Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-23
XI-Continued.


Me hands not light enough for that,
Misther North"
Again the general manager smiled.
''You require a deal of prompting some
times. Brian. What's the matter with a
| trusty go-between?"
Him, that's it now. But where to lay
me finger on the right man. 'Tis a risk
to run-with a young firebrand like Ford
holding the other end iv the string.
Still l think the man can be found
But first we must make sure of your
contract. with or without Ford. Your
| suggestion about taking the matter up
with Mr.. Colbrith in person strikes me
favorably. Can you spare the time to go
to New York;
| Sure l can"
! AT Once?"
1.-The wan minute for shrinking is whin
the irons hot. Misther North.
The general manager put aside the
| thick file of papers he had been eXamin-
ing when marlborough entered, and be-
| gan to set his desk in order
Il have been thinking / might make it
convenient to go with you. l presume
| you have no objection to going as my
guest in the naught-seven?'
TITS an honor you're doing me. Misther
North. and I'll not be forgetting it.
Not at all. There are some matters
| connected with this contract that I'd like
| we can agree upon them | may be able
to help you with Mr.. Colbrith and the
executive committee.
The general manager pressed one of
| the electric buttons on the side or the
| desk. and to the clerk who answered gave
| brief order: Have the naught-seVen
provisioned and made up to go east as
special at twelve-ten today. Tell Dis
| patcher Darby to make the schedule fast
nineteen hours or less to the river.
The clerk nodded and disappeared and
North turned again to MacMorrogh.
Now about that other matter-Tl1 find
| you go-betwaen to approach Ford; but
to be quite frank with you. you'll have to
be liberal with the young man for his
services. When you go into the diplo-
| matte field you have to spend money
| He was pressing another of the electric
| buttons as he spoke, and TO the office boy
| who put his face in at the door, he said:
| ASK Mr.. Eckstein to step in here
| minute.
| 1t was the private secretary, the we'll
| grOomed young man with the alien eyes
| and nose who answered the summons.
North gave him his instructions in curt
| sentence.
Mr.. Marlborough would like to have a
| little talk with you. EckStein: take him
| into the other room, where you can be
| undSturbed.
1t was half an hour later when the door
of the library opened TO readmit the pri-
vate secretary and the contractor, and in
| clerk had returned to say that the spe-
| cial train schedule was made up and that
| the naught-seven would be waiting at the
| union station at tWelVe-ten.
| "Well?' said the general manager, Mt
| ing slow eyebrow at MacMorrogh and
| confpressing into the single word his wish
| to know what had been done in the con-
! ference of two,
| TITS all right. Misther North" said the
| contra ctor. rubbing his hands. IT'S
| crown jewel ye have in this young
North cut the eulosy short in word to
| his secretary.
| ~ go east, special, at twelve-ten, Eek
stein. as Mr. MacMorrogh has probably
| told you. l have a luncheon appointment
at twelve with Mr.. Ford. Meet him when
| he comes and make my excuses-without
| telling him anything he ought not to
| know. If you can take my place as his
Ihost do so; but in any event. keep him
| from finding out where we have gone UNI
til we are we'll on the way. That's all:
This was why Ford, walking the few
| blocks from his hotel at noon to keep his
| engagement with North, found the gen
| eral managers private office closed. and
a suave soft-spoken young man with
| foreign cast of countenance waiting to
| make his superiors excuses.
| Mr.. North was called out of town
| quite unexpectedly on wire was the
private secretary's explanation. He tired
| to telephone you at the brown, but the
| operator couldn't find you. He left me to
| explain, and I've been wondering if you'd
| let me take his place as your host, Mr..
| Ford
| Now Ford's attitude toward his oppo-
| nents was bv reason of his gifts, openly
| belligerent: wherefore he fought against
| 1t and tried to be as other men are.
u am sure Mr.. North is quite excusable
| and it is good natured in you to stand in
the breach. Mr.. Eckstein.'' he said. "of
| course I'll be glad to go with you.
They went to Tortoni's and to private
room and the luncheon was an epcurean
triumph. Eckstein talked we'll and was
| evidently a young man of parts. Not
until the cigars were lighted did he suffer
the table talk to come down to the rail-
road probabilities. and even then he
merely followed Ford's lead.
| "Oh. yes; we have made arrangements
| to give you a clear deck in the Denver
! yards for your material and supplies he
| said. in answer TO question of Ford S
about side-track room and yard facilities
at the point which would have to serve as
| his base. "Following your orders we
have been forwarding all that your Plug
| Mountain rolling stock could handle, but
there is considerable more of it side
tracked here. After the Marlborough
grading outfit has gone to the front we
| shall have more room, however.
The Marlborough OUTFIT. quered Ford.
| do they store it in our yards?
"Oh. no. They have a pretty complete
| railroad yard of their own at their head
quarters in Pueblo. But they have three
train loads of tools and machinery here
now. waiting for your orders to send them
| to the 'front.'
| Ford weighed the possibilities thought
fully and concluded that nothing could be
lost by a frank declaration of principles.
| ''They have given you folks wrong
| impression, Mr. Eckstein,' he said, mild
ly. The contract for the grading on the
| Western Extension is not yet awarded
and If | can compass 1t the marlborough
Brothers bid will be thrown out
| The private secretary tried to look mys-
tilted. with just the proper touch of a
| subOrdinate'S embarra SSment.
I'm only a clerk mir. Ford he said
land. of course, I'm not supposed to
know more than | see and hear in the
| regular way of business But l under
stood that the MacMorroghs were in the
saddle: that they were only waiting for
you to provide track room at Saints Rest
for their tool cars and outfit.
mo" said Ford. 1T hasn't got that
far along yet
| Ecksten looked at his watch.
Don't let me keep you if there is any
| thing else you want to do, Mr. Ford, but
I'll confess youve aroused my curiosity.
| What is the matter with the MacMor-
| roghs?'
Ford answered the question by asking
another.
do you know them. Mr.. Ecksten?"
"Why-yes; as Mr.. North's chief clerk
would be likely to know the firm of con-
tractors which has been given a good
share of the Pacific Southwestern work
for a number of years..
do you know any good of them?"
'sRlaSS | don't know apythinp