Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-03-10

Convert
The Effort Was Discourag.
ing, but Succeeded at Last
By JOHN Y. LARNED


youngsters who are dead set against IA
humdrum life. Bob's father, when the
boy was fifteen years of age. secured
him a position in IA friends counting
room, but the friend soon told Mr.. Bar
rington that Bob WAS not fitted for a
commercial life.
Whats the troubleG' asked the par
ent.
Well, the life's too eramped. What
We want are young fellows for cog.
wheels. They should go through the
same routine every day: never ask
questions or make suggestions, but do
what they are told to do and no more.
Ii they see anything hat looks to
them a bit-well. shrewd, they're not
to fare up and call it dishonest. 0nr
business is a machine. and every part
must fit INTO every other part
~ see said Mr.. harrington. Bob
is not in your line"
Bob was withdrawn and asked what
he wished to do. He said he thought
he would like to get a breath of fresh
air, which, being explained. meant that
he would like TO go where natural in
stincts had a fuller play. To state the
case more definitely. he proposed TO so
west and be a cowboy. His father,
thinking that if his son bad some ex.
perience in herding sheep during .
blizzard he would be glad to come
home and go TO work in a civilized
way. assented. Bob was well outfit
ted, being given IA thousand dollars.
which he was told must last him a
year. He told his father that he didn't
want any mere than enough 10 take
him to his destination and he wouldn't
call on him for any more. So he hand
ed back all but $500 and started on
his journey.
The new life suited him exactly. He
made a cowboy of himself for awhile.
but. having displayed considerable
nerve in several ~fracases. he was elect
ed sheriff. at which calling he made n
success.
One of his exploits during his terra
of office was the hunting down of a
notorious desperate named Donohue
The outlaw came into the region over
which Sheriff Darlington had julisdic
ton and commenced a series of robber
les thai terrorized every one. Barring
ton made it his business to capture tue
man without killing him. Not that
such a kindly act was obligatory en
him. Indeed. his constituents woulG
have much preferred that DonohHp
should be taken dead, for, in that case
the territory would be spared the ex
nopco of n 4Yiol Tho tp1th NOS por
rington never quite succeeded in eradi
eating civilization from his system and
felt a repugnance against making al
executioner of himself.
One day the sheriff was missed, and
nothing was heard of him till II day
he reappeared, with Mr.. Donohue i'll q
wagon, bound hand and foot. A meet
ing of citizens was called and. after q
vote of thanks to Sheriff harrington,
deereed that a committee be appointed
to hang the prisoner. Bob claimed the
captive as his own and insisted that
he be turned over to a court for trial
This excited much opposition, on the
ground that there was no evidence that
Bonohue had murdered any one. Con
sequently he could never be hanged.
However. it could not be denied thai
the prisoner belonged TO harrington.
and. since he would not consent to the
hanging. the man must be sent to a
place where there was a court. Here,
too, Darlington stood in the way of
justice. Certain persons who knew of
murders committed by the accused of
which there were no eyewitnesses
kindly consented to perjure themselves
that a proper punishment might be in
ficted. The sheriff would not consent
to this. and when the judge proposed
to give the convict all the imprison.
ment the law allowed Darlington stood
out for two years. The judge, being a
stanch supporter Of the sheriff, acced
ed to his wishes.
One would suppose that saving a
mans life and cutting down a term of
ten years az hard labor to two would
touch the heart of the subject of this
~magnanimity. Instead. when Dono
hue was taken away to serve his term
he said:
SHERIFF. eff We hadn't sneaked up on
me and got the drop when | wasn't
lookin' for you you wouldn't "a got
me. Howsomeyer, I'll git out o Jail
In two years from this yere present
time. and it'll be you ash have to look
out fur me"
THANK you kindly for mentioning
your benevolent intentions" replied
Bob. "Ill try and be in a position to
congratulate you on having attained
your freedom and keep from getting
hoied at the same time
When Bob had been in the west a
year his father asked him if he didn't
wish to return and take up civiliZa-
ton again, Bob wrote that there was
too much of a mixture between the
good and the bad in civilization; he
preferred the two separate. as they
were in the west. The better class of
people in the west made no p~retense