The San Francisco call., 1908-12-06
CHAPTER xxrr-conrnued

asm- Speed was the end to which all
OF the young engineers inventive
powers had been directed; and the
pace was furious. on the leveled
grade ahead OF the track laying
train an army OF sweating labor
ers marched and countermarched like
trained soldiers. placing the cross
ties in position. On a train Of specially
constructed fat cars another army was
boiling together a long section Of track
ciamping the double line OF rails at in
tervals to hold them TO gauge. At the
word Ready" a hauling chain, pass
ing through an anchored pulley block
far up the grade and back to the freed
engine Of the construction train, was
made fast to the forward end OF the
bolted section; a second word Of com
mand, and the engine backed swiftly,
dragging the prepared section of over
the rollers OF the fatcars and into
place on the ties. With the clang-
ing fall OF the final pair OF rails, a
third army. spike drivers these. fell
=. upon the newly placed steel. shouting
.ihe cir chantey as they swung the great
:sTointed hammers; and in the midst OF
this. fresh turmoil the train, with fits
brigade Of boilers deftly preparing
/. another section. was slowly pushed to
!. tie new front for another advance.
1T is like clockwork." was Miss
. Alicia's enthusiastic comment Did
yOu invent 1t, Mr.. Ford?"
Now the combination of fiatcar bolt
ing table. and the shifting and laying
by sections was Ford's invention, but
lie modestly stood from under.
"Frisbie gets the medal" he said.
ITS all in the drill-every man know
ing what be has to Go. and doing it al
=. the. proper moment. I'd give something
II ] had Dicks knack in detail organ
iZing"
She looked up, laughing. You have
the funniest way OF duclIing to cover
II you think a bit Of honest apprecia-
- -tion is coming your way, Mr.. Ford. You
know you told Mr.. Frisbie how TO
do it"
Did y 1 suppose it wouldn't be po-
lite TO contradict you"
"Or any use Is Mr.. Frisbie here
.nOw?-Oh, yes; there he is" And chen,
IN q half awed whisper: Who is that
dreadful. rand-opera-villain looking
man he is talking to?"
Ford's eyes sought and found
Frisbie. He was standing a little
apart from the turmoil, talking TO
man on horseback; man
with half closed, beady. black eyes,
dropping mustaches, and a face rep
tilian in its responsiveness.
That is Mexican George the Mac
MorrOgh Brothers Killer" said Ford
evenly. Have you ever heard of a
fa- Iii dol
q man whose calling is that of a hired
assassin2;
She shuddered. You are jesting, I
know. But the word fits his face accu-
-rately. I saw him lounging about the
store at the camp yesterday, and IL
gave me the creeping shivers every
time I locked at him. Do you ever
have such instantaneous and unreason-
ing hatreGs at first sight2"
Now and then. yes But I was not
5esting about Mexican George. He is
precisely what the word implies; is
hired Tor it and paid for il. NominaIly.
he guards the commissary and stores.
and IS the paymaster's armed escort.
Really, IL is his duty 10 shoot down any
desperate laborer who. IN the MacAIor-
roghs judgment. needs TO be killed
out OF tho way"
Mercy" Miss Alicia was shuddering
.agslin. 'Wha. h>deouslv primitive con-
ditons. What X this terrible man
doing out hereP'
~CA lie is q free lance; comes AID
goes as ne pleases. No, he's not quar-
reling with Dick ck"-answering her look
of anx'et
How do you know he isn't?"
Ford laughed. Because Dick wouldn't
let him get that near. He knows
Hello; / wonder what your good uncle
wants Of us"
,--rr-s-L
place IN the leading blackboard and
making signals to the rear guard OF
two. Ford shook his reins over his
b. broncos and drove around.
The president was lingering his thin
beard and waving an arm toward the
track layers.
Mr.-ah-Ford." he began critically.
rs 1t necessary TO have such a vast
army OF men as that TO lay the track?'
.. Il don't think we are over manned, !"
said Ford good naturedly. It was COM
.paratively easy to be patient with
Alicia looking on and listening.
But II was against Mr. Colbrith's
principles to let a man off with q
single rebuttal.
4 am not at all convinced of the
worth OF these new tangled ideas. Mr.
Ford not at all. We built the pa
ciic Southwestern main line in the old
approved Way-a rail at q tirne-wfth
less than a quarter OF the men YOU
have over there"
y don't question It: and you were
three years building some six hun
creo miles IN a prairie country We
are today just six weeks out of Saints
Rest with the track gang, and in six
more. II the weather holds, we shall
be laying the switches IN the Green
Butte yards. That is the difference
between the old way and the new"
Silence for q little time while the
hoofbeats OF horse fox trotting be-
hind them drew nearer. II was the
sinister faced Mexican who ambIed into
view. and when he overlook the rear
most OF the buckboards he was a long
time in passing.
That dreadful man. murmured
Alicia: and she did not go back to the
suspended subject until he had trotted
on past the caravan. Then she said
slowly. taking her companions COM
pIete understanding for granted: 1T
must be delicious TO be away out over
ones depth, like that"
: 1T is" said Ford sOlemnly ITS
like-well, I've never been a sick a day
in my life since I can remember but
] should think 1t might be like "a
sort Of beneficent fever you know