The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-02-22
copyright, 1899, by Morley Roberts.l

'sWe lay the cards on the table, Mr.
Holdredge"
SIX The lord of railroads threw a packet
down before him and, rising, went to
the stove. Except about noon, the air
was chill at the altitude of the summit
when the month was May.
HThere's nothing underhand here,
said Ross. "What our engineers say you
know. Ones word is, why, certainly
and another's, 1T can't be done, and
the third is Scotchman and has what
he calls his ,doots. But if you and your
brother risk it and make it we pay
heavy. If you muck it, our share goes,
and you'll II lose you labor. It's gam
ble.''
He stirred up the stove with burned
pine stick, which he withdrew, blazing.
Mature always holds four aces, said
the younger Holdredge
"No, said Ross. ''but she keeps her
gun ready for all of us when we win.
Even plain piece of rock work at 81 a
yard or So may spell catastrophe and
sudden death.
The Holdredges looked at each other
for long minute and then at the table
This was a strangely quiet gambling
house far among the hills.
And the dealer waited.
''l'll straddle the blind, said Hol-
dredge. and his brother nodded.
But as they put their names OF pa
per they felt that on that plain bit of
pine lay ten years work and ten years
money. to be returned with mighty in
terest or swept off by Ross and those
behind him.
''I'm glad you have the grit to take
this on. said the dealer '.l'd have
given considerable when | was 30 to
have such level chance offered If you
put it through, you make three times
az much in half the time as the man
who has the latest job between the
summit and the Cascades. .
He laughed jovially.
.And if we don t. Mr.. Ross, Z" said
the younger Holdredge, "we'll estab-
lish claim on you for long station
in the Columbia valley, where two
men can start afresh with short shov-
els. 4"
But when they We're outside they
shock hands.
Ibe done. y said Kelley Hol-
ID elder
Sn, assented Bill.
- ty,o vaout telling each other they
night to their wives in their
5taia1sFat me 'e to go easy with the money
- hat they could.
t- got hold of the biggest thing
wn toy said, ''but it's the riskies4
,tt, Sc a spoon or spell horn. But
yol-v1 the SPOON, never fear.
f. ,Eea;ned as they slept in their
lot \; e foaming waters of the Kick
beand river that they were rich,
aorece were roor, that the world was
W . that it was, lost. And over,
ms the great Gravel mountain,
~ (which they had undertaken te
tu fui w men Of the east We're in a
Sec neet the big men of the west
cor re Nnd of May the valley was &
iiR. EN-, and every hour came the
y, great rocks cast down. Or
,dm rails fiat care ran. Explo
40 tered the air and beat the
,and.t Ter whittier yet with the wrecl
,usN. az i1s. In the forests strong mel
M., r.higan and Wisconsin hewet
atsyast4,s, and many working on con
dden II brn oaafe aNss S Tha crss las
ss re-echoed mountain shee]
,Rtod n and stumbling bears won
49, 81 went north and south. !
late, c0len divided their ancient do
we dx
atsn1t n sounds of cataract and snow
aSat, lie elfin shrek of the far loco
Ute :. dominant on the conqnere
spull id in the great gravel hill TIL
.;o,alwa ants We're working prepar
noE. Ge al slope among TIE disinre
81. .niea OF thousand years For /
Tic rn,lhe engineer may cut to VIVA
lie. he VIII; in hardened cart
;estmoll clay is another fitting slope
I'M -. loose material only the nal
= will hold. The angle a
= f1el runs is the angle at whic
y MI. That is its natural slope
"A the tunnel began, and, wit
g1the difficulties We're unbul
". TX Inc STdNel was d Deu VI piu
n lnnsscur beautifully with spad
w. 1t was as strangely pure j
ut was Homogeneous Not
IDe'ai and gritted on a knife passe
? ut. A man could stand on
slab and hardly leave mari
-Iehey came to it, the men Gale
Ply 'eman, and he sent for Keele,
o1sS. and feel of it gladdened h
s.. runs through, this will say
labor. he said, for to timbt
U gravel seemed more and mol
Die to him.
Z yTis foreman looked doubtful, BIT
u his doubts to himself. He sal
v. nothing when the contractor made SON
men put down slabs Of the clay for
track. but he shook his head whe
Holdredge went away.
In the morning when Keeley cam
out of his tent and set his foot upon
blue slab he sank in it deeply He lool
ed for water and saw none, but th