The Tucumcari news. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1906-06-16

NNOpS ISM, W JOStph ID oS"iSS'
~Hard-headed, iron-gray Abner Green,
foreman of the Greer Merrill Machine
~COmPanys smaller finishing room,
sCowled at the landscape.
His heart was as sore as the heart
of man may be, for the hope OF 20 good
years was gone now; the under super
intendenCy OF the works, SO long his
goal and SO we'll merited, had been va
can at last-and had nUt been filled
by him, rs had been expected. Pull
pure and simple, had brought young
Burgess from the east and given him
the place. and there he was, settled
and self-satisiied.
He was startled by the voice Of the
youngest apprentice.
"G cen. Barker wants you. " Bar
ker was the superintendent.
Barker did hot appear i~nordinately
sweet that day;
Lets see. Your room IS working on
the smaller parts OF the machines for
Champlin Mills. Yes. Green, that or
der must start on the first week in
April, not three weeks from now"
Well come near making IT,
Hang it, Near won't do any
good, We've got to make it. Why.
Green, that contract is worth a million
TO Greer Merrljl-it's one or the big
gest private orders OF machinery on
record! We've guaranteed to set up
their plant and have it running IN the
first Of May-that means that every
blessed piece must be out of here be
fore the sixth of next month. II we
slip Up Barker paused impressive
ly"it means a penalty OF fifteen hun
dred dollars for every day Of delay
The foreman OF the finishing
returned to his domain and transmit
ted orders.
Days passed rapidly after ~that-days
Of pell-mell, ~scurrying work.
On u certain Friday, howeyer-the
Friday before the week OF the Cham
plir Mills shipment-the foreman's de-
partment came ~mOmentarily TO a
standslill, pending the arrival Of rough
pieces from the foundry. An hour
would have TO e!apse and Abner struck
off f)I Il walk.
OFF to the right some half-do2en
PAGES, Little Feather creek rippled
noisily downhill, muddy aud eXultant
in its new release from the ice prison.
Yes. hardly half a dozen PAGES from
the track and the snow-shed.
And slowly a great conviction came
e. Abner Green. A mighty thaw was
under way. and-the Chicago engineers
i ,l,,, ..,,. - go ,.,I
had overlooked something.
II seemed incredible, and yet vas
not, for they had taken the only path
for the road possible without endless
expensive grading; and still-Asner
slapped his thigh.
ITS as sartin as the crack o doom, Of
he informed the rocks above.
Shortly past seven that evening,
when Casey's engine ran down to
Broadbury to hook up the first empty
car, Abner rode in the cab. From
there his actions are haZy.
1t IS said that he went directly to
RAYMOND, president of Broadbury's lit
tie bank, and requested the caShin" OF
u check which would practicNIy wipe
out his savings; that Raymond OOIg-
ingly opened the institution, the same
being on the ground floor Of his resi-
dence, and complied; that Green
emerged later with some one thousand
dollars in small bills.
Whatever truth may be in the above.
one tact stands u with beautiful GER
tainty; at dawn next morning a herd
OF 40 sturdy mules wendell their way
BY The back road to the hillside home
OF Abner Green, led by that person
himself and trai,ed by a sleepy, won.
dering Broadbury boy.
The colony Of workers below was no
within an hour Of being astir. Mule,
were tethered III the barn, in danger,
Ous proximity; mules were TANNED