Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1911-04-28
CHAPTER ky.

fellows, Mr.. Duxbury Farley did no
deem 1t necessary to confide fully II
his son when the representative o
American Aqueduct broke off negotia
tons abruptly and went back to New
York.
When the comfortable arrangement
with the pipe trust threatened to mis-
carry. all he did was to urge Vincen
to hasten the day when Miss Dabney'.
stock could be utilized as Farley as
set Pressed gor particular reasons, h,
turned It off lightly. A young man IL
the fever of ante -nuptial expectancy
was mere pawn In the bushes,
game; let 1t be over and done with, 81
that the nominal treasurer OF CHA.
wassee Limited could once more be.
come the treasurer in fact.
Whereupon Vincent. who rode badly
at best, bought new saddle horse and
took his place at Miss Dabney's whip
hand In the early morning rides, the
place formerly filled by Tom Gordon
which was not the part of wisdom, one
would say. Contrasts are pitiless
things; and the wary woman hunter
will break new paths rather than ira
verse those already broken by his RI
val.
Tom, meanwhile, had apparently re-
iapsed into his former condition of dis
interest, and was once more spending
mis- days on the mountain, seemingly
bent on effacing himself socially, as he
had been effaced business wise by the
Farley overturn.
A week or more after the relapse, as
ne was crossing the road leading over
the mountains shoulder, he came Oh
the morning riders walking their horses
toward Paradise, and saw trouble in
MISS Dabney's eyes, and on Farley's
impassive face mask of sullen anger.
With the negotiations for the sale to
the trust SO abruptly terminated, the
promoter president set instant and
anxious inquiry afoot to determine the
cause. II was soon revealed; and when
Mr.. Farley found that the piper pit pat
ents had not been transferred with the
Gordon plant, and that Major Dabney
mad given Caleb Gordon a power of at
torney over Ardea's stock in the com
pany there were hard words said in
the town offices of Messrs. Trewhitt e
Slocunnb, Chiawassee attorneys, and a
torrent OF persuasive ones poured into
the Majors ear-the latter pointing 10
the crying necessity for the revocation
OF the power of attorney. summarily
and at once.
The Major proved singularly obstin-
ate and -committal. "Mistah Caleb
Gordon Is my friend, sub, and I was
mighty proud to do him this small ia :
veh. What his object Is makes no man
neh of Offence to me, sub. no man
neh OF difference, whateveh," was all an
a0fn OF
old autocrat of Deer Trace. But Mr..
Farley did not desist; neither did he
fall to keep the telegraph wires to New
York heated to incandescence with his
appeals for a renewal of the negotia-
tions for surrender.
When the wired appeals brought
forth nothing but evasive replies. Mr..
Farley began to look for trouble. and
IT came: first in mysterious closing
OF the market against Chiawassee nine
and next in an alarming advance Of
freight rates from Gordonia on the
Great Southwestern.
Colonel DuAbury doubled his field
force and gave his travellers a frse
hand on the price list. Persuasion and
diplomacy having failed, a frenzy like
that of one who finds himself Slipping
for others seized on him. II was the
madness of those who have seen the
clock hands stop and begin to turn
steadily backward on the dial OF sue
cess.
Ten days later the freight rates went
up another notch, and there began 10
be painful dearth of cars in which to
ship the few orders the statesmen were
still able to place. Mr.. Farley shut his
eyes to the portents, put himself reck
lessly into Mr.. Vancourt Henniker,s
hands as borrower. and posted a mo-
tice Of slashing cut in wages at tbs
works.
AS a matter of course. the cut bred
immediate and tumultuous trouble with
the miners. and in the midst Of II thc
president made flying trip to New
York; to the metropolis and to the Of
fees of American Aqueduct to make a
final appeal III person.
But the door was shut. Mr. Draro,t
was not to be seen, though his assist
ant was very affable, No; American
Aqueduct was not trying to assimiIate
the smaller plants, or to crush out all
competition, as the public seemed TO
believe. With fifty million dollars in
vested 1t could easily control a market
for It's own product, which was all the
shareholders demanded. Was Mr.
Farley In the city for some little timeY
and would he not dine with the assist
ant at the Waldorf Astoria
Mr.. Farley took a fast train, south
bound. instead. and on reaching South
Tredegar, wired his New York broker
to test the market with a small block
OF Chiawassee Limited. There were no
takers at the upset price; and the high
est bid was less than half of the ask
.ng. Colonel Duxbury was writing let
tiers at the Cupola when the brokers'
telegram was handed him, and he broke
q rule which had held good for the bet
ter part of cautious. self-contained
lifetime. The following morning the
miners and all the white men employ
ed In the furnace and foundries and
coke yards at Gordonia went on strike.
Duxley Farley had resources, cora
Portable fortune as country fortunes
60. amassed by far-seeing shrewdness,
? calm contempt for the well-being OF
his business associates. and most OF al
by browning gift In the ability to
recognize tho psychological moment ut
which to let so.
n.at under pressure Of ne combined