The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1908-06-20

$%&T !
For days the men had been idle.
And Gregory had listened, with i'm.
patient replies, or in more impatient
silence, to reports from the Union Pa.
cific.
Uintah! Through the canyon!
"A holiday in Salt Lake City for
every man, If the west-bound track.
layers can overtake the graders be.
fore the Central Pacific arrives!" was
the bride the Union Pacific people Of.
fered their men.
Their work is sham! The govern.
ment will never accept it," enemies
of the same road averred. And Greg.
DRY prayed that this might be true.
But it was not true. The Union Pacific
road stood inspection, was accepted;
and on they came.
Ogden! Still no iron for the Central
Pacific! Red sparks scintillated in
Gregory's sleepless eyes. Ogden! He
might have been there now If the iron
had come! His company might have
tapped that rich valley, fetched and
carried for the thrifty Mormons. Now
that would be the juicy plum Of the
Union Pacific. And the Central Pa.
cific must squat in this desert spot,
beside the dead, blue. lake. whose
shores gave no promise, whose flank.
ing hills had been forgotten of God!
Gregory fumed over the unknown
wretch who had wrecked the iron
train. Poor Gregory! Little he knew
that, merited though it might have
been, the reproof his own boot had
given had delayed the precious
freight, had lost Ogden for his COM
pany, and 80 miles of road.
Idle men make no muscle. Gregory
knew it, and chafed still more, as he
fretted about the camp, keeping away
from his guests and his anxious-eyed
wife. And now the welcome whistle
once again. Preparations so carefully
made were reinspected. The camp
awolze. Idle men stretched themselves;
lazy ones regretfully, honest ones glad
~. Buttons. straps, buckles, shoes, hats,
tobacco-all were made ready, for every
one knew that tomorrow would spare
no moment for broken gear, for long
ing tongues.
To the very tip-end of the last rail
the construction train. had been
pushed, the iron train close behind it,
and iron dropped in piles beside the
track. when both trains had backed to
the rear. The little, low car that moved
the iron was loaded; every foreman
charged his gang, looked after his
norrow's work.
Long before daylight the camp was
aroused. The cooks calls followed
quickly, and breakfast was taken a.
gulp. With the first dawn-glow that
could show a hammer head where to
find spike, the ringing racket began.
Men on the trot pushed the little iron
car-little, yet how heavy!-back and
forth over the newly laid rails, drop
ping fresh supply at the track end,
each time the previous load had been
spiked few rods to the eastward.
Another footing Of whistles, and the
trains moved up. The rails rang loud
upon one another as they fell to the
ground, half mile ahead of the morn
ing camp. The foremen urged, en-
couraged, inspected, hurried. Faster
and faster the rails dropped into
place! Blow upon blow, spikes and
bolts were driven home. And so on
through the hot, late April day. Every
boss was alert. Every man did his
best; perhaps was sworn at for not
doing better. Only Bennett, calm, I'M
kurrying, held his men to their task
with neither curses nor buster; and
BENEFITS gang had the brunt Of the
fray.
Mrs. Gregory and her guests
watched unwearyingly the great work
drama unfold; the miles, rail by rail,
banded together in the glorious iron
way. At what cost was it done! Yet
how great was the result!
els it always so?" Esther asked,
looking up at Alfred. Must the road
to great achievements be always by
. way. of the sweat of the face, the
hearts blood?"
His look was tender, comprehending.
"Are they not worth the COST"
"Yes, yes; must believe they are. n
Yet she turned away, her eyes blurred
with tears. She was thinking Of Gid
con alone, under his posies.
Dinner was a farce for time, II not
for quantity. And all the afternoon
men with pals and dippers marched
up and down the sweating line, serv'
ing to the thirsty incredible quaint
ties of warm, brackish water that was
nectar to the sweating men.
A short pause for supper, and at 1t
again!. Night came on, and a moon.
Eastward they could see the camp
fires of their oncoming rivals. They
answered with their own huge bon
fires, built to reinforce Luna's pale
ray.
On and on, hour after hour; there
was no talking, not even the desultory