Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1912-12-08
WYE were building the spur track

dozen places at once, and worrying
his soul out by night, explaining TO
the Old Man why he had not accom-
plished the impossible and run his
line across short cuts where the LORD
had evidently never intended a rail-
toad should CO.
There were several reasons why
German was unusually anxious TO live
up to the Old Mans expectations In
the first place, the old Man had the
name OF being a hard master and he
usually lived up TO his name. He
never accepted excuses from his men.
Either they made good, or they failed.
Those who failed the Old Man once
we're never given chance TO fail
him a second time, while those who
made good under him could count on
securing n recommendation which
would he taken at Its face value any
, where in that part OF the country
Then there was the girl. There 10
usually a girl In tho case when you
see young fellow breaking his neck
TO make a name for himself, but IN
Germans case II was little different
from the general run. The girl was
the Old Mans daughter, and as she
was her fathers confldsnte in almost
all his affairs, German knew that
every good stroke he made carried
him one degree higher in her favor;
30 he got out early and came in late,
and seemed to fret because Nature in
sisted on few hours sleep each day,
Also, the Old Man had an inkling
,f how German felt toward his daugh-
ter, and il ever one man required
brick OF another without furnishing
him the straw, the Old Man required
, Il OF German on the Dalefeld spur,
But for all of Germans eIertions and
lis doing the work OF two men during
that spring and summer, the brick
would not have been delivered on
contract time had It not been for
"Nerves"
Nerves" drifted into camp one eve
ming toward the last Of April and
asked for a job He was not a very
awe-inspiring figure, but men were
hard to get, and harder to keep. so
German gave him pick and sent him
down to report to Nixon. who was
blasting a thirty.ton boulder off the
right Of way. And it was there that
Nerves" was christened
Nixon got his dynamite placed. and
'ordered his men out OF the way while
he touched off the fuse. Either the
fuse was a little shorter than usual,
or Nixon a little slower, but at any
srate, before he had got quite out OF
range, the blast went off. Nixon was
Knocked down by a piece Of flying
rock, which cut an ugly cash in his
head and left him unconscious for a
few seconds.
II really didn't amount to anything.
The men crowded around Nixon, who
was up almost before they had
reached him, and in a few minutes
was able to resume his progress
toward camp.
However, they had to carry man
back to camp, after all. The new
man toppled over almost simultan-
:. eously with Nixon. and 1t was not
EOR a thousand miles in all di-
Il rections-except to the south,
where wallowed and shimmered the
stinking Gulf of Guinea lay the
tangled, steaming West African jungle.
Durand and Schwencker knew this, yet
they hated each other. They sat in
the darkness in front Of Schwencker's
mud house. Tomorrow night they
would be sitting IN the darkness in
front of Durand's mud house. They
were punctilious in such matters. Du-
.fand, as the latest arrival, had called
on Schwencker first, naturally; but as
soon as he had his house built he had
received visit from Schwencker, and
then, next night, Durand had returned
the call. 1t had been going on like
that ever since. The jungle sounds
no longer interested them. The BOOM
ing Of night-1ying beetles or the occa-
sional scream Of night bird were un-
noticed incidents in the damp and sui
try oppression Of darkness that shut
them In. Natives were grooming In
some hut at the other end Of the street.
Now and then n weird halloo floated in
to\where they sat from the edge of the
forest as Il woman frightened a prowler
from her sheepfold. But the two white
residents of Bondoukou sat together in
mutual dlstrust, thinking Of other
things.
81 suppose that there boundary com
mission Is to home already" said
Schwencker gloomily.
He spoke no French and Durand
spoke no German, so they conversed in
English.
"Yes, Dicu! But why do you speak
always Of that? They are in Paris,
on the boulevard, where it is sweet and
cool, where there are no insects, no
) niGgers, mo- jungle, and only beautiful