Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-10


The president groaned.
I'm excuse you. Mr.. Ford. Get down
| there at once and buy that other neces-
sary share
Ford shook his head with predetermined
gloom. NO. Mr.. Colbrith. I'm not buy
ing any moro mining stock. What ] did
buy seems to have cost me my job.
But, my dear young man, This is a
, a crisis. You are likely to lose control OF
your property! Or. at least. ii is soaring
to point at which you will never he able
| to secure the control
Ford came up smiling You forget
that this Is mere mad excitement. Mr..
Colbrith" he said. handing back the
presidents own phrase. Tomorrow. l
dare say. shall be able to buy at
twenty again..
The president came away from the
window and sat down. His face was
| twitching and the thin white hands were
tremulous.
There may be more In this gold dis
covery than I have been willing to ad-
nit" he said. abstractedly. and In that
| case 80 Mr. Ford. upon what terms Will
you consent to go on and whip this line
of ours into shape"
Ford came out OF the fog Of discourage
ment with a bound
"A complete change in the management
/
BIRTH. North and his grafters must go.
The president did not fly into wrathful
shards. Ford fully expected. On the
contrary. he was lingering the white
goats beard with one nervous hand and
| apparently listening half absently to the
clamor In the street.
Don't be unreasonable. Mr.. Ford" he
said. quite mildly. You know we can't
! consider anything like that at the present
moment.
1T must be considered Ford persisted.
Ever since quit being a division super
intendent North has obstructed. lied about
me. fought me- The time has come when.
If ] stay. I must have free hand. j
can't have II while he is out OF jail.
THAT is strong language to apply to
! our first vice president. Mr.. Ford. And
l can only believe that you are pre1u-
diced unduly prejudiced. But all this
may be taken up later AS you suggest,
we may be losing very precious time.
Ford got upon his feet.
Promise me that you will give the
Denver management as thorough an IN
vestiGation as you have given me. Mr..
Colbrith: do that. and give me absolute
au: hority over the MacMorroghs and
their men for one week. and before the
weeks end we'll be hauling passengers
and freight into Copah over our own
rails"
For moment the president seemed to
be on the point OF yielding. Then his
habitual caution thrust out Its foot and
iripped him.
II can't he pushed. Mr. Ford" Inc COM
planned. with return of the irritated
tone. Let the matter rest for the pres
ent. And-and you may consider yourself
relieved from duty until l have gone
little deeper into these charges against
you. Mr.. North accuses you and you &C
cuse Mr.. North. l must have time to
approach these matters deliberately.
don't know which of you to trust"
1t was deadlock. Ford bowed and
laid his hand on the door.
You are still the president of the Pa,
cific Southwestern. Mr.. Colbrith. and
while you remain PRESIDENT
The old mans pride OF Office took fire
| like tow in a furnace.
"yVhat do you mean by that, Mr.. Ford
Make yourself clear. SIR" he quavered
Il mean just this-if your niece. Miss
Alicia Adair. hadn't been good enough
to say that she will be my wife. I'd carry
this thing up to the board Of directors
where you could do the least harm"
You? Alicia?' the old man shrilled.
And then. in an access OF senile rage that
shook him like a leaf in the wind: Il
said you were suspended-you are dis
charged sir-here and now! If you give
another order as an official Of the Pacific
Southwestern Company Till put you
through the courts for II
Ford opened the door and went out,
leaving the president clutching his chair
with one hand and balling the other into
shaking fist. The die was cast. and he
had thrown blank at the very moment
when the game seemed to be turning his
way. What would Alicia say?
| AS if the unspoken query had evoked
| her. the door of her room opened silently
and she stood before him in the corridor.
Tell me-" she commanded.
I'VE have fought il out and I've had
my beating. he said. soberly. when
thought 1 had him fairly down-he was
| actually begging me to stay on with the
company-we got tangled up again over
North. and he fired me bodily;
Did you-did you tell him about
Yes and that was what set off the
final fireworks"
She put her hands on his shoulders
Stuart. did you lose your temper"
lin. afraid l d!d-just at the last
you know. It's simply an unspeakable
state of affairs. Alicia. dear! At mo-
ment when we should be setting the
| whole world afire in a superhuman enort
| to fog this piece of construction track
into shape, your uncle paralyzes every
| thing.
The constraning touch of her hands be-
| came almost caress What snail you
| do Stuart? Is there nothing to be done!
He took his resolution on the spur OF
| the moment.
Yes. thank heaven. Your uncle has
| got to find a printing press. or at least
! a Telegraph wire, DcIOIC bC Adh ihohO
my discharge effective. Before iie can do
that. or until he does it. / m going to pull
| the throttle wide open and race that dis
| charge circular. If I go to jail for II
afterWard! Who knows but l shall have
| time to save the day for the company
after all? Goodbye. dearest. In twenty
minutes 1 shall be riding for the Mac
Morroghs' camp. and when get
there"
You are going to ride back?-alone?
Oh. no. no." she protested. and the cling
! ing arms held him.
| why. Alicia, girl-see here. what do
| YOU imagine could happen to me? Why.
bless your loving heart. I've been tramp
| ing and riding this desert more or less Tor
| two years. What has come over your?
II don't know: but-but-oh, me! you
will think / am miserably weak and fool
| ish: but lust as you said that l seemed
| to see YOU lying in the road with your
horse standing over you-and you were
dead.'
NONSENSE" ne comforted 9TH be
back here tomorrow. alive and Well; but
| | mustn't lose a minute now. It's up to
| me to reach Horse creek before the news
| of the gold strike gets there. There'N be
| a stampede, with every laborer on the
| line hoofing it for Copah. Goodbye,
| sweetheart. and-msy II" He took her
| face between his hands and did 1t any
| how.
| Five minutes later he was bargaining
| for a saddle horse at the one livery stable
in the camp. offering and paying the SELL
| ing price Of the animal for the Two days
hire. 1t was rather sorry mount At