Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1911-11-30

such hopCIesSly sensitive ass. He's
Il. s, in Nj, f.. or he would have
been II he had stayed out his senior
year in Carnegie. but also he hap
pened 10 be a football fiend. and In
the last Intercollegiate game OF his
last season he had the horrible luck
TO XIII a man. and the man was the
brother Of the girl Dawson was going
to marry"
Heavens and earth" exclaimed
Lidgerwood. lis he that DawsonT'
The same" said the young engineer
laconically. at was the sheerest nc
cident. and everybody knew Il. and
nobody blamed Dawson, happen TO
know, because | was junior In Car
negie ut the time, But Fred took II
hard; let 1t spoil his life. He threw
two days and came to bury himself
out hero. For two years he never let
his mother and sister know where
he was; made remittances to them
through bank In Omaha so they
shouldn't be able to trace him, Care
to hear any moref"
Yes; go on" said the auperintend-
ent
81 found him." chuckled Benson,
''and took the liberty OF piping his
little game Off to the narrowed women.
Next thing he knew they dropped in
on him, and he is just crazy enough
to stay here and to keep them here.
Nhak xx,o,,lINst hn haA
for Gridley, Fred's boss. You won't
believe It, but he has actually got the
nerve to make love to Dawson's sister,
And he widow man. old enough to be
her fatherr'
Iidgerwood smiled. 1t Is the privilege
rival, Gridley was. possibly, forty two
or three. but Benson was still on the
sunny slope OF twenty-five. You are
prejudiced, Jack" he criticised. "Grid.
ley is still young enough to marry
again II he wants to--and to live long
enough to spoil his grandchildren"
But he doesn't begin to be good
enough for Faith Dawson" countered
the young engineer stubbornly.
"Isn't hep Or Is that another bit Of
your personal grudgef What do you
know against himf"
Pressed thus sharply against the un-
yielding fact, Benson was obliged to
confess that he knew nothing at all
against the master mechanic, nothing
that could be pinned down to day and
date. Gridley was well known to be a
hard hitter. and now and then. when
the blows fell rather mercilessly. the
railroad colony called him tyrant and
limited that he. too, had past that
would not bear inspection. hut even
Benson admitted that this was mere
gossip.
where do l come in on all this.
Jackf You have an Ak to grind.
take It." said Lidgerwood.
81 have. Mrs. Dawson wants mo to
take my meals at the house. I'm in
clined to believe that she Is bit shy
of Gridley. and maybe she thinks
could do the buffer act. But as n get
between I'd DO chiefly conspicuous by
my absence"
5obhy Noh kiNU SVu va O"NG
job" said the superintendent In mock
sympathy.
$50 am l, but you can do the next
best thing. Get Fred to take you homo
with him some of these fine evenings
and you'll never go back to the Celes
tial. not II you can persuade Mrs.
Dawson to feed you. The alternative
is to fire Gridley out Of his job"
This time you are trying to make
the tail wag the dog" said Lidger-
wood. "Gridley has twice my back
ing in the P. s. w. board Of directors.
Besides. he's a good fellow. and II go
up on the mesa and try to stand him
of for you 1t will be only because l
hope you are better fellow"
prop It up on any leg you like, only
Co." said Benson simply. I'm take II
as a personal favor and do as much
for you some time. ] suppose don't
have to warn you not to fall In love
with Faith Dawson yourself-or. on
second thought, perhaps | had better"
This time Lidgerwoods laugh was
mirthless.
mo. you don't have TO. Jack. You
can safely deputize me, | guess"
"All right. and many thanks. Here's
202 coming In. and I'm going over to
Navajo on It Don't walt too long be-
fore you make up to Dawson. You'll
find him well worth while after you've
broken through his shell"
When Lidgerwood began the draw.
ing OF the net new time card was
strung with McCloskey's cooperation.
and when II went into effect n notice
on all bulletin boards announced the
adoption OF the standard Book Of
Rules" and promised penalties in a
rising scale for unauthorized departure
! therefrom.
! Promptly the horse laugh died away
and the trouble storm was evoked
| Grievance committees haunted the
Crows Nest, and the insurrectionary
faction. starting with the trainmen
and spreading to the track force
threatened to involve the telegraph