JUNE .Of t.le
men. and he was known to be rela-
tive of the contractor himself. Mc.tdn
was the name OF the man who had
been tagging, and Corny knew it and
trembled.
He's no good. an I've fired him."
Mahoney declared, belligerently. He
never seemed to like the timekeeper;
perhaps because he feared the latter's
eyes were sharply concerned in his en-
ployer:s interest.
II don't believe Mr.. Butterworth will
stand for a boy to flag. Something
might happen"
Now, you let the lad alone" Ma
honey clustered. He's all right.
B'sides, he tells me he needs the place;
there's a raft Of young uns to home
and no father nor mother. I'll keep my
eye on him."
And who'll keep their eye on you,
Mahoney:' demanded the timekeeper,
with laugh, and walked away. Ma
honey's fondness for liquor was pretty
we'll 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 timekeeper made his visit to this
portion of the works. But the young
! fasman was not molested, and it even
seemed that the jolly clerk took lik-
ing to the solemn-faced boy at the
crossing.
Don't you ever laugh. youngster?'
he asked one day, stopping beside him
for 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 if they
got six dollars week. and he went
on, leaving Corny dumbfounded, for
he didn't know that Mahoney was ex-
tracing an extra generous "commis-
SION from the pay envelope of the
fiagman.
But collecting tax upon the wage
of the laborers employed on his Sec
ton of the work was not Mahoney's
only sin. The man was a good work
man when lie let liquor alone. bu; lie
grew both reckless and abusive when
he drank. and as the contra ctor himself
seldom visited the piece of ditching
there was nobody to report Mahoney's
lapseS unless it was the timekeeper.
When that individual. was about, the
boss was usually very circumspect.
70 oversee the various gangs of men
ard 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 confusion-the steam drills
going at 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-seemed quite overpowering.
He began by beirg afraid that he
should transmit the signals wrong to
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 goodnatured fellow. said
4 word in Corny's favor to 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, as the men said, had the drink
in him." he was ugly to everybody.
One afternoon The half-tipsy overseer
sent the man who stood on the plat
form above the end of the. ditch where
the shovellers filed the trolley car
away OIL another job and took his
place for time. At onc, things be-
gan to 30 wrong. for Corny not always
understood the boss signals. and The
distance was too far for audible COM
mand 10 be repeated.
Once Mahoney walked over to the
boy and gave him a tongue-lashins
which very nearly paralyzed him. OF
course the boss blamed all the mistakes
upon the flagboy.
But when he had gone back to the
further platform the tilaekeeper
stopped beside Corny. He had been
in the engine house and had seen The
whole occurrence from the window.
Don't fret yourself ever what that
brute says to you" he svid. seeing the
tears running down Corny's pinched
cheeks. HE isn't so big a man as he
thinks himself. if he has got brother
in the City Hall and pull in Four
teenth street.
Then he went on to the end OF the
ditch. Mahoney was believing at the
men in his usual aggressive style. The
timekeeper stood nearby and watched
him unobserved.
Just then the empty car ran along
the cable and stopped over the plat.
form on which Mahoney stood. The
boss motioned for a quick DROP" and
!, the car came down on the run aSd