Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-25
CHAPTER XIII-Continued.

Not what the legal department would
call trouble" answered Ford evasvely,
and for ten other miles the narrowness
of the bride path discouraged CONVERSE
ton.
Farther down in the valley of the Pan
nikin the activities were less thickly
sown. On many sections the work was
light no more than the throwing up Of
an embankment in the paGklike intervals.
with now and then rock or earth cut
ting through some jutting spur of the in
closing mountains. Here the men were
punched on the rock work and the fills.
though the camp sites were commonly in
the parklike interspaces where wood and
water. the two sole commodities for which
the contractors could make no deduc-
tons on the payroll. lay conveniently at
the doors of the rude sleeping shacks.
Since he was not required to talk Ken
meth had time to be curiously observant
of many things in passing. Each camp
was the fellow of it's ncighbor; chaotic
collection of hastily built bunk shanties,
a mess tent for those who stunning the
pay-devouring Scylla of the contractors
"commissary.' fell into the Charybdis of
the common table. and always, Kenneth
remarked, the camp GROCERY. with its
slab-built bar. its array of ready-flled
pocket bottles, and its sad-faced SLOUGH
hated, pistol-carrying keeper.
What is that Bible saying about the
shadow of great rock in thirsty
land?' said Kenneth. as they We're pass
ing one of the wilderness barrooms but
tressing a huge boulder by the trail side.
Il should think you'd rule those fellows
empha tically and peremptorily out of the
game. Ford. They must make lot of
trouble for you. first and last
They do was the sober response.
But how would you go about it to rule
them out?"
The lawyer laughed MY writs don't
run this far. But thought yours did.
Why don't you fire 'em bodily: tell 'em
their number is 23-skiddoo! Aren't you
the sublime porte-the court of last re-
sort-the big boss-over here?''
Ford pulled his horse down to a walk
Kenneth let me tell you-behind those
barkeepers are the contra ctOrs; behind
the contractors is Mr.. North; behind Mr..
North the president My little lever isn't
long enough TO turn the world over
"Pshaw." said Kenneth. "Mr. Colbrith
wouldn't stand for anything like that.
Why. he's a perfect fanatic on the
whisky question
That's all right" said Ford. acidly.
ut doesn't go far Mr.. Colbrith in
the matter of the dehauchng particulars.
1t stops in Denver. and Mr.. Colbrith ap-
proves Denver in the lump-SignS the
vouchers without looking at them. as
Evans would say. | tell You what l be-
lieve-What I am compelled 10 believe.
These individual saloonkeepers are sup
posed to be in here on their own hook,
on sufferance. They are not; they are
merely the employees of close corpora
ton. Among the profit sharers you'll find
the Mac Morroghs at the top. and MIR.
Norths little ring of Denver officials close
seconds
do you honestly believe that Ford?"
Il do. l can't prove it, of course If |
could I'd go to New York and fight it
out. And the whisky isn't all OF it, or
even the worst-there are women in some
of these camps. and there would be more
if Leckhard didn't stand guard at Saints
Rest and turn them back.
"Heavens-what a cesspool.' said the
attorney. docs a laboring man ever
get out of here with any of his earnings?"
Not if the MacMorroghs can help it.
And You can figure for yourself what
the moral atmosphere must be. We are
less than two months old on the work.
but already the Western Extension is a
streak of crime; crime unpunished and
at times taci;ly encouraged You may
say that my department isn't responsible
that this is the contractors day and
game If that is true nOw-whiCh it ism [
it will no longer be true when we come
in with our own employees, the track
LAYERS"
But now Kenneth was shaking his head.
Il can't believe it, Ford You're blue
North into your boat as ballast. l don't
blame you: but you mustn't let it make
you color blind.
Ford said nothing. The day was yet
young and the long journey was still
younger. 1t was at the noon halt. made
at a subcontractor's camp near a great
earth cutting and a huge fill, that Ken
meth had his object lesson.
They were standing at the door of the
timekeeper'S shanty-they had been the
timekeeper's guests for the noon meal
and the big gang of Italians. with its in
evitable Irish foreman, was already at
work. Out at the head of the great fill a
dozen men were dumping the carts as
they came in an endless stream from the
cutting. Suddenly there was a casting
down of shovels a shrill alteration, a
clinch flash OF steel in the August sum
light and one of the disputants was
down. his heels drumming on the soft
earth in the death agony.
Good God!' said Kenneth. Its a
murder!' and he would have rushed III If
Ford and the timekeeper had not held
him back.
The object lesson was sufficiently shock
ing but its sequel was still more revolt
ing Without one kneel beside the
dying man; indeed. without waiting until
the drumming heels were still the men
callously put their shovels under the
body. slid 1t over the lip of the dump and
left it TO be covered by the tumbling
cataract Of earth pouring from the tip
carts whose orderly procession had
scarcely been interrupted by the tragedy.
Kenneth was silent for many minutes
after they had left the camp OF the
T.