Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1915-08-25
Id
BIG[OpGf RANDOLPH Q[ST[R
and LILLIAN CHESTER ",
s, 0SsS e sao ILLUSTRATED @~CDRflODES
: ., ILLUSTRATED &~C.D.RffODES :

/ THIS tube pokeS It's nose INTO oakland
bay"
I'm quite aware of the size OF the
| job" chuckled Allison. However.
Tim, there1l be money enough behind
this proposition to I'LL that tube with
greenbacks."
! Between the narrow-slitted and
puffy eyelids of Tim German there
cleaned a trace of the old-tine genii
Then it's built" He rose and
leaned on his cane, twinkling down on
the man whom, years before. he had
| picked as a conner" I've heard
people say that moneys wicked, but
they never had amy. When die. and
go down to the big ferry. if the Old
Boy comes along and offers me enough
money, I'll go to hell"
Still laughing, Allison telephoned to
the offices of the Midcontinent rail-
road, and dashed out to his runabout
just in time to see Tim German driv-
ing around the corner in his liveried
landau. He found in President Ur-
! bank of the Midcontinent, a spare man
who had worn three vertical creases
in his brow over one thwarted ambi-
ton. His rich but sprawling railroad
system ran fairly straight after it was
well started for Chicago, and fairly
straight from that way point until it
became drunken with the monotony of
the western foothills, where it gangled
and angled it's way to the far south
and around up the Pacific coast, arriv-
ing there dusty and rafting. after
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 ferryhoat entrance.
Passengers Injured to coming in over
the Midcontinent, 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. 81
might look at a few"
Here they are" and Allison tossed
him a 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 we're deepened I'M
til they looked like cuts.
81 thought you we're joking, end 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
l 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.
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 hitched a
little closer to the desk. There re-
mains an aggregate of three hundred
and twenty miles of road to be built
in four short stretches. In addition to
this, / have a twenty-year contract
over hundred-mile stretch of the In
land Pacific, a track right entry into
San Francisco, and this" he DISPLAYED
to Urbank a preliminary copy of an
ordinance, authorizing the immediate
building of an eight-track tube through
Crescent island to the mainland. Pos
sibly you can understand this whole
project better If l show you map"
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 Ur-
bank of the Midcontinent would have
risen from his inspection of that
map with brow as smooth as a
baby's. Instead, his lips went dry,
as he craned forward his neck at
In4oI.. L.. ..a..ah as a. aa. 4. 4h0