Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1908-02-06
CHAPTER l.
Arrow and Fire,

City, and a few mining camps, was a
trackless, forestless deso1ation known
only to Indian, coyote, and venture
some emigrant. Yet two men under
the golden wing Of the government
planted a line OF lonely posts, and
linked them with chain of stage
coaches. Over this treacherous way
sped daily messages, men and treas
ure; sped. and arrived-if frost and
Indians permitted
Late on an autumn afternoon the
Overland Mail was toiling sunward up
western rampant of the Rocky noun
ta1ns. Two passengers were on the
box with the driver The center man,
booked as Alfred Vincent, was slight,
fair, and, to the superficial eye, young
to hoytshness. His air Of one bred
to the best OF city rehnements con-
trasted sharply with his feIlow-trav-
eler, who had been introduced as Mr..
Phtueas Cadwa1Iader, though the
driver afterwards called him BLOW
hard Cad" which nickname he vindi-
Gated by constant stream Of gossip
But an astute observer would have
Seen that he was trying to penetrate
the reserve, the slight mystery that
surrounded his feIlow-traveIer.
Yet whatever the mystery, Alfred
Vincent was now posting westward
with q letter In his pocket signed by
Coils P. Huntington, and directed to
Leland Stanford, governor Of Cali
fornia, and president Of the Central
Pacific Railroad company. Alfred paid
slight heed to the others. His impa-
tient imagination winged him far from
present inaction, over mountain and
desert, to the far west, to unguessed
conflicts of the future.
Holy Mackinaw! Only fools would
think Of building railroad through
this God-forsaken country
The caustic sentence reused Alfred
from his reverie; and Phineas noted
that "railroad'' was the magic word
that broke the spell The driver, VIII
liam Dodge, better known as Uncle
Billy" readjusted his quid of comfort,
spat with precision, and touched up a
tagging leader with the tip of his rod
long whip1ash. We'll, I'm not taking
the chances of calling Gove'no' Stan
ford a fool"
LOT course he amt. He don't intend
to build any railroad, either. Not over
the Sierras, anyway. He's got bet
ter thing" Phinsas' sidewise look dill
xentIy sought rift in AIfred's mask.
"Meaning?' Uncle Billy questioned
THAT Dutch Flat Swindle. Those
C.. P. fellers have their wagon road
built over the Sierras, and
How TN blazes can they build rail
road, Cad, without a wagon road!
Don't they have to feed their advance
construction camps? And won't they
have to do it for years, while they
cut their miles Of tunnels?
"Oh, they'll put their railroad
through to Dutch Flat maybe; but
from there on they'll go tt by mules;
take all the toll they can get from the
312,000,000 freightage Nevada pays
every year to the transportation com-
panies. The G.. p. people want bite
of Louis McLane's pie, that's al"
They're going to get it, you bet.''
The driver smiled; yet his low, leisure.
" words seemed fat
Not by a tugfu1!" Phtneas lifted
his voice and pounded the air; and
Alfred detected the sham note, the
bid for effect. What do you suppose
we are doing along the line? Why,
San Francisco merchants can sit in
their offices and sell to all California,
to Nevada, Idaho, and southern Ore
gon. at any price they choose to name.
And McLane and all the other trans
portation folks can haul the goods at
their own figures; they won't even let
the towns have post offices because
tfley like to carry letters at half dol
lar apiece. San Francisco bays full OF
shfns and the mountains are full OF
gold; and we're getting It going both
ways, out and LII.
Yes, yo're taking toe much" the
driver replied. '3Yo're killing yo'
xold-egg goose.
Phfneas' smile was unpleasant. "Oh,
No, She's hearty yet. And We won't
dtvvy up the eggs, either, with those
seyen-bynine shopkeepers tn-that mud
hole they call Sacramento Do you
suppose well let them make fishing
uond Of the bay, and . winter water.
ms-placs Of San Francisco? Not On
your gold toothptck!
Uncle Btlly's go flashed its nrse
hint Of rssentment -stan1ord'a worst
enemy wouldn't think Of calling him
ssven-by-nins, and reckon California
voterru have snmstAfng tn say. 70
hnd,s mt hight snaart inanaaes WITH
them"
yea Th1y votsd botA SEa1s -
CIV bonds, didn't thsy. Ak Dodosf'
yfncent ashsd, joining tie ennvsrss
tim q h1k
-oh. en- - Unc1s D1llJ." sid -
Arrr. -HssaD - afncs snJus
e.IIea - pudxa, - - ht10d1D
TIM q tt naanl'e
.vr- bet Stan1pr4s ut fnnuanes
IN - vuksFa" Pninans roka n -
-. UneIs Bflly eama . Vineant's
-