Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-11-12

and next year"
The pause was so long that Gala
CHER took his chance of filling it.
Don't be tellin' ME the big boss
has promised us rotary for next win
ter, Misther Foord. Thatd be too good
to the thrue, I'm thinking"
mo: but next winter you'll be do
ing one Of two things. Michael VOC
will be pulling your train through
steel snow-sheds on Plug Mountain =
or you'll be working for another boss.
Break her loose. and let's get TO camp
as soon as we can Those poor devils
back in the box car are about dead
for sleep and square meal"
CHAPTER II.
Ford's hopeful prophecy that the
snow battles were over for the season
proved true. A few weeks later
warm wind blew UP from the west.
the mountain foot trails became first
ice-paths and then slippery ridges to
trap the uawary; the great drifts be-
gan to settle and melt, and the spring
music Of the swollen mountain tor
rents was abroad in the land
AT the blowing Of the warm wind
Ford aimed the opening gun In his
campaign against fate the fate
which seemed to be bent on adding
his name to the list of failures on the
Plug Mountain branch. The gun-aim-
ing was summons to Frisbie, at the
moment craftsman in the engineer
ing Office OF the Great Northern at ST.
Paul, and pining. like the Plug Noun
tot, s,f1 r.
| bigger
Il have been waiting until could
offer you something with a bread and
butter attachment in the way of day
pay wrote Ford, land the chance
has come. Kennedy. my track super
visor, has quit, and the place is yours
if you will take it.. If you are willing
to tie up to the most hairbrained
scheme you ever heard Of, with about
one chance in thousand of coming
out on top and Of growing up with a
brand new country of unlimited posi-
bilities. just gather UP your dunnage
and come
This letter was written OH Friday.
Frisbie got it out Of the carriers de.
| livery on the Sunday morning: and
!
ward, with the high mountains of
Colorado as his goal. Not that the
destination made any difference, for
Frisbie would have gone quite as will
ingly to the ends Of the earth at the
crooking of Ford's finger.
It was the brightest of May days
when the new supervisor of track de,
barked from the Notwithstanding
! train at Saints Rest, stretched his
| legs gratefully on terra flrma, had his
| first deep lungful of the ozonic air of
the high peaks, and found his welcome
awaiting him. Ford would have no
talk Of business until he had taken
Frisbie across to the little shack ''ho.
tel" and had filled him up on din
ner fresh from the tin; nor. indeed,
afterward. until they We're smoking
comfortably in the boxed-off den in
the station building which served as
the superintendent Office
Eve been counting on you, Dick, as
you know, ever since this thing threat
ened to take shape in my head Ford
began. First let me ask you; do you
happen to know where you could lay
your hands on three or four good con
| structing engineers men your could
turn loose absolutely and trust implic-
lily? I'm putting this up to you be-
cause the Plug Mountain exile has
taken me bit out of touch.'
"Why-yes,' said Frisbie taking
| time to call the mental roll There
are Major Benson and his son Jack
you know EN- both just off their job
in the Selkirks. Then there is Roy
Brissac: he'd be pretty good man in
the field; and Chauncey Leckhard. of
my class he's got job in Winnipeg
but he'll come if ask him to, and he's
the best Office man know. But what
on earth are you driving at, Stuart?''
Ford cleared his pipe Of the ash
and retilled 1t.
''Tll go into the details with you a
little later, We shall have plenty of
time during the next month or six
weeks and. incidentally a good bit
more privacy. The thing I'm trying to
figure out will burst like bubble if
it gets itself made public too soon
and lowering his voice 81 can't
trust my Office force here, savez?'
Il savez nothing as yet laughed
the new supervisor. ''but perhaps
shall II you'll tell me what is going to
happen in the next month or six
! weeks"
I'm coming to that right now. How
would you like to take a hunting trip
over to the wilderness side of the
range? There are big woods and big
game"
Frisbie grinned. He was a little man
with sharp black eyes shaded by the
heaviest Of black brows, ana it wal
his notion 10 trim his mustaches after
the fashion set by the third Napoleon
and initiated faithfully by those who
sing the part OF Mephistopheles ir
Faust. Hence, his grin was handsome
lily diabolic.
/ "You needn't ask ME what I'd like;
you just tell me what you want me tc
do" he reihlned, with clansman 10y
atty.
4 so | Will" said Ford. taking the