The Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1903-1909, 1906-06-19
"A Monopoly
OF Mules
NJ + cTrAnNC
BY E. F. STEARNS.
Author Of THE Girl from Jepson's
The super and the signs, Etc.
e1.to..1oo0os..o.60ct.9cc(.c6c
Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.)


Hard-headed, iron-gray Abner Green,
foreman of the GreerMerril Machine
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
she place, and there he was, settled
end ecclesiastical
He was startled by the voice of the
youngest apprentice.
&c cen! Barker wants you. Bar
ker was the superintendent.
sBarker did not appear inordiGately
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 it! Why,
Green, that contract is worth million
to Greer Merrlll-its 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 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 a certain Friday, hOwever-the
Friday before the week of the Cham
pin 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
off for walk,
Off to the right some half-dOzen
paces, Little Feather creek rippled
noisily downhll, muddy and exultant
in Its new release from the ice prison.
Yes hardly half dozen PAGES from
+he track and the snow-shed!
And slowly a great conviction came
to Abner Green. A mighty thaw was
under way, and-the Chicago engineers
wlo constructed that spur of railroad
had overlooked something.
1t seemed incredible, and yet was
net, for they had taken the only path
fer the road possible without endless
ex JensIE grading; and still-Abner
Slapped Els thigh.
It's as sartin as the crack o doom! "
ln informed the rocks above.
Shortly past seven that evening,
when Caseys engine ran down to
Iroadbury 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
&c 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-
ience, 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 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 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 jammed
pnfeelingly 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
ting and mules that had seemed much