Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-12-24
CHAPTER xxIII--continued.>

horseback ambled up at the moment
and drew rein beside the doctors We
.icle. Ford hands were gripping the
reins until the stiff feathers were
crumpled into strings; but it was
pAlicia's touch on his arm that enabled
him to reply coldly:
ut was something over two months
ago, believe. can give you the exact
date when we reach Copah. though
you will permit me to say that 1t is
none of your business
Mr.. Colbrith exploded like hastily
fired bomb.
II propose to make 1t some OF my
business! Was il before or after your
srurchase here that you decided upon
ffhe change Of route9 Answer me that,
mfr. Ford!"
Ford wheeled his hronchos and
CLOSED the shouting gap.
; sSit down. Mr.. Colbrith," he said
fnalf-menacingly. t'If it Is your purpose
ITO hurniliate me before your guests, |
fghalI drive on and leave you"
''You don't answer my question:
iyou cannot answer 1t, You instructed
iyour assistant to change the line of
Ithis railroad after you had bought this
lsntnet"
/ eAnd Il did?"
{ e'you did. And BY SO doing, Mr.
Ford, you diverted the oompanys
lsnoney to your own personal ends as
kTrongfuIly as If you had put your
mands into the treasurera stronghold,
kn other words, you became what you
have accused others of being a com
anon grafteri"
! Ford's face was very white. and his
ksps were drawn into thin lines when
he opened them to reply. But the re-
Egtraining hand was on his arm again,
band he obeyed It, y
RI don't care to talk with you about
fhts matter OF any other, here and
thow. Later on, perhaps, when you
lean speak without being abusive. !
shall take the liberty of telling you
iwhat think of you" And at that he
txaye the horses the rein and drove
on, swiftly. abruptly. leaving the pres
Etdent and his guests to follow as they
would.
For some minutes neither Of the
two in the flying blackboard could find
words wherewith to bridge the 1nlser-
able chasm so suddenly opened be
tween them. Miss Alicia's eyes were
tear-brightened and unfathomahle;
Ford's were hard and there was q
steely light in them, It was Alicia. who
spoke first,
Il know it is not true, of course
what Uncle Sidney accused you of,
she offered. "But tell me how it hap.
pened?' !,
~ don't know unless the devil
planned IT. said Ford bitterly. Il
bought the mine one day last sum
rner when I was in Copah, without
generalization, without seeing 1t -
without knowing where It was situat.
ed, just as have told you, Some little
time afterward, Frisbie came to me
with the plan for the change of route
il had considered it before. but had
made no estimates. Frisbie had made
Ifhe estimates, and we decided upon il
lat once. I haven't been over here
since; it wasn't necessary. and had
other things to do
did Mr.. Frisbie know about your
purchase Of the mine?''
sNo. don't think he knows of Il
ret. To tell the truth, was a little
ASHAMED: it was touch Of the min
ling fever that everybody gets now
land then in mining country. Dici
.would have guyed me"
tBut Mr.. Frisbie must have beer
lover the line a great many times
show could he miss seeing that enor
EEnous sign?' she persisted
! Ford shook his head.
IT venture to say that the pain
sisn.t yet dry on that sign. 1t was pu
IShere for a purpose. and your uncle
twas told to look at 1t. Grigsby is jus
Efhe sort of fool to jump at the chance
ito advertise the mine, and somebod,
Ssuggested 1t and gave him the til
THAT the president Of the railroad wa
looming in this way. Mr.. North is
livery careful man. He doesn't neglec
sany of the little Details
The high valley was falling ava.
into a broken gulch. and the railway
tgrade drtving-path chung closer to tn
lhfllsides. At the next turn the tow
of Copah came into view, and tn
troad became a shelf on the slope tW
hundred feet above the main stree
Eand paralleling it. Alicia was looking
down upon the town when she said:
What shall you do?"
b Ford's laugh was not mirthful
II have already done it. I shall PEI
haps be permitted to see you safel
back to the Nadia, and over the rougi
track to Saints Rest. More than tina;
fancy, Mr.. Colbrith will not allow
and possibly not that much"
Miss Adair was looking down upo
the town: and now Ford looked. II
Istantly he saw that something wa
;going on. Notwithstanding the numbe
fof men afield on the hills, the mai
street OF the camp was restlessi
talive. Horsemen were galloping BAG
and forth: in front Of the outfttin
stores freighters were hastily loadin
their pack animals; at every gathe
ing place here were knots Of excite
men talking and gesticulating.
Ford was puzzled At another tim
he would quickly have put the o.
Evious two and two together to max
the equally obvious four. But now h
merely said That's curious; might
curious Where Go you suppose a
these people came from?"
klicia's reioinder was not an a.