The Grit-advocate., 1906-05-11
A Monopoly
Of Mules
By E. F. STEARNS.
Author Of The Girl from Jepson's"
The super and the Signs" Etc.

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Copyright. BY Joseph B. Bowles)
Hard-headed, iron-gray Abner Green,
foreman OF the rMerrill Machine
company's smaller finishing room,
ccowIed at the landscape.
His heart was as sore az 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 fiiled
by him. as had been expected. Pull. y
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
younges, apprentice.
"G"een! 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 n list 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 it running on the
first of May-that means that every
blessed piece must be out Of here be-
fore the sixth Of next month If we
slip up" Barker paused impressive
ly"it means penalty Of fifteen hum
dred dollars for every day Of delay!'
The foreman Of the finishing room
returned to his CONAN and transmit
ted orders.
Days passed Iaridly after that-days
of pell-mell, scurFying work.
On certain Friday, however-the
Friday before the week OF the Cham
plin Mills shipment-the foreman's de-
partment came momentarily to a
standstill, pending the arrival of rough
pieces from the foundry. An hour
would have to e!apse and Abner struck
of for a walk.
Of to the right some hall-dozen
PAGES, Little Feather creek rippled
noisily downhll, muddy and eXultant
in its new release from the ice prison.
Yes. hardly half a dozen PAGES from
the track and ihe snow-shed!
And slowly great conviction came
to Abner Green. A mighty thaw was
under way, and-the Chicago engineers
who constructed that spur OF railroad
had overlooked something.
1t seemed incredible, and yet was
not, for they had taken the only path
for the road possible without endless
expensive grading; and sti!l-ADner
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
Droadbury to hook up TIE first empty
car. Abner rode in the cab. From
there his actions are hasy.
Ii is said that he went directly to
Raymond. president of Broadbury's lit
tie bank. and requested the cashin" of
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 wended their way
by the back road to the hillside home
of Abner Green, led by that person
himself and trai!ed by sleepy, won
de-ing 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 jammed
unfeelingly 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
! to GEAR. But there they were. and
the countryside from Bradbury to
Greerville was REASONABLY free from
superfuous mules.
Barker kept them hard at it until
midnight Saturday, and with the first
hour Of Sunday came the blessed GER
| tainty that the Champlin Mills order
could start on time.
| Tha, morning on every hand water
was running, snow disappearing: the
ground was an ooZe; Little Feathers S
chatter had swelIed to faint roar
Through the afternoon the shippers
pulleS and tlSged: the string of cars
| was loaded at last, and the machinery
Of the first lot had been settled for its
eastward ride. Twilight came and a
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. ,here came from the
west dull booming. heavy subdued
noise. as of mufiled thunder.
Barker hurried into the works -tlu
through to the opposite side. lie
| opened a window and thrust his lead
out into the rain. seeking to pene "a. e
the darkness coward the brook: he