Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-23

The Ridge farmers had accumulated large
piles of ties and telegraph poles. which
they had hauled to the proposed line of the
road. The sale of this material would be
a most beneficent result to the community
at large Mortgages would be lifted, build
ings repaired, arrears of taxes PAID. farm
ing implements and stock renewed and
many a dollar laid away for the inevitable
rainy day.
Now they could haul this timber back
home and use 1t for fuel. There were no
roads over which it could be transported to
the railroad as planned. and If there
had been it would not have paid to haul 1t
SO far Much of it had been cut and hauled
by hired help-a luxury the farmers could
Ill AFFORD.
For all these misfortunes Judge Davis re-
ceived the credit.
Tommy and discussed plan for the
lief of this glut of ties and poles. There
was the engine lying idle and all the cars.
The gravel pit trap connected with the main
line. We could dump the stuff right where
il was wanted. There only one draw
back. l had computations in regard to
using the company's property. but there
was less than half carload of coal on the
premises. Without fuel we would be help
less
Use wood suggested Tommy.
But told him would burn more wood
than the ties and poles would be worth,
not only that. there was no wood to be had,
the farmers only cut barely enough for
their own use.
There's coal in the cave"
Tommy'S alluSiOn to the coal set me to
thinking and evidently it did him. for next
morning we met halfway between our re-
spective homes and informed each other in
chorus that had found way to get
that coal out We found that our ideas.
while similar were just enough different
that by combining parts Of each We
could have a good plan.
"a f,1I TO he
path. The water tu!nbied in a thin sheet
over a toleraby straight edge of rock.
twenty feet long Near the center point
of rock projected above the water about
two feet. If we could dam the stream
from the south bank over to that rock all
the water would be compelled to run over
the north half of the fall, leaving the en-
trance to tLe cave exposed. 1t was seldom
anybody Went that way nowadays. so We
hoped to be able to do the job, damminG
the stream and cOalng up, without being
discovered, but if we Were-Well, 1t couldn't
be helped
We got the ak and saw from the engines
tank bog and some boards and joists. We
sawed three joists in two and sharpened
the ends, making six strong stakes. We
drove them in a slanting line from the
bank to the rock in the middle, letting
them point bit up stream Then we
showed two boards edgewise into the wa
ter on the upstream side of the stakes.
The effect instantaneous. The wa
ter was all DETECTED to the north side of
the ran, ana iOT the lllSt lIiil- III Aie WI w,
probably. the sun shone into the tunnel
We could hardly spare the time to drive
few nails in the boards to keep them IN
place. SO eager We're we to go down ana
look in. The boards didn't fit the bottom
snugiy. 1t boiled through, and after a
while it began to dribble over the edge
of the rock again. We cut short pieces OF
board and drove them down endwise into
the mud. all the way across, and stopped
that 1t took US all day, and we worked
most of the time in the freezing water.
but our dam tight, and we Were highly
elated. AS had to go farther back for
the coal during the last days it was week
before We got enough, pulled up our dam
and were ready for business.
As nearly everybody would be at the Sat-
urday evening debating society at the
school house we decided to make our bid
for patronage there l called for Carrie.
and the way to the school house had
the pleasure of meeting Ed Dennison,
headed for the widows. We babe him
pleasant good evening, and moment later
glance back showed nm slouchihs a.o!s
disconsolatey, head down and hands IN
pockets Carries eyes spark!ed risch!ev-
ousIy but neither Of Us said q word
Ed came in shortly after us and took
seat behind the StoVe-Sure sign ne was out
of Joint
When the house was well filled, and be
fore the chairman was elected, L excused
myself to Carrie and went upon the plat
form. l knew my ears were red ana
couldn't see anything of the audience but
eyes. | felt buZZy. and l wished hadn't
been hTaSh- However, i was III IOl IT,
and Carrie was watching me; So after
Clearing my throat and taking swallow
from the chairman's water pitcher, | nou-
fed them that on the following Monday
Thomas Woodford and l would be ready
to haul ties and telegraph poles to the line
of the railroad.
We would haul ties for cents apiece
YOU load and discharge them-or cents
and handle them ourselves. Telegraph
poles, = or 10 cents each, according 10 VINO
handled them.
Elder Obed Staples got up and asked:
'How We goin' ter do it,?
with the engine and dump cars the con-
tractor left here, / answered.
The old gentleman strobe down to the
platform and yelled: Put 'er therer He
grabbed my hand and nearly shook 1t loose.
Yer the salvation o this community, my
boy" said he excitedly. We was all in the
dumps about them ties an poles Didn't
know what ter do with en-. an I'm blessed
If you haint solved the riddle. l won't ask
We how yer agoin ter manage it; 1 don't
want ter know. You'll do 1T, I'm satisfied
o that. an that's enough. l got high onto
a thouSan poles an fifteen or twenty hun
6red ties You shall have every one on 'em
at your own tigger. | like to see enterprise,
an | wish more o the young fellers round
here he'd it. Yer fathers a right ter be
proud o ye.'
When our work was done Tommy and 1
had Sl42Sr apiece to our credit after de-
Quoting what our help cost 1t a
pile or money, but we worked hard, and I'M
derwent good deal OF discomfort to get 1t.
With the advent of the railroad, money had
become less of q curiosity the ridge than
formerly: otherwise we would have been
considered wealthy.
During the winter an expert man!pulater
had uuloaded a carload of stock on the Eu-
fGpean market, and returned with several
barrels of money, SO, as soon as the snow
off the ground, operations the road
Were resumed on a much grander scale
than before, but Greytown the OBJ
jective point. Melton took but little interest
h the proceedings.
Dave returned and ran the gravel train,
but was not allowed a fireman. and as the
Eorkmen were too far away TO be watered
from one place, Tommy and l We're out Of
Jobs. As Dave still boarded at Mrs. STAN
woods. and l was a frequent visitor there,
knew pretty we'll how the work was get
ting along. A big gang of rockmen were
put on. to drive the tunnel through in a
hurry, as ii was desired to have the road
open to Greytown before another snowfall
Judge Davis had recovered from his ILL
ness and was about town again. With the
return of his bodily health he regained
much of his old-tiUe combativeness He no
longer submitted tamely to the taunts of
his townsmen. but assumed a defiant air.
which confirmed many in the belief that
he had sold OUT to Greytown.
Along in July we began to hear rumors
of trouble in the Greytown tunnel.
Tommy and l had our curiosity aroused
TO the highest pitch. and determined