Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-11-24

one OF tnoSe OLD buShy-bearded VIKINGS
when he said, BY thunder, I'm with
you, young man! And I'll answer for
Scott and Magnus and Harding. Get
your board together, and we'll settle
| it today
Ford looked up quickly. "If Mr.
Colbrfth wasn't the chief of your fam
lily clan, Adalr, Il could wish that we
had this Mr.. Brewster at the head of
things"
The rejoinder was heartily prompt
You don't wish 1t any more fervently
than I do, Ford. That is why l am
here today. The board, in spite of all
that our handful of revolutionaries
could do, has armed Uncle Sidney
with almost dictatorial powers in this
stock-purchasing deal; and if he
doesn't contrive to strange things by
the slow process. it will be simply and
solely because you and Kenneth and
are here to see that he does not Do
you know what the men call him out
on the main line? When they see the
Nadia trundling in, they say, Here
comes old Automatic AirBrakes.' And
it fits him. f..
/ But don't quite understand why
he should want to put the brakes on
here and now" Ford interposed. 81
know he is against the scheme, per-
sonally; but he is here as the repre-
sentative of majority which has COM
mitted itself to the expansion measure,
isn't he?"
ooh, yes: and he has no thought of
playing the traitor-you mustn't
think that of him. But it isn't in his
nature to facilitate things. In the
Hi. 1, 81 l.. =.
personally responsible for the eXpendi-
ture of five million dollars. He will
!; examine and investigate and probe and
pry, and will want to worry through
every pen-scratch which has been
made up to date"
well, there Is one comfort: he
can't take much time for his worry
ing" said Ford. Some of the options
expire tomorrow noon.'
Adair sat up as one who suddenly
, takes notice.
| "What---ton0rrow? Land of glory!
but you two fellows took short
chances! Why, any little hitch"
Il know" said the engineer evenly.
But we took what we could get-and
were thankful. Somebody was bid
ding against us, and prices began to
jump. Incidentally. I may say that
Kenneth deserves to be made vice
president of the new company, at the
very least He has done ten mems
work In the last three or four days,
II don't doubt it. Neither do | sus.
pect you OF loafing. For that matter,
Z I've been bustling few lines, myself,
Z since sent you that first telegram
DO you find it exciting enough to
I keep you interested, as far as you've
gomez" inquired Ford, mindful of Miss
Alicia's longings.
Its the best yet declared the
idler Only, you mustn't lean toe
l heavily on me. YOU know. I'm the most
$ uncertain quantity you ever expert
enced But here comes Uncle Sidney
! with cowed and brow-beaten Ken
i meth in tow-say your prayers, and get
+ ready for the battle oval"
. CHAPTER tx.
> Adairs prophecy that President Col
/ BIRTH would prove himself an obstruc
tor of the stubbornest was simply full
g filled during the short interval which
t remained for decisive action. Truly
in the battle for business celebrity the
odds we're three to one against Mr.
e Colbrith; yet the three were as those
: who buffet the wind. The president
Q must see and feel, know and fully un
5 derstand; and at. the very last mo
) ment, when the shortest of the options
e had no more than an hour to live, hi
l. was propostss to summon Genera
< Manager North from Denver to make
S a fifth in the council Of discord.
e 1t was Adair who took the bull b,
5. the horns when the presidents caution
r was about to turn victory into defeat
l What was said or done after the youn;
u man drew Mr.. Colbrith into the pri
It vate committee-room at the bank .ant
e shut the door, Ford and Kenneth, VIII
!; were excluded, could only surmise
d But whatever was done was well done
d When the two, uncle and nephew
e came out of the room of privacy, tn
old man was shaking his head and tn
l. young one was smiling serenely. So
o came about that between eleven an
h twelve o'clock, when Ford, grimly bal
e Ting to the last, fought as one withou
IL hope, a few strokes of the pen opene
l. the doors upon the new creation; fly
L. million dollars, more or less, change
TT hands and the Pacific Southwestern
" took the long leap eastward from tn
II Missouri river to it's new base in CHI
el cago
le "It's you for the hustle now, Ford,
IN said Adair, linking arms with the er
y. gineer when the quartet left the banl
lie How soon do you think you can &c
Ut that first train-load of grain in trar
d. sit?"
lg Il wish could tell you,'' said Fort
re "Vhy can't you?"
lg Because 1t will depend very larg'
OF ly upon the authority Mr.. Colbrith c
at the board sees fit to give me. At PR
at sent you will remember, l am sti
O. only division, superintendent-M
al North's subordinate, in fact, and"
In ''Say it out loud" encouraged Adai
Id Il don't like to. but I suppose
n can't be helped. Up to now ] hay
at acting under special orders as yo
m may say. in purely financial transa
to ton. But my commission expired fiy
n minutes ago when the stock deal wer
h | fbrouob Whom II connee to isc,,ino n