The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-07-03
a Monopoly
OF Mules
BY E. F. STEARNS.
Author OF THE Girl from Jepson's"
The Super and the Signs" Etc.
sNOGCSISNSCNSNsNSNC
Copyright, by Joseph b. Bowles.)

company's 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 well merited, had been va
cant at last-and had not been filled
by him, as 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-satisfied.
He was startled by the voice of the
youngest apprentice.
Green! Barker wants you! Bar
ker was the superintendent.
Barker did not appear inordinately
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!"
Wen come near making it,"
"Hang It! Near won't do any
good! We've got to make 1t! Why,
Green, that contract is worth a million
to Greer Merrill-it's one OF the big
gest private orders OF machinery on
record! We've guaranteed to set up
their plant and have 1t running on the
first of May-that means that every
blessed piece must be out of here be-
fore thu sixth Of next month. If we
slip up" Barker paused impressive
ly"it n MS a penalty of fifteen hun
dred dollars for every day of delay!"
The foreman of the finishing room
returned to his domain and transmit
ted orders.
Days passed rapidly after that-days
of pell-mell, scurrying work.
On certain Friday, however-the
Friday before the week of the Cham
plin Mills shlpment-the foreman's de-
partment came momentarily to a
standstfll, pending the arrival of rough
pieces from the foundry. An hour
would have to elapse and Abner struck
OFF for walk.
Of to the right some half-dozen
PAGES, Little Feather creek rippled
noisily downhlll, muddy and 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
to Abner Green. A mighty thaw was
under way, and-the Chicago engineers
who constructed that spur of railroad
hod 0varIOOlxad cOpoathipO
1t seemed incredible, and yet was
not, for they had taken the only path
for the road possible without endless
expensive grading; and still-Abner
slapped his thigh.
Its as sartin as the crack o. doom!"
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
a check which would practically wipe
out his savings; that Raymond oblig-
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 out with beautiful GER
tainty; at dawn next morning 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 trailed by sleepy, won
dering Broadbury boy
The colony of workers below was not
within an hour of being astir. Mules
were tethered III the barn, in danger
GUS proximity; mules were iammed
unfeeIingly into the toolshed, mules
were tied in the patch of woods behind
the houSe--good mules and bad mules,
plump mules and bony mules, mules
that had been bought for next to moth
ing and mules that had seemed much
too dear. But there they were, and
the countryside from Broadbury to
Greerville was reasonably free from
superfuous mules.
Barker kept them hard at 1t until
midnight Saturday, and with the first
hour of Sunday came the blessed GER
tainty that the Champlin Mills order
could start on time.
That morning on every hand water
was running, snow disappearing; the
ground was an ooze; Little Feathers
chatter had swelled to faint roar.
Through the afternoon the shippers
pulled and tugged; the string of cars
was loaded at last, and the machinery
of the first lot had been settled for It's
eastward ride. Twilight came and q
warm drizzle OF rain set in.
Toward eight o'clock. Casey and his
fireman pulled out slowly, and long
sigh of relief rose. The days work was
done; the men began to scatter.
Then, abruptly. there came from the
west a dull booming, heavy subduet
noise. as Of muffled thunder.
Barker hurried into the works ant
through to the opposite side. H,
opened a window and thrust his heaC
out into the rain, seeking to penetrate
the darkness toward the brook; b,