"
The next morning I laid the matter before Mr. Antwerp, and he wanted the
man discharged forthwith. But during the night my anger had cooled
somewhat and now I felt inclined to give him another chance; so I simply
urged that he be laid off for a while.
"All right, Bates, but make it a good stiff lay-off--not less than
fifteen days," said Mr. Antwerp.
I wrote Ferral accordingly; but I had scarcely finished when a letter
came from him to me, begging off, and promising anything if I would not
discharge him; but, instead would lay him off for _forty-five days_. I
took him at his word and gave him the forty-five days he asked for,
instead of the fifteen I had intended to give him. But, about two weeks
later he came up to "DS," and looked so woebegone, and pleaded so hard
to be taken back, that I remitted the remainder of his punishment. He
was greatly chagrined when he learned that he had trebled his own
sentence. He was never remiss again. Go over to the despatcher's office
any night and you will see him, bright and alert, sitting opposite the
despatcher doing the copying.
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