The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1900-01-26
THE GAMBLERS Of GRAVEL MOUNTAIN.
By MORLEY ROBERTS.
Copyright, 1890, by Morley Roberts

The bill spoke IN a language intelll-
gible to nm engineer, who, standing
there, might have interpreted what it
said as the pathologist interprets OBJ
scure phenomena to the bedside physi-
clan,
"Have You cnbed my contentsP"
asked the hill. "Have you weighed me
In your scales and balancesY For l am
not rock, but gravel. ListenI'
And the Atlantean timbers groaned
family till the young mans skin bris-
tied and his hair moved. This narrow
world seemed alive.
Al he sat there with open ears, which
gradually grew acute In the stiffness Of
midnight. he heard a thousand voices
inaudible In the busy day. Every balk
laid flat for the great uprights had its
word, every upright whispered, the roof
timbers complained, there was a sound
that was no sound or like no known
sound in the world. II 1t was like
aught, 1t resembled most a breath Of
wind in a tuft of grass in a tree. It
was like the sound of fine wheat grow
ing In calm after rain. A mouse's cry
would have seemed a shrek. As the
man who listened held his breath he
heard his heart beat like a %pulsometer
working, But he understood what the
minute chorus Of the night meant. The
wood In the tunnel wal beginning to
take the strain.
"Beginning, he said, "beginningl"
And when he slept again he dreamed
that he and his brother were back in
Utah without a red cent. He spoke to
Kelley az they breakfasted, just when
the men were turning to.
II couldn't sleep last night"
"NoH" said Kelley.
$50 ! got up and went into the tun.
nell"
"What timer"
"About l."
II was there at o." said Kelley.
"Then you heard it?" asked Bill.
"She begins to feel it," said Kelley.
"but that's Of course
He caught his brothers. eye.
ooh, don't croak - he cried angrily,
and the food was dry in his mouth.
But that day the men We're joyful,
for daylight ran through the tunnel.
And the workers of the east shook hands
with the workers Of the west, hurrah-
ing wildly at the work which seemed so
nearly done. For there Ia this quality
in human workers. JOY in toll under
fair conditions, Joy in strife, satisfac-
tion in defeat, II defeat must come.
And to those who knew little this meant
victory. Yet the struggle was even now
beginning. 1t began a week later when
the timbering was complete from end
to end, for only then did the tunnel be-
gin to be audible to gross ears in day.
light, when the live world talked, the
world that was made of a million in
sects and 10, 900 men strung from the
summit to the Columbia.
Among those who worked with the
lumber were many rudely learned in
the strength of materials, and some Of
them We're very doubtful.
"How does 1t goY" asked Keeley.
"All right for the present, Mr.. Hol-
dredge," said they. And at first they
did not add "But''-
Among themselves, in their rude
shacks and tents, they estimated the
weight Of the hill.
"Pine and fir will never hold. We
want hard woods, oak and teak"
"Steel,' said another.
"And steel WON'T" said a third.
"If she comes, will she come sud
denP p asked the laborers, as they work.
cd with sledge and maui,
But they were paid to risk 1t. Some
left, for their nerves gave way when
they took to thinking Of a quick run
out Of the pit. Even those who staid
frowned tu hear the timber talk. It
spoke 40 loudly Of the heavy world
above them-the sinking world in the
bright air.
Kelley went up to see Ross. and the
big man came down to look at the
work. He walked through from end to
end, and when he was once more in
daylight he used the same expression
that came to every ones lips.
"Talks a good deal" he said.
Kelley nodded and tried to look
cheerful.
"She's settled down, I reckon"
~ reckon not, said Ross, ''but she's
settling. Shall I send you down Cor
dom I"
Gordon was the Scotch engineer who
had "doots,
"For l think you'd better double
timber It," said Ross. He knew what
that meant, and was a bit sorry for
those who had bet their pile against
that pile Of gravel.
"send Gordon" said Kelley, and a
rough old Scotch tyke came from Lag
gan next day,
"Meester HoldredgeP" he said as he
tumbled Off his pony.
"That's So" said Kelley. ''And you
are Mr.. Gordon, Will you walk through
now OF after dinner2'
"I'm hungry and in a wicked bad
temper the moo, " said Gordon, $50 I'll