Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1908-05-02
CHAPTER /.
Arrow and Fire,

Half century ago the great region
between the Missouri and the Sierra
Nevadas, except for Denver, Salt Lake
City, and a few mining camps, was
trackless, forestless desolation known
only to Indian, coyote, and venture
some emigrant. Yet two men under
the golden wing of the government
planted a line of lonely posts, and
linked them with a chain of stage
coaches. Over this treacherous way
sped daily messages, men and treas
ure; sped, and arrived-if frost and
Indians permitted.
Late on an autumn afternoon the
Overland Mail was toiling sunward up
a western rampant of the. Rocky noun
tains. Two passengers were on the
box with the driver. The center man,
booked as Alfred Vincent, was slight,
fair, and, to the superficial eye, young
to boyishness. His air of one bred
to the best of city refinements cor
trasted sharply with his fellow-trav-
eler, who had been introduced as Mr.
PhineaS Cadwallader, though the
driver afterwards called him BLOW
hard Cad" which nickname he vindi-
Gated by constant stream of gossip.
But an astute observer would have
seen that he was trying to penetrate
the reserve the slight mystery that
surrounded his fellow-traveler.
Yet whatever the mystery, Alfred
Vincent was now posting westward
with letter in his pocket signed by
Coils P. Huntington, and directed to
Leland Stanford, governor of Cali
fornia, and president of the Central
Pacific Railroad company. Alfred paid
slight heed to the others. His impa-
ooir ,ati ion, m rnd him far from
present inaction, over mountain and
desert, to the far west, to unguessed
conflicts of the future.
Holy Mackinaw, Only fools would
think of building railroad through
this God-forsaken countryi"
The caustic sentence reused Alfred
from his reverie; and PhineaS noted
that railroad was the magic word
that broke the spell. The driver Will
liam Dodge, better known as Uncle
Billy" readjusted his quid of comfort
spat with precision, and touched up a
Tagging leader with the tip of his rod
long whiplash. well, I'm not taking
the chances of calling Goye'no' Stan
ford fool"
"Of course he amt He don't intend
to build any railroad, either Not over
the Sierras, anyway. He's got bet
ter thing Phineas, sidewise look dill
gently sought rift in Alfred's mask
"Meaning?" Uncle Billy questioned
THAT Dutch Flat Swindle Those
c. P. feIIers have their wagon road
built over the Sierras. and"
How in blazes can they build rail
road Cad, without a wagon road
Don't they have to feed their advance
construction camps? And won't they
do while thew
cut their miles of tunIfels?"
"Oh. they'll put their railroad
through to Dutch Flat maybe; but
from there on they'll go it by mules;
take all the toll they can get from the
S12 100000 freightage Nevada pays
every year to the transportation COM
panies The c. P. people want bite
of Louis McLane's pie. that's all
They're going to get it, you bet."
The driver smiled; yet his low, leisure
iy words seemed a fiat.
Not by a jugful,'' Phineas lifted
his voice and pounded the air; and
Alfred detected the sham note, the
bid for effect. What do you suppose
we are doing along the line? Why
San Francisco merchants can sit in
their Offices and sell to all California
to Nevada. Idaho and southern Ore
EOn. at any price lucy CuOCSC " AdAiC
And McLane and all the other trans
portation folks can haul the goods al
their own figures; they won't even lei
the towns have post offices because
they like to carry letters at half dol
lar apiece San Francisco bays full O.
ships, and the mountains are full o.
gold; and we're getting it going botf
ways. out and in"
Yes yo're taking too much, the
driver replied. 'Yo're killing 20
gold-egg goose"
Phineas' smile was unpleasant "Oh
no. She's hearty yet And we won
divvy up the eggs, either, with those
seven -by-nine shopkeepers in-that mud
hole they call Sacramento Do yol
pond of the bay, and a winter water
sing-p1ace of San Franciscoe Not OF
your gold toothpick,"
Uncle Billy's eye flashed its frs
hint of resentment "Stanford's wors
enemy wouldn't think of calling hin
seven-by-nine, and I reckon Californi;
vofers'n have something to say. LIE
lands got right smart influence witt
them
Yes. They voted both state an,
city bonds, didn't they. Mr.. Dodge?
Vincent asked, joining the converse
ton at last
ssOh, call me Uncle Billy" said III
driver Its so long since anyon
called me Dodge, / need an fntrodus
ffou tn fh, name"