The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1895-08-16

4 fA'N HstA NVt. V .A1tfeHRtl LilOuhullu NbIHbl
railway ties, rented for short time
jEwcre scattered. through the tract ia
foreshadow the coming tramways.
Tohear OF these things through the
newspapers did the public seriously
incline. When the second sale took
place, the crowd in attendance was
enormous People fought for places,
and offered to pay such amazlng prices
that the major, hardened horse-dealer
that he was, almost hesitated to ac.
cept the bids. When the dny WINS done
the city of Rome had passed complete.
" out Of the possession Of the com.
pany.
Now 1t was the general who coun.
seled immediate flight. He had re.
ceived little more ainside informa.
tionH-the G. B. r, R, was not coming
to California at alll "Ne must rot out
of the country before that is sprung
snid he, "or we, shall be tarred and
feathcred.r
And the many promises Of the
Glorious Climate company said the
colonel 1.-THE boulevards we were to
build, parks to lay out, public build
ings to construct about them?"
The general smiled. 'sLet the Eng.
llsh syndicate take care Of all that, y
sail he.
few days later, the trio had disap-
,aarcd. So had the laborers upon the
foundations OF Rome. As matter Of
iisct, the great boom in southern Cali.
iornia was ut an end. The impression
began to leak into many people that
somewhere they had heard something
about "a fool and his money!
As for the three, they certainly were
no fools. But
The general went to New York and
lost it all in Wall street.
The colonel went to Ohio and lost Il
all trying to found newspaper.
The major went to Europe and lost
1t all at Monte Carlo,
Naturally each, when stranded, ap-
pealed to the others. Naturally, too,
the reply in each case was depressing.
II was seven years after the episode Of
Rome that the three men drifted TO.
gether again in Chicago
The generals coat was again shiny
at the seams and his cuffs frayed as
before, The colonel drank beer ana
smoked cheap cigars. The major had
evidently taken to strong liquors.
Each confessed to discomfort, though
none Of them was disposed to 20 into
particulars. All lamented the halcyon
days Of the founding Of Rome,
There was no such combination as
that Mt Monte Carlo, said the major.
No such lambs in Wall street"
sighed the general.
NO such suckers in 0hio,n echoed
the colonel.
why not 60 back there?n asked the
general. II don't mean 10 Rome, for
the coyotes must have jumped that
claim, but to southern California
'Walkm said the colonel briefly,
II can get the transportation, /" said
the general My pull with the road
still holds gond-onc wny.n
H0ne way21 repeated the major,
'Yes-away from New York, where
my swell relatives live, The return is
not SO easy
Shall we go BY the California or
bust line?n asked the major, with q
grin.
You needn't laugh" said the gem
eral. THAT road was built after all,
and ! intend to get passes over IT,"
-Four days later, as the c. s. H. Z. I
Overland" was nearing ti,r eis,l 81 its
run, the three comrades, aeep ii
poker game in tsie aln5lsing ear, wore
electrified to hear q passenger 4iyiag:
This station is Rome Crow quite
acity, hasn't it9"
"hha-a-tl" cried the general drop
ping his cards ''Is there Rome on
this line?s
Is there?" echoed the passenger.
just look out Of the window and sae!r
The three rushed TO the platform
just as the train drew up at hantI-
some station surrounded by d we'll
kept park. In plain letters over the
door they read the name