Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-07-18
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For Craig Gordon was sorry that he worked for
that big institution. He spent the of that starry
February night studying the blueprints of the three
spans that Scott Parsons the shrewd old head of
Transcontnental, was unloading his friend, Seth
Kennerly, the shrewd old purchaser Of 7. & S. and
then hated international Bridge. For Craig Gordon
knew that those three spans were not fit for the
Long Eddy bridge Of fremont & Southwestern.
They might last decade, a generation perhaps
perhaps they might outlive Craig Gordon Still,
his mind not silent under such self-reasonings.
1t answered every time that the spans right,
and that he knew they not right. What his
engineering training called the margin of safety"
missing. 1t was to be nip -and-tuck" job, and
his mind kept telling him that tragedy repeats itself
Then his mind descended to the practical, and
asked him what Of his loyalty to the concern for
which he worked And then he laughed. Loyalty to
International Bridget He hated international Bridge.
international Bridge stood as the go-between" in \
his employer no loyalty whatsoever.
Craig Gordon understood. and because he under
stood his soul went down and sat seat in he'll.
struggled to give the first orders about the placing
Of the spans his soul stayed in hell. his mind kept
river, at the men finishing the abutmcnts and this
piers to make them ready for the trusses And then
ne turned away once again. He was losing his
and that is bad for any man.
And when he had boxed at the river one time he
stepped into his office and found there letter from
Adrienne. She had been very angry at him-they
really had planned delicious time together; but
now she had relented enough to write him. He tore
the letter open and scanned it eagerly.
Il can understand now because | have been told
what great work has been given to you boy; to
build strong bridge over mighty river" she wrote
the paper up into fine bits But he could not
forget what she had written; "A great work =.
sesa bss so HI: M :d tws with and he
old, and he must be man in this thing Business
business, and International Bridge would be the
upon his shoulders. But Orvile Minor had no pro-
fessional interest; Orville Minor could not write
The thought e Of Minor made him think for an in
waiting for boy who came not hasty thought
with another curse Then he laughed People would
think that if he took such step he took il for per-
considered only his professional honor his honor as
man-some people would rise up and again send
Dams d DR. b and out Of Of m sut
people talk and business be business-Craig Gordon
slipped out of the little office and caught train
bound toward town. And as he slipped into his
seat his soul was serenely peaceful for the first time
in three days.
Four hours and half later he stepped into the
inside office of King Snowden. the veteran general
manager of fremont & Southewestern-just as the
old chief was starting home The old man faced the
You've come to tell me that you're beating your
through track by May Ist? Can't you give me the
new rail within sixty days."
Craig Gordon faced the general manager calmly.
and said
~ can. Mr. Snowden, but won't"
And before the G. NJ. could catch his breath he
was telling him OF the whole wretched business there
Finally it was Snowdens turn to be COOL
DO you realize what you are doings" he said. in
ms cr ere" G %as, nodded assent
Minors away, but I've written him and told him
what was going to tell you to-day but I'm not
bridge and then shovel coal in hell for doing It,"
He stopped-quckly, for he felt he had said too
Il wish we could take care of you," said King
Snowden, frankly, but he shook his head slowly.
We've got engineers sitting around with their feet
on the desks already.
Gordon quickly settled that.
I'm not worried about be" my futufe ., said he Il
But as he lett the general managers office he did
worry bit about his future. He knew what
Minor would do hours before the wire came to him
from his chief dismissng him in as picturesque
phrasng the Western Union rules permit. More
ever Minor would have the brakes upon him. He
hcations of International Bridge were tremendous
they even extended underneath the competitors OF
that huge agsregaton Of capital But after ,me
soul fairly sang of boy from Tech. who had clear
mind, strong pair OF arms. and who had kept faith
with himself and the world And then he was SUI
preme.
He stepped into telegraph office on his way back
from Snowden's office and sent wire over the sen-
der silver trail of the wire that found its way to the
South ~
Suppose were to run a trolley-car" he asked.
He tore the message nervously open.
I'D hire the car by the year" she replied
But Adrienne never had the opportunity to exert
such foolish extravaganza. For King Snowden had
looked wistfully at the boy from Tech He wanted
man of that sort-not merely to build real bridge
at Long Eddy in place OF the contrapton that the
Parsons Kennerly syndicate dumping upon the
honest security holders of T. & S. but carry forth
the big engineering projects that theik policy
of provision was to bring in its trail But the G. NJ.
was check-mated by politics-the worst sort of po-
tics, Office politics. Beardsley, their chief engineer,
closely related to Scott Parsons, and so he held
down his fat job pretty firmly. When King Snow
den thought of that it was his to lose his
per, Before he had quite reganed it. he rose in the
fulness of upstrung justice and strobe into the pres.
idents Office.
What King Snowden said there is not written even
upon the secret records Of T. g. S. but he GANG
out whstling. Gates Brilngs was the president OF
T. & s., after all, and not the Parsons-Kennerly
An assistant that would make his boss look sharply
to the merits of his behavior. And as Crai0
Gordon-Ciordon was again hot at the telegraph wire.
They won't have me as motorman' he wrote
They're little ussy about the cars-and their pas
sengers' lives But Snowden wants me to work for