Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-14
XVI.
The Star of Empire.

4 week. the most strenuous week i'm
Copah's history. had passed and still the
presidents party delayed its return to
what Miss Priscilla Van Bruce constantly
referred to as "civilization''; though the
farthest west has always been slow to
admit the derOgatOry comparison which
the word implies.
During the strenuous week much had
happened and much more was scheduled
to happen. For one twenty four-hour day
the eX-speculatOr in Mr.. Colbrith held out
against the sharp attacks of the re-
awakened lust of conquest. Then. from
Jacks canyon on the Transcontinental.
from man-clustered construction trains on
the extension. over the passes from Sum-
NIT lakes and across the brown plains
from Green Butte. poured the army of
gold-seekers. and the president was swept
away and into the very vortex of the
stock-jobbing whirlpool.
1t was not until the third day of the
week that Adair came ambling into CO.
pah. riding a cart mule from Frisbie' $
camp. To his sister and his aunt the
young man told everything; to his uncle
nothing. Between gasps i'm the specula-
tive frenzy Mr. Colbrith found time to
complain bitterly to his nephew of FOrd's
detection.
1T was dastardly.'' he shr:lled I'VE
had some words; / don't deny that We
had some words. But he was most UNI
reasonable. He should have gone about
his business and let me have time to con-
slider. Here are thousands of people
pouring into this place. everything at
famine prices. no supplies for our miners.
no railroad to bring them. What's this
/ hear about an accident at Horse creek?
Why isn't Ford on the ground attending
to his railroad building and Strengthening
things out? Have L got to forfeit the
money making chance of lifetime and
go and drag that track into Copah with
my own hands?"
Adair seemed suddenly to have lost his
tongue. which was certainly glib enough
ordinarily. All he would say was that
the engineering department was still at
work. he believed; that the track was APP
preaching Copah, slowly. perhaps. but
pretty surely.
But without a head" snapped the
irate president. Ford is traitor to the
company. Tell him so from me. sir. If
you know where he is skulking.'
Adair did tell Ford, circumstantially,
the next morning and met the young
engineer at the head of tremendously
augmented track force, rushing the rails
around the swelling hills on the approach
to the mining-camp city.
"Oh. he's still up in the air. laughed
the director. when he had repeated the
presidents wrathful outburst. Frantic
because the read isn't finished; frantic
because he can get In on all the ground
floors in all the mining deals; frantic
some. more because he has to live I'm
shack hotel while he has private car
and a good cook. AS he thinks. only few
miles away. Which reminds me:-the
or has a pretty good cook and the in
comparable Johnson-dOn't let them
cape. Have you sent the Nadia back TO
Denver for repairs?''
Yes. Frisbie went over in it this morn
ing
"Frisbie?"
Yes. I had 10 let him go. Word came
from Leckhard soon We got the
wire re-established. which was late last
night North was taken suddenly III the
day after the explosion. He resigned at
once by wire to the executive committee
in New York. and two days later he took
steamer from Galveston for nobody
knows where: health trip-doctor's orders
-Leckhard said. l sent Frisbie over 10
be acting manager of the system, pend
ing the president s-er-recovery from his
sudden illness. Leckhard says the New
York people are burning the wires trying
to get word to Mr.. ColbTith.
They may go on burning them" said
Adair calmly. Uncle Sidney isn't going
to quit until he owns Il good half of the
Copah district-or gets his armature
burned out. And if he were ready to
quit. we shouldn't let him. But how are
things working out on the extension p
that Is what interests me-
Bully was the enthusiastic reply.