The sun., 1907-12-25
.GLENVOOD LANDINGS PLIGHT
TOWN FIRE ENGINE LOCKED UP
by HIM WHO PAID FOR IT.

Figmt q FIRE or D0usO . SOuse.
The next time Davy Parnsll Rets lit up
and comes into town 0lenwood Landing.
over ON the north shore OF Long Island, is
going TO be- up against IL good and hard.
Davy is due about New YeAr's Day for hip
monthly soAh. and even the cheer that
Christmas brings couldn't quite wipe out
the depression that dArksned 0lenwOod
yesterday.
Il was easy enough to handle Davy be-
fore Fred Moore. the prominent oysterman.
got a notion in his head that the fire do
partment was somewhat passe and ought
To be brought up to date. put on plane
with the Hampstead Rivulets and the Roslyn
Cascades. Frod Moors's newRangled ideas
about getting a fire engine and his am
bition to be foreman of the Glsnwood En-
gine, Hook and Ladder and Hose Com
pany have ripped the concord Of tho town
into frazzled rags. Half che leading Cid-
sens aren't on speaking terms with one
another. and only the other night Roy Lat
terette. the we'll known clammer and 90
tiIlOn leader. 90 far forgot himself that he
rose up in town meeting and called Fred
a name.
You see, in the old days when the fire
department was united and the boys were
as thick as molasses il was a cinch 20 get
the best Of Davy Parnell. It was the habit
OF that thirsty soul to hit town about
o clock in the afternoon and then con-
scientiously and impartially make the
rounds Of the five saloons, pouring straight
liquor into himself until his money was
gone and he was no longer a good credit
proposition. Then he'd take a wavy course
up Schoolhouse road and around the turn
until he came to the Methodist Church,
where he would lie down in the road and
yell. Somehow IL always got into his head
at such times that he was an oyster and
had to he opened. No amount OF persua-
sion from his best friends ever made the
slightest difference with Davy when he got
properly spiRlicated, hut in course Of
time they solved the problem. When the
old bell tangled and there was a sCurTy
Of feet on the hard roads. and that dis.
consoIate yell was heard from the hill
tor, the boys turned out with buckets OF
water, Fred Moore and Roy Latterette In
the lead. and ran as fast as they could for
the church. Every man az he went by on
the run dumped his bucket Of, water on
Davy. until the whole fire company had
gailoped by. Nobody ever turned back,
bucketfuls Of cold water will drown out
the fiercest jag that ever famed. Il GER
tainly did.
Even now if there were a police force.
just one town marshal with little nerve
and a punch in each hand, there wouldn't
be any trouble in store, but Glenwood is 30
peaceful and lawabiding, notwithstanding
the TO ratio OF saloons and church, that
nobody ever gets rambunctious enough to
start a muss. As IL 10, the fire department
-, II, kha
is all shot to pieces by Fred Moore's adj
vanoed ideas, the next intrusion Of Mr..
Parnell is viewed with alarm.
Maybe Fred Moore isn't altogether to
blame for this distressing state Of affairs
Really il began years ago when Mr.. Willets
died and left piece Of property to the town
on which 70 build a schoolhouBe. IL was
r rovided in the deed OF gift that the land
shoUld be used forever and forever as the
school site, and that II the scnool should
be movI| at any time in the future the
ground should revert TO the heirs. Well,
time passed and time passed and folks
forgot all about that clincller in the deed.
Several months ago GlenwoOd got flush
enough TO afford a bigger and better temple
Of learning and II was built, Queen Anne
style. blow the expense on the hill across
the street from Fred MOore's. All right
Even that circumstance wouldn't have
touched on trouble II some people hadn't
conceived tho brilliant idea Of using the
Olii RGDOOlTOUSeN IA " llTe -ilRluN lDuNt WUtTd
a regular red brass trimmed engine with
o drivers seat. whistle. running boards
and gilt lettering should live.
! he IDEA was put into execution as fast
as Fred Moore and sore Of the other boys
could get around with subscription papers
and get enough promises Of money to cover
the cost of the engine. In no time they
had s575 subscribed, but there IL stopped.
u seemed likely to stop for some time.
Fred Moore. with tho ambition TO be FORE
f,,an amid ha WpdllH afand 1O0n for the
whole amount. and he bonded himself to
the factory in Pittsburg that made the
engine. Nobody objected. Why should
they? Fred was a public spirited citizen.
A month ago along came the engine rid
ing proudly erect on a Long Island Rail-
road fiat car and the whole town turned
out and went to the depot to receive 1t.
Flags few. The town band footed and footed
and footed.
Then ructions exploded like whole pack
ages Of firecrackers on the Fourth. Who
was going TO cad the payrade. b'gee?
Was it to be Roy Latterette, the clammer,
or was il 10 be Fred Moore, the oysterman2
The century old feud between the clammers
and the Oystermen, the old, old row which
the clammers say began by the oystermen
Swiping their clans and the oysterInen say
by the clanmers getting offside in their
oyster beds, flashed up anew.
Finally Fred Moore put pretty pertinent
question.
who in thunder bought this here injine1"
said he. and that held them for some space
Of time.
Now. since you people got so fresh,
said Mr.. Moore. I'm going to take this
iniine up to my house and look Il up in
my barn. When you get ready TO come up
with the coin I'll turn Il over to the town Of
Glenwood. You can all go--well. what l
say goes.
And IL went. And it is still going. And
what's more it promises to keep going
until the town makes good the $500 that the
new engine cost. There was a pretty i'm
pOrt8nt nesting OF the fire company the
other night in Town Hall and a lot Of nobby
speeches. Roy Latterette, who is dead
set on being foreman himself, not only
because he wants to wear the red helmet
and the blue shirt and the white pants
with the big silver shield that go with the
office, but because the man who is fore
man OF the Glenwood Engine, Hook and
Ladder and Hose Company is going to be
the ImDortant Sound in social affairs, got
up and said that Fred was a sucker.
There came pretty nearly being n mixup.
Well, such being the case, II Dnvy Parnell
makes his New Years call. and takes the
unalterable stand that he is as yet an
unoped oyster. what's to be- done2 The
cOmpany's disorganized. II the bell rang
half the hova WOuldn't anaW0r IL ThirtV-