Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-12-26

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Denver management as thorough al
Investigation as you have given me
Mr.. Colbrith; do that, and give me
absolute authority over the McMor
roghs 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 seem
ed to be on the point Of yielding
i Then his habitual caution thrust out
it's foot and tripped him.
Il can't be pushed, Mr.. Ford he
complained, with return Of the irri-
tated tone. Let the matter rest for
the present. And-and you may con-
slider yourself relieved from duty I'M
til have gone a little deeper into
these charges against you. Mr. North
accuses you, and you accuse MIR.
North. | must have time to approach
these matters deliberately. don t
know which Of you to trust"
1t was a deadlock. Ford bowed anl
laid his hand on the door,
"You are still the president of the
Pacific Southwestern, Mr.. Colbrith,
and while you remain president
The old mans pride of office took
fire like tow in a furnace.
'What do you mean by that. Mr..
Ford? Make yourself clear, sir he
quavered..
81 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 and do my level
best to put you where you could do
the least harm"
You? Alicia?" the old man shrilled.
And then, in an access of seniIe rage
that shook him like leaf in the wind:
i said you were suspended you are
discharged, sir here and now. #
you give another order as an official
of the Pacific Southwestern company
Fll--I'll put you through the courts
for it,
Ford opened the door and went out,
leaving the president clutching his
chair with one hand and balling the
other into 4 shaking fist. The die was
! cast, and be had thrown a 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
We have fought it out. and have
| had my BEATING" he said soberly
When l thought I had him fairly
down he was actually begging me
| to stay on with the company We
got tangled ZIP again over North, and
he fred me bodily"
Did you-did you tell him about
our
Yes; and that was what set off the
| final fireworks"
She put her hands on his shoulders
and made him face ''er squarely.
Stuart, did yc lose your tenn
PERI"
lin afraid did--iust at the
last. YOU know. It's simnly an uu-
sneakable state Of affairs, Alicia,
dear At moment when we should
be setting the whole world sfire in
superhu1nan effort to fog this piece
of construction track into shape, your
uncle paralvzes everything
The constraining touch of her hands
became almost caress. What shall
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
cot to find printing press, or at
least a telegraph wire. before, he can
make my discharge effective. Before
he can do that, or until he does it, I'm
going to pull the throttle wide open
and race that discharge cylinder. if
go to Jail for it afterwards. Who
Knows but I shall have time to save
the day for the company after ali?
Good by, dearest. In twenty minutes
shall be riding for the McMorroghs'
carnp, and when get there"
you are going to ride back?
alone? On, no, nof' she protested;
and the c'ineirg arms held him.
why, Alicia, girl-see here; what
do you imagine could happen to me?
Why, bless Your loving heart i've
been training and riding this desert
more or less for two years! What has
come over you?"
Il don't know; but--but---oh me-.
YOU will think I am miserably weak
and foolish; but just as you said that.
seemed to see you living in the road
with your horse standing over you
and YOU were dead"
Nonsense he comforted tI'll be
back here tomorrow, alive and we'll;
but mustn't lose a minute now. It's
up to me to reach Horse Creek before
the news OF the gold strike gets thera.
There'lf be a stampede. with every.
lahorer On the line hoofing it for Co
pah. Good by, sweetheart, and-may
II" He took her face between his
hands and did it anyhow.
Five minutes later he was bargain
ing for a. saddle horse at the one liv-
cry stable in the camp, offering and
paying the selling price OF the animal
for two days hire 1t was a rather
sorry mount al that, and when he was
dragging it out into the street, Jack
Benson, the youngest member of his
staff. rode up, that moment in from
the tiecamp above Cow Mountain
IT, l.