The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-12-06
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In the Ranks s s''' /
j Avenue New York
Bly,.
GEORGE
CARY
EGGLESTON
IS. l56 Fifth Avenue. New York

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come it would still be possible to con-
tinue the work of filling in by running
the dirt cars to the slowly advancing
end Of the temporary track and drop
ping their contents into the crib.
! Thus the work went slowly on. The
men daily showed more and more the
effects of their overwork, for each was
working for twelve hours of each
twenty-four now. They grew sullen
and moody Of mind and slow of move
ment and Of response. Every day a
few more Of them gave up the task,
and Duncan began seriously to fear
that a wholesale quitting would occur
in spite of the enormous wages he was
paying.
With his soldier experience he knew
the symptoms of decentralization from
overstrain, and he began now to recog-
niZe them in the conduct and counte-
lances Of the men. His soldier life
had taught him also how large a part
feeding plays in such a case as this
| He therefore minutely inspected the
out of door mess kitchen and found it
in charge of careless and incompetent
negro women who knew neither how to
cook nor how to make food attractive
in appearance
1.-THE men eat a good DEAL" he said
to Temple, "but they are not properly
nourished. I must remedy that We
simply must win this struggle, Dick,
and we've only six days more If we
can keep the men at work for six days
and nights more We'll either finish or
finally fall
| It was Duncan's habit every even
| ing to call up Barbara's house on the
telegraph and hold little conversation
with her over the wire. She was thus
kept infinitely informed Of how mat
| tiers were going with him, and she was
well nigh sleepless with anxiety lest
he fail in this browning undertaking.
Turning away from Temple, he went
to the telegraph instrument, opened
| the circuit and called Barbara. He ex-
planned his new difficulty to her and
the vital Importance Of providing bet
The men have been living on mess pork
| and "salt horse" for weeks, and both the
meat and half baked dough served to
them for bread are enough to break the
| spirit even of veteran soldiers. Now, 7
want your help in earnest If we can
keep the men at work for six days more,
| we shall have a chance at least of sue
cess. If we can't, failure is inevitable.
want you to buy a lot Of the best fresh
provisions you can get in Cairo and send
them here early tomorrow morning in
charge Of somebody who knows how to
| hustle. Send one of my bank clerks if
you can't do better. Send some molasses,
| too-1n kegs, not barrels; barrels take too
| long to handle. Send eggs, butter, rice,
macaroni, onions, turnips, cheese and,
above all, some really good coffee.
Then, If possible, I want you to send
| me one or two cooks who really know
| what cooking means. Don't hesitate
| about wages. Well pay any price, if
you can only find two cooks who know
the difference between broiling beef and
| burning it. Till your cooks come, I'm
| going to take charge of the cooking N.Y.
| self.
And he did. Guilford Duncan, dis
| tinguished man Of affairs, associate
| of financial nabobs, bank president
and president Of this railroad company,
sat hour after hour on log or squat
ted before an outdoor fire, doing his
best to make palatable such fOOdstuffs
as were to be found in the camp.
tits sorry task" he said to Tenn
pie. 'The stuff isn't fit to eat at best.
I wonder who bought it. God help the
commissary who should have issued it
as rations, even in the starvation days
Of the Army Of Northern Virginia. The
men would have made meat of him.
But can at least make it look a little
more palatable and perhaps improve
its flavor little in the cooking till
Barbara sends fresh supplies and some
capable cooks
"What answer did she make to you
when you telegraphed?"
Hardly any at ALL he answered.
'She clicked out, I'll do my BEST and
then shut off the circuit without even a
word of encouragement or sympathy.
I'm seriously afraid she is ILL., You
know she shares our anxiety, and she
hasn't been sleeping much, I imagine,
since our troubles reached crisis''
"That's your fault" said Temple.
you've told her too much Of detail
If you ever get married you'll learn
to practice certain reserves with your
wife-for her sake"
| mo, WON'T .....
But why so sure?'
Because if ever marry, my wife
will be certain little woman whose
fixed determination it will be to share
both my triumphs and my perplexities,
especially the perple1ities. Now, I've
got to dish up and carve this kettleful
Of corned beef, and you, I imagine.
might somewhat expedite the work of
the earth shovelers by lending them the
light of your countenance for time"
Duncan had scarcely finished the
dishing up Of the unsavory corned beef,
the only merit Of which was that it
was sufficiently cooked when a dis
patch came to him from the New York
bankers whom he had left in charge of
the cOmDany'S interests in the finan-