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

unable to condone the Iatin's disregard
for the sacredness of human life.
THAT was simply terrible, Ford" he
said. finally and his voice was still in
sympathy with the shaking hand that
held the bride reins. Twill nothing be
done?"
Nothing. unless the murdered man
chances to have relatives or clansmen
therell be another killing"
But the law said Kenneth.
There is no law here higher than the
caprice of Brian Marlborough. Besides.
it's too common-a mere episode; one of
those which you said you couldn't believe
a little while back"
But can't you make the MacMorroghs
do little police work, for common de-
cency'S Sake?"
Ford shook his head "They are quite
on the other side of the fence. as l told
you in the beginning. BY winking at
lawlessness of all kinds, their own par
ticular brands of lawlessness, by which
they and their hackers make money, go
unuueStiOned. So far from helping. they d
make 1t exceedingly difficult for any
sheriff who should have the temerity to
come in here in the discharge Of his
duty
You foresaw all this before the con-
tract was awarded?'
Not although 1 had been told that
the MacMorroghS ran open camps where
the work was far enough from civilfza tior
to take the curse Off What you've seen
and what I've been Telling you. is bad
enough, God knows: but it will be worse
before it is better. After we've had a few
pay days and the men begin to realize
that they are here to toll and to be rob-
bed Kenneth, it will be hill on
earth, and the company will pay for it
the company always pays in the end
I've got a notion" said the attorney.
after another plodding mile of reflection;
but what it was he did not say.
.-1a ,,I Id nny, mil oh nyl n
in the afternoon of the third day out from
Saints Rest and, singularly enough, the
mine owners who were disputing the ex-
tension right-of-way were found amenable
to reason. What Kenneth did to secure
the p. S.W. right-of-way across the min
ing claims Ford did not know. or seek
to know: though a word or two let fall
by the attorney led him to believe that
the TranscOntinental encouragement was
not quite specific enough in dollars and
cents to warrant the Instructors in hold
ing out.
Ford was for starting back the next
morning; he had missed Brissac and both
of the BenSonS on the way over. But
Kenneth confessed to being saddle
and begged for another days respite.
Ford agreed without giving the matter a
second thought. Upon such unconsidered
trifles-an Indifferent yes or 'no''-turn
he poised scales of life. For one other
day the two Southwestern representatives
put up at the Grand Union. Copah's tar
paper-cOvered simulacrum of a hotel. and
during that day Ford contrived to sell his
Dirt bright for what he, himself. valued
at the moment as mess of pottage.
1t was in this wise. At this period OF
its existence Copah. the future great.
was merely a promise: a camp of mag
nificent prospects. Isolated by one hun
dred and fifty miles of wagon road and
pack trail from one railroad base, and by
forty miles of mountains from the other,
its future turned upon the hope of cheaper
transportation. AS a gold camp 1t was
an anomaly. With a single exception its
ores were low grade. and the Wagon-road
and pack-trail freightage made them
practically protitleSS to the miners.
The single exception was The Little
Alicia and it was the coincidence of the
name. rather than the eloquence of its
impoverished owner. that first attracted
Ford. From first to last he did not know
the exact location of the mine. 1t was
somewhere in the hills back Of CoIiar,,
and Grigshy, the prospector who had dis
covered and opened it, had an office in the
camp.
1t was in Grigsby's town office that
Ford saw the ore specimens and the certi-
fled assays. and listened not too Credu-
lousy to Grigsbys enthusiastic descrip-
ion of the Little Alicia. To be a half
owner in this mine of mines was to be
rich beyond the dreams of avarice-when
the railroad should come; II one might
AXE Grigsby's word for il.
1t is a curious fever. that which SeiZeS
upon the newcomer in an unexpected
mining field Ford was far from being
money-mad: but there were times when
he could not help contrasting a railroad
salary with Miss Adair's millions. True,
he had once said to her. in the fullnesS
of confident belief. that the money of the
woman he loved would make no differ
ence--to her or to him. But the point of
view. wise or foolish, Is not always the
same There were moments when the
Adair millions doomed large, and the
salary of an assistant to the president
who was in fact, little more than glori-
fled chief of OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES in pro-
portion. He free of obligation and
foot loose. His twenty thousand dollars
invested in p. S.W. stock at twenty-nne
and half had grown with the rising
market to sixty-odd. What did 1t matter
to any one If he chose TO put ten thou
sand of the siXty-odd on a turn of the
Little Alicia card?
While II was gambling. pure and sim
pie he did not bet with his eyes shut
Inquiry at the Bank of Copah established
Grgsby's reputation for truth telling
The specimens and the assay certificates
were beyond doubt genuine More than
this Grigsby had made a number of ore
shipments by freighters wagon and jack
train over the range and the returns had
enabled him TO keep a small force of men
at work in the mine.
Ford made his bet through the bank.
The cashier was willing to take 2. S.W.
officials note of hand. to be Cancelled
when Ford could deposit TO the bank
credit in Denver, and TO give Grigsby an
open account for his immediate needs
Grigsby accepted joyfully and the thing
was done. Ford's mess of pottage was a