WHEN O'CONNOR DRAWS HIS PAY

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVII, Issue 7917, 14 June 1902, Page 4 (Supplement)

WHEN O'CONNOR DRAWS HIS PAY

(By Holinan F. Day). Men wiho plough the sea, spend they may —and free, But nowhere is there prodigal among those careless Jacks Who will toss the hard-won spoil of a year of lusty toil . Like the prodiicals of P-ickpole and tie Ishmaels of tihe Ax. You could -hear him when he started from Rapogenus Chute, You could 'hear tihe cronching-cra-nohing of his swashing spike-sole boobs ; You could even hear the colors in the flannel shirt he wore, And the forest fairly shivered at the way O'Connor swore. 'Tmas averred t'hat in the city full a hundred imdles away They felt a little tremor when O'Connor drew his T»y. When O'Connor drew his pay, Though hie drew it miles, away, The people in the city felt .the shock of it that day; And they said in deepest gloom "The drive is in the boom And O'Connor's drawn his wages.; clear the track and give him room." He rode two giant spruces through the smother of tihe Chutes. He rode tihem standing straddled, shod and spurred in spike-sole boots; Then jusb for exhibition when he struck Ghesuncook Rip He rolled tile logs and ran them, with never missr'or slip. For a -dozen miles through rapids did he balance on one log. And 'he shot the Big Schoomook at a mighty lively jog. He reached Megantic landing, where he nimbly leaped aehore, And Ihe bought some liquid fire at the Beomis wangun store. For O'Oonnor'd drawn his pay He was then upon his way For a little relaxation and a day or two of play. The drive was in the boom Safely past Seboois flume. And all O'Connor -wanted -was rum enough —and room. O'Connor owned the steamboat from Megantic to the Cove, Whatever there was stavable he forthwith calmly stove; . He larruped crew an.d captain when they wouldn'd leb him steer, Sat down upon the smokestack—smoked out the engineer. He had drawn his season's pay. He had cash to throw away.

He had cash to burn! O'Connor's spurn for clemency to pray. The drive was safely down, He was on his way to town, He was doing up the section and proposed to do -it brown. O'Connor owned the railroad as O'ConnoT'd owned the craft, He crouched from rear to engine, and he chaffed and quaffed and laughed. He' smashed the plate-glass windows for he didn't'like the styles, He smashed and promptly settled for a dozen stovepipe tiles. Of course he was arrested when the steamer got to shore— A justice fined O'Connor and he paid the fine —and more! They took him into limbo right and left along the line, He pulled hia roll and willingly kept peeling off the fine. With hlis portly wad of pay He pa.ved his genial way. He'd no chance to spend it on the far-off Brassua. But now the drive was in. As he'd neither kith nor kin. There seemed no special reason why he shouldn't throw his tin: O'Connor reached the city and he reached it with a jar, He had piled up all the cushions fin the centre of the car— Had set- tthern all on fire, and around' the blazing pile i; . He was dancing "dingle breakdowns in a verv jovial style. ' , Before they got. him cornered they had : rung in three alarms. An/1 it took the whole department to tie his legs and arms. He had spent his last lone copper, &ut they sold his spikesole boots For enough to pay his fre&ghtag-e back to Rapogenus Chutes: They put him in a. crate • Andthey. shipped him back by freight . To commence a yeo-r chopping up in Township Number Eight; ; And earnestly be Bwore

"When they dumped him on the shore He had never spent his wages quite so pkasnrably before. Men who plough the sea, spend they may and free! But nowhere is there prodligal among those careless Jacks Who will toss the hard-won spoil of a year of bitter toil Like the Prodigals of Pickpole and the Ishmaels .of the Ax.