The San Francisco call., 1908-09-27

producer on the route up Blue canyon,
the projectors-small fish in the great
money pool-had talked vaguely Of fu-
ture extensions to Salt Lake, to San
Francisco, to Puget sound, or TO some
other far beyonds. and had even gone
the length OF surveying a line over
Plug pass and down the valley of the
Pannikin on the Pacific slope of the
range But they had prudently stopped
building; and the pause continued until
the day Of the great silver strike at
Saints Rest.
The new carbonate beds chanced TO
lie within easy rife shot of the summit
Of Plug pass; in other words, they
were precisely on the line of the ex-
tension survey of the narrow gauge
The discovery was a piece of sheer
luck for the amateur railroad builders.
For time, as all the world knows,
Saints Rest headed the mining news
column in all the dailies, and the rush
for the new camp fairly swamped the
meager carrying facilities Of the in
complete line and the stages connect
ing its track. end with the high noun
tain Mecca of the treasure seekers.
Then, indeed. the Denver syndicate
saw its long deferred opportunity and
grasped il. Long purses might be lack
ing. but not shrewdohead The unfin-
ished Plug Mountain was Immediately
bonded for more than ii ever promised
TO be worth, and in the hottest heat OF
the forwarding strife 1t was extended
at the rate OF e mile a day until the
welcome screech Of its locomotive
whistles was added to the perfervid
clamor OF the new camp in Plug Pass
basin.
The goal reached, the Denver folk
took a fresh leaf out Of the book of
shrewdness. Holding the completed
line only long enough to skim the cream
of the rush earnings. they sold their
stock at a sound premium to the Pa
cilc Southwestern, pocketed their win
nings cannily, and escaped q short half
year before the slump in silver, and
the consequent collapse OF Saints Rest,
came TO establish the future Waterloo
for Napoleonic young superintendents
IN the Southwestern's service.
This was all ancient history when
Ford left the Granger road to climb, at
President Colbriths behest, into the
half dozen Of the young Napoleons had
been broken before he put his foot in
stirrup for the mounting. While his
attacking Of the problem had been open
eyed he had not stopped TO specialize
the ancient history of the Plug Noun
tain branch. When he did specialize.
his point of view was pretty clearly de-
q
Of St. Paul, written after he had been
for six months the master of the Plug
Mountain destinies.
I'm up against II, good and solid"
was the way he phrased 1t to Frisbie.
My $50 miles of two streaks of rust
and q right Of way has never paid a
net dollar since the boom broke at
Saints Rest, and under present condi-
tions IL never will. II I had known the
history OF the road when President Col
BIRTH went fishing for meas didn't
1 wouldn't have touched the job with a
10 foot pole.
But now I'm here, I'm going to do
something with my two streaks OF rust
TO make them pay-make a spoon or
spoil q horn. Just what shall be done
I haven't decided fully, but have a
and II II works out I shall need you
first OF all. VIII you come?
Have I told you in any Of my ear
lier letters that I have personally
earned the I'll Will of General Manager
North7 I have. and II is distinct from
and in addition to his hostility for the
-aearning branch for which I am re-
sponsible- I'm sorry for II, because I
may need his good word for my in
choate scheme later on. 1t came up
o,7e. .Jome maintenance OF way charges.
He is as shrewd as he is INSCRIPTIONS.
and he knows well how to pile the
eins OF the congregation on the back
OF the poor scapegoat. To make a bet
ter showing for the main line, and at
the same time show what a swiiling pig
the Plug Mountain is he had the branch
charged up with lot of material we
didn't get Naturally, I protested-and
was curtiy told to mind my own busi-
hess. which had no ramihcations reach
ing into the accounting department.
Then I threatened TO carry II over his
head TO President Colbrith; whereupon
I gained my point temporarily, and lost
a possible stepping stone to success.
None the less. am going to win
out II II costs me the best years OF
my life. I'm going to swing to this
thing till I make something out Of It.
If have to put in some more winters
like the one i have just come through
which was sheol, with ice and snow
in the place of the traditional fire and
birthstone. II have one good quality
-as 1 sometimes doubt-it's the in
ability to know when am satisfactorily
and permanently licked"
Stuart Ford was shivering through
the second OF the winters on the gray.
needle winded day when he stood on
the crusted drift. heartening his men