Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-10-25
iCoPYRIGET, 1891
CHAPTER vIIL-CoNT1NuED.

tSoff 1871
CHAPTER VIIL-CoNT1NCED
81 told you BEFORE" said Hendricks,
somewhat testify, that the purpose
and expense were not part of your con-
sideration. What will it cost?''
"Well, sir, 1 suppose rude but solid
bracket road can be built on one wall
for about six thousand dollars a mile. :"
That's very nearly a hundred thou
sand dollars for sixteen miles. Let us
say hundred and fifty thousand. Can
we put up an electric engine if it is
got in here by piecemeal and make
the trucks and cars if the iron work is
supplied?"
''Unquestionably," replied Laport.
''Then the railroad question is set
tied" said Hendricks. Now the light
ing system. Ny idea is to run the fur
mace chimney through the roof where
the crust is not over ten feet thick and
carry it up at the end of the house we
are to build over the entrance. But
you will see what our difficulty is. We
want light to build the road, and until
the road is built we cannot get our
dynamo and engine into the cave, for
they must come in at the other end"
Il would suggest a temporary light
ing arrangement" said Laport. The
difficulty of delivering most of the ma
terial at this end can be overcome"
Yes, but the difficulty of transpor-
tation at this end cannot be overcome.
We have to haul our stuff from the
nearest railroad and that is only a
poorly equipped branch. 1t is next to
impossible to pull the material over
the run until roads are made and we
the southwest"
Nevertheless it is impossible to get
any heavy material through those pas
sages at present and it is not impossi-
BILE to wheel here from the nearest
point until your road is completed"
''How long will it take to build the
road?''
Laport laughed. sit is a question
of supply of iron and number of work
men"
Very well, we have all winter.
will furnish you with a gang of fifty
men. If the road is done by next May
shall be satisfied"
CHAPTER TX
Eight months elapse. There is an
Office in Memphis whose sign reads:
''Charles Fenning, Real Estate. Office
of the Laran Sanatarium."
It has long been remarked that Mr..
Jennings mails are enormous. He
gets sometimes as many five hundred
letters in day. 1t is not known that
most if not all of these go to Laran.
But it is known to a few persons in
Memphis that he has a private wire to
one branch Of the Laran establishment
and that he ships great quantities OF
goods in boxes and carts and barrels.
The fact is, Mr.. Charles Fenning is
Hendricks most confidential lieuten-
snt, and under the simple guise of real
estate operations and an agency for
the furnishing of information about
the Laran sanatarium, stands as a
close connecting link between his hid
den principal and the world with which
that principal is carrying on active
operations.
His business is so pressing that he
works late at night in his Office. He
has two assistants; one is a messenger
and Office runner; the other is q con-
fidential secretary. assistant and tel
egraph operator. She is a very pretty
young lady and her name is Cornelia
LapOrt.
Fenning has three rooms on the
ground floor; one is public Office; an
other is a smaller and private office; the
third room connecting with a side
street is shipping room and is well
filed at this time with goods waiting
to be sent to the depot on the Wash
bayou.
One night in April, the door to Mr..
Jennings public office was opened-a
woman stepped in quickly and, shutting
it after her. glided across the room in
the direction of the private Office,
merely saying in a low tone: "Mr. Fen
ming"
Mr.. Fenning was sitting at his desk
and Miss Laport. not ten feet away,
was seated at another sorting bundle
of letters.
Fenning followed the woman into the
private Office and closed the door.
They stood face to face and the wom-
an said Immediately, with every indi-
cation that she had been walking rap
idly:
1Ork. L must get 10 the bayou To-
night"
Fenning showed no signs of alarm.
He offered her chair. do you think
anyone saw you come in here?" he
asked.
II think not, but 1 cannot be GER
TAIN
Pray be seated said Fenning.
"You surprise me. Why should anyone
suspect you?"
Zone or more of my letters have been
intercepted"
Fenning looked grave. "Ah!" he
said, as they sat down, "Do you re-
member the contents?"
CLEARLY"
To whom were they addressed?"
To Hendricks, in Washington. Can
you get me to the bayou tonight"
Fenning shook his head. Il can
get you on the way" he said. sit is
thirty miles to Upton county. must
say that am surprised at your coming
here. There is nothing at all can
be proved against you and you run the
risk of connecting this office in the
chain of suspicious, whatever they are"
But" said the woman, lit is imper-
atively necessary to all interests that
get to Laran."
'.What have you got about your per-
SOM"
Papers and money" she replied,
~, ,aS !, ta1y tal.ipp a rac--af from, har