The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1909-09-29
CHAPTER II.

- AMES SMITH. superintendent of
"a the Latin. American Steamship
company's docks. had arrived in
" response to the presidents sum
mons. conveyed to him by the tele-
phone. Smith. known TO his familiars
as Jimsy. was tall. gaunt. angular
man. bearing all over him the stamp
Colorado. where he began his active
career by engaging in mining. Scant
success attended his efforts in this di
rection. however. and after working
with the logged determination that
was one of his traits until even his
tered the employ of the steamship
company in whose service he had
risen to his present position. with
headquarters In New York.
There was something about Smith
that caused men. and women also for
The unbounded good nature. big heart
edness and unselfshness beaming in
his blue eyes and in his whimsical
smile were written In every line OF his
clean shaver face. Another thing that
made him remarked by all who came
In contact with him was his absolute
lmperturbability. In all his thirty
seven years OF existence he never had
been known TO get move on" not
even when premature blast In a
mine had sent the diggers heller skel
ter for safety and carried death and
suffering to many. Smith had walked
TRANQUILITY away amid the rain of rock
and earth until 1t was all over. Then
he had returned and organized the
work of rescue his placidity causing
the others instinctively to look 10 him
for direction. Nor was his speech
more hurried than were his move
ments He spoke but little, and then
his words came In n quiet. even. dis
;nct draw Put he got there" ~
quickly ms most men. ard a good den
quicker than some whose nerves were
highly strung and with whom rapdity
of action WAS as necessary as breath
ing. for he wns possessed of keen paw
ers VI observation and common SruSe
an earncstnesS OF purpose that gave
his uIterances weight and an Integrity
as unshakable as the rock Of Gibral-
tar. AS a fitting, almost necessary.
complement OF such nature he was
endowed with a sense of humor that
added not a little 10 the attraction he
exercised for those who knew him
sufficiently well 10 be able to appre-
ciate his qualities of heart and mind.
He took a calm, all embracing survey
of the office as he entered. looked over
to Brooks desk and saluted him with
cordial motion Of the hand and in
structed a boy to notify Captain vii
liams of his arrival He was ushered
Immediately into the chiefs presence.
That worthy. who. like his superin-
tendent. was clean shaver, was seated
Mt his desk In his shirt sleeves, and
the whole room. despite the wide open
windows. was thick from the smoke
from an old blackened corncob pipe NJ
which he was putting vigorously. He
was burly man. and the short, thick
neck, the broad shoulders. the power
full, big jointed fingers and the mus
cles that stood out I'm punches on the
hairy arms disclosed by his rolled up
shirt sleeves denoted that he possessed
unusual physical strength. An ugly
man to get into an argument with was
williams, one who, it needed no mind
reader to judge, would be capable of
following the word with blow that
would crush an ordinary opponent.
For years, as Brooks had intimated.
he had led the toughest life man
can lead. hammering by sheer brute
strength way TO wealth by ways In
which scruple had counted for nothing