The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-12-06
would you mind coming here a


~, but promptly.
''What is it, Barbara
May spend $1,000 if 1 get this job
done by noon? That's the last min
ute, Mr.. Duncan tells me-"
'But how can YOU
"Never mind how. May I have the
$4,000"
"Yes-twenty thousand-any amount,
if only we succeed in pushing that car
on rails across the county line before
the clock strikes 12."
every well. I'll see what 1 can do.
Mr.. Duncan. can you cook griddle-
cakes?'
Happily, yes" answered be- "I'm
an old soldier, you know"
every well, then. Please come here
and cook for little while-just till 1
get back. I won't be long"
Duncan took command of her two
frying pans. A little amused smile ap-
peared on his face as he did so in spite
of his 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-
dignifed work. Intent upon her
scheme, she darted away to where the
several gangs of mea were still max
ing some pretense of working. To each
gang she said:
"Tve got $4,000 for you men if you
stick to your work and finish it before
noon today. I'll divide the money
equally among all the men who stick
It will be $40 apiece Oh more. Of
course you'll get your triple wages be-
sides. Will you keep it up? It's only
for few hours MORE"
Her tone was eager and her manner
almost piteously pleading. Without the
responsiveness Of her personal appeal
it is doubtful if the men would have
yielded to the temptation of the extra
earning. Even with her influence add
ed more than a third of them-those
who had already cast their tools aside
and surrendered to -refus-
ed to 80 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 a cheer, and
instantly the other gangs echoed it.
"What on earth has that girl said or
done to the men to fetch a cheer from
them?" calculated Will Hallam.
s ;osc l>o
witched EN- responded Bob as he
poured batter into his pans.
A moment later Barbara, with a face
that had not yet relaxed it's 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 maker of griddlecakes. But she
added:
"The men will stick to work, now, I
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
Barbara's report, were going about
among the gangs, wading knee deep
In water and mud and giving such di-
rections as were needed.
Duncan especially was rendering
service. AS an old soldier who had
had varied experience in the hurried
construction 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 cavernous space to be
filled in It was thickly surrounded by
trees, and Duncan ordered all these
felled, directing the chopping so 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
unoccupied spaces he presently had
that part Of the crib loosely filed in
with tangled timber and treetops.
Gangs Of men were meanwhile push
ing cars along the temporary track and
dumping their loads Of earth among
the felled trees. Duncan, with small
gang, was extending these temporary
tracks along the crib as fast as the
earth dumped in provided a bed.
This work of filing was very slow,
Of course, and when Duncan's watch
showed 10 o'clock he was we'll nigh
ready to despair. Under the strain of
his anxiety he had forgotten to take
any breakfast, and the prolonged ex-
posture to water and rain had so far
depressed his vitality that he now
found chill creeping over him. He
hurried. to Barbara's fire for some cof-
fee and a few mouthfuls of greatly
needed food. There for the first time
he saw what Rarhara,o propo;cod AZ,