The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1908-01-16
CHAPTER I.
Arrow and Fire.

City, and a few mining camps, was a
frackless forestless desolation known
only to Indian, coyote. and venture
the golden wing of the government
planted a line OF lonely posts, and
linked them with a chain of stage
coaches. Over this t~reacherous way
sped daily messages, men and treas
IRE: sped, and arriyed-if frost
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 a
booked as Alfred Vincent, was slight,
fair. and, to the superficial eye, young
to b~oyishness. His air of n bred
to the best Of city refinements on
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 a 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 a 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-
tient imagination winged him far from
present in~action, over mountain and
desert, to the far west, to unguessed
conflicts of the future.
Holy Mackinaw! Only fools would
think of building a railroad through
this God-forsaken country"
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" readiusted 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 Gove'no' Stan
ford a fool"
"Of course he amt. He don't intend
10 build any railroad, either. Not over
the Sierras, anyway. He's got a bet
ter thing Phineas' sidewise look dill
gently sought a rift in Alfred's mask.
Meaning" Uncle Billy questioned.
THAT Dutch Flat Swindle. Those
C. p. fellers have their wagon road
built over the Sierras, and"
'How in blazes can they build a rail-
road, Cad, without a wagon road?
Don't they nave to feed their advance
construction camps And won't they
have to do it for years, while they
cut their miles of tunnels"
"Oh, they'll put their railroad
through to Dutch Flat maybe. but
from there on they'll go 1t by mules;
take all the toll they can get from the
S12, 900. 900 ~freightage Nevada pays
every year to the transportation com
panies. The G. p. people want a bite
OF Louis McLane's pie, that's all"
They're going to get 1t. you bet.'
The driver smiled: yet his low, leisure
~ words seemed a fiat.
HNOl W a JuElul. nlHNdo liitNu
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
gon, at any price they choose to name.
And McLane and all the other trans
poftation folks can haul the goods at
their own figures; they won't ever let
the towns have post offices because
they like to carry letters at half a dol
lar apiece. San Francisco bays full of
ships, and the mountains are full OF
gold; and we're getting 1t going both
ways, out and in"
"Yes, yo're taking too much the
driver replied. "Yo're killing yo'
gold-egg goose"
Phineas' smile was unpleasant. "Oh,
no. She's hearty yet. And We won't
diyyy up the eggs. either, with those
seven by-nine s~hopkeepers in-that mud
hole they call Sacramento. DO you
p wen let them make a fishing
pond Of the bay, and a winter water
ing-place OF San Francisco? Not on
your gold toothpick!"
Uncle Billy's eye flashed its first
hint of resentment. "Stanford's worst
enemy wouldn't think of calling him
s~even-by-nine: and I reckon California
voters'l have something to say. Lee
lands got right smart influence with
them"
Eyes. They voted both state and
city bonds. didn't they. Mr.. Dodge?"
Vincent asked. joining tie converse
ton at last.
"oh, all nee Uncle Billy" said the
driver. It's so long since anyone
called me Dodge, / need an introduce
tion to the name"
You bet Stanford's got influence
with the voters" Phincas broke in be-
fore Uncle Billy came to vincent's
question. But San Francisco brains
and dollars can beat voters any time.
Did any OF our citizens subscribe for
stock? The rabble voted bonds for u.