The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1915-10-01

ing around the corner In his liveried
landau. He found in President Ur
bank Of the Midcontinent, spare man
who had worn three vertical creases
in his brow over one thwarted ambi
ton. His rich but spraying railroad
system ran fairly straight after 1t was
well started for Chicago, and fairly
straight from that way point until It
became drunken with the monotony of
the western foothills, where 1t gangled
and angled its way to the far south
and around up the Pacific coast, arriv-
ing there dusty and rafting, after a
thousand-mile detour from its course
but that road had no direct entrance
into New York city. 1t approached
from the north, and was compelled to
circle completely around, over hired
tracks, to gain a ferryboat entrance.
Passengers Injured to coming in over
the Mdcontinent, which was a we'll
equipped road otherwise, counted but
half their journey done when they
came in sight of New York, no mat.
ter from what distance they had come
"Out marketing for railroads today,
Gil?" suggested Allison.
81 don't know" smiled Urbank. II
might look at few"
Here they are" and Allison tossed
him memorandum slip.
Urbank glanced at the slip, then
he looked up at Allison in perplexity.
He had funny forward angle to his
neck when he was interested, and the
creases in his brow were deepened un.
til they looked like cuts.
81 thought you we're joking, and I'm
still charitable enough to think So
What's all this junk?"
Little remnants and job lots of
railroads I've been picking up" and
Allison drew forward his chair. Some
| bought outright, and in some | hold
control"
IF you're serious about interesting
the Midcontinent in any of this prop.
erty, we don't need to waste much
time" Urbank leaned back and held
his knee. There are only two of
these roads approach the Midconti.
nent system at any point, and they
are useless property so far as we are
concerned; the L. and c., in the East.
and the Silverknob and Nugget City,
In the west, which touches our White
Range branch at its southern termi.
nus. We couldn't do anything with
those"
You landed on the best ones right
away" smiled Allison. However I
don't propose to sell these to the Mid.
continent. propose to absorb the
Midcontinent with them"
Urbank suddenly remembered ALI.
sons traction history, and leaned for.
ward to look at the job lots and rem.
nants again.
This list isn't complete" he Judged.
and turned to Allison with a serious
question in his eye
Almost" and Allison hitcbed n
little closer to the desk. There RI.
mains an aggregate of three hundred
and twenty miles of road to be buiIt
in four short stretches. In addition IN
this, ] have a twenty-year contract
over a hundred-mile stretch of the In.
land Pacific, a track right entry into
san Francisco, and this" he displaved
TO Urbank a preliminary copy of an
ordinance, authorizing the immediate
building of an eight-track tube througb
crescent island to the mainland. Pos.
sibly you can understand this whole
project better If l show you a man"
and he spread out his little pocket
sketch.
If it had been possible to reverse
the process of time and worry and
wearing concentration, President IJr.
bank of the Midcontinent would have
risen from his inspection of that
map with a brow as smooth as a
baby's' Instead, his lips went dry,
as he craned forward his neck at
that funny angle, and projected his
chin with the foolish motion of a
goose
NANAohSS llSnl siam llIO
the center of New York;" he ex.
claimed, cracking all his knuckles vio-
lently one by one "Vedder court!
Where's that?"
That's the best part of the Joke"
eXulted Allison, with no thought that
Vedder court was, at this present mo-
ment, church property. It's Just
where you said-right slam in the CEN
ter of New York. and the building
into which the Midcontinent will run
its trains will be also the terminal
building of every municipal transpor.
tation line in Manhattan! From my
station platforms passengers from
chicago or the far West will step d.
rectly into subway, L., or trolley
When they come in over the line
which is now the Midcontinent, they
VIII be landed not across the
river, or IN some side street. but
right at their own doors. scattering
from the Midcontinent terminal over
hundred traction lines!" His voice,
which had begun In the mild banter Of
man passing an idle joke, had risen
to a ring so triumphant that he was
a1Ynact oh