Evening star., 1913-11-23

"Send him right up, Boy the Colonel
answered, and then gathered his money to-
gether, thrust it into his pocket, and waited
for the tap on the door. And he was un-
aware that Opportunity had come at last,
heralded by the round fat, hustling man
from Fort Scott!
If the Colonel had been his long lost
father, Jones could not have greeted him
with greater cordiality. Then William
Burmah turned and tiptoed to the door,
and jerked it open to look out into the hall.
After that he strobe quickly to the locked
folding doors barring the next room, and
listened intently at the crack. Then he
half squatted and peered behind screen
and whispered hoarsely, "Anybody here?'
The Colonel, with his eyes as wide as sill
yer quarters by this time, assured him there
was not. whats the matter, Sir?" he
asked commiseratingly. "Some of these
scoundrels been trying to rob youo"
Jones tiptoed across the room, removed
his silk hat, and wiped his forehead with an
extra handkerchief drawn from his hip, the
silk polka-dotted one protruding from his
coat pocket evidently being immune from
service. Colonel" he said, raising his
pudgy forefinger as he settled into chair,
Colonel Hatch, me and you are going to
make Our fortunes-yes, Siree-our ever
lastin' fortunes! | may start East next
week to get hold of big capital; but I'm
going to let you share my luck. Now, what
d'you think of that?"
He got his thumbs hooked into the vest
holes, pursed his cheeks, and beamed at the
Colonel with what was plainly intended to
be a benevolent smile. The Colonel, trem-
bling with JOY, hastened to thank him.
@It's that land that your discriminatin'
eye sighted when we were on the steamer
declared Jones. "Yes, Sir, with your finan-
cial genius, you picked it out! Squaw
Pointl I've practically taken it for you for
five thousand dollars. was so afraid some
one else would come along and get it that
just snapped it up
He leaned back expectantly; but close
friend of his might have read great sus-
pense in his eyes as he paused to see how the
Colonel would take the news. As for the
Colonel, some of the enthusiasm appeared
to die out of his face. If he paid five thou
sand for the land, he would have but little
more than thousand dollars with which to
plunge ahead on his reckless path to wealth.
Jones, the veteran salesman of the globe,
recognized the wavering, and like a good
General hastened to rally the forces.
DON'T say word," he whispered, as if
afraid that the Colonel was about to in
dulge in garrulity. "But first, Colonel, give
me YOUR solemn WOrQ OF nOrlOr as gentleman
that you will never let anyone know, come
what will, what I'm about to tell you! 1t
might ruin me-"
The Colonel assured him that his secret
would forever be preserved.
"Then," said Jones, dropping his voice,
and laying both hands on the Colonels
knees, "Squaw Point may become the great
metropolis of this Pacific Coast! 1t may be
the New York of the West. You have heard
of the Atlantic & Oriental Railway, amt
you?' Jones whispered.
OF course the Colonel had heard of that
projected road that had dawdled along for
some years, threatening at intervals to go
through to the Pacific Coast, and always
stopping after the stock market had got to
the right point for the pocket of the great
railway king, Henry Ford.
@But-but-I thought old Ford, when he
died, was
"That's just the way" interrupted Jones.
"When he died his property was SO big that
it took years to straighten it out. His boy
wouldn't foller in his dads footsteps"
"And mighty good thing too, l should
say" responded the Colonel grimly, remem-
bering the king of promoters, bribers, and
wreckers.
"But now live men have got the prop
erty," Burmah Jones went on patiently.
"They're goin' to put her through. Pierp-
excuse me, | always speak of one of my best