The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-10-07

breakfast she was serving comfortet
! them and gave them some small meas
ure Of fresh strength, but II did no
give them courage enough to overcoml
their wcarlness The girl saw tina
something more elective must DO done
She puckered her forehead quizzical
ly--after her manner when working ou
a problem IN arithmetic. After d III
tle the wrinkles passed away, and, lift
ing her eyes for moment from be-
frying pans, she called to Captain
Hallam:
would you mind coming here .
mInuteT she asked.
The man OF affairs responded weari
ly, but promptly.
what is II, Barbarag,
May I spend 5000 II | get this job
done by noon? That's the last min
ute, Mr.. Duncan tells me-
"But how can you
Never mind how. May have The
s20O0Y
"Ycs--twenty thousand amount
II only we succeed In pushing that car
on rails across the county line before
the clock strikes 49,
Every well. III see what I can do
Mr.. Duncan, can you cook griddle
cakesf
Happily, yes" answered he. eI'm
an old soldier, you know" FL
Every well. then. Please come here
and cook for d little whilc--just till
get back. | won't be long"
Duncan took command OF her two
frying pans. A little amused smile ap.
peared on his face as he did 30 in spite
OF bis encouragement and melancholy.
But to the common sense and sincerity
OF the girl there seemed nothing lu-
dicrous In setting him thus to the un-
dlgnified work. Intent upon her
scheme. she darted away to where the
several gangs OF men were still max
Ing some pretense Of working. TO each
gang she said:
awe got 5000 for you men II you
stick TO your work and finish 1t before
noon today. I'll divide the money
equally among all the men who stick
II will be $40 apiece or more. OF
course youth get your triple wages be-
sides. VIII you keep 1t up? It's only
for few hours more
Her tone was eager and her manner
almost piteously pleading. Without the
persuaslvcness OF her personal appeal
II Is doubtful II the men would have
yielded to the temptation Of the extra
earning. Even with her influence add
ed more than third Of them-those
who had already cast their tools aside
and surrendered to exhaustlon-refu
ed to go on again with task to which
they felt themselves hopelessly un-
equal. But In every gang she address
ed. there was a majority Of men who
braced themselves anew and respond
ed. The very last Of the gangs to
whom she made her appeal put their
response Into the form Of cheer, and
instantly the other gangs echoed It.
"What on earth has that girl said or
done to the men to fetch cheer from
themT' calculated Will Hallam.
"Reckon Little Missie's' jest done be-
witched EN- responded Bob as be
poured batter into his pans.
A moment later Barbara. with face
that had not vet relaxed its look Of in.
tense earnestness, returned to the fire
and resumed her work over the pans.
'Thank you, Mr.. Duncan" was all
she said In recognition Of his service
as a maker of griddlecakes. But she
added
"The men will stick to work, now, l
think--or most Of them, at any rate.
Perhaps you and Mr.. Temple can do
something TO shorten ito lessen the
amount"
Then, turning to Bob. she said:
"Bring the hog, Bob, as quickly as
you can. There's barely time to roast
It before noon"
The men had nearly all had their
breakfast now, SO that the making Of
griddlecakes had about ceased. Hal
lam, Duncan and the young engineer,
Temple, taking new courage from
Parbara's report, were going about
among the gangs, wading knee deep
In water and mud and giving such di-
r.ctions as were needed.
Duncan especially was rendering
service. As an old soldier who had
haG varied varied experience in the hurried
OF earthworks under diff
culties he was able In many ways to
hasten the present work. One thing he
hit upon which went far to make sue
cess possible That end Of the crib
which reached and crossed the county
line offered u cayernous space to be
filed in. 1t was thickly surrounded by
trees, and Duncan ordered all these
felled, directing tne ciioppins &c The. that
the trunks and branches should fall
into the crib. Then setting men to
chop Off such of the branches as pro-
truded above the proposed embank-
ment level and let them fall into the
spaces he presently had
that part Of the crib loosely filled in
with tangled timber and treetops,