The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1915-11-18

About that Shell Beach extension!
he INQUIRED There's likely to be trou
Bile with the village Of Wavevlew. Their
local franchises"
Settle 1t yourself" directed Allison
carelessly, and Gregory stared. Dur
ing the long and arduous course OF Al
lison's climb he had built his success
on personal attention to detail. Good
by" and Allison walked out, lighting
cigar on his way to the door.
He stopped his runabout In front Of
stationer's and bought the largest
globe they had In stock.
Address please?" asked the clerk.
pencil poised over delivery slip.
"Ill take It with me-" and Allison
helped them secure the clumsy thing
in the seat beside him. Then he
streaked up the avenue to the small
and severely furnished house where
four ebony servants protected him
from the world.
"Out OF town except to this list" he
directed HIS knky-halred old butler,
and going into the heavy oak library,
he closed the door. On the wall, de.
pending from the roller case, was a
huge map, broad familiar domain be.
tween two oceans, and he smiled as
his eye fell upon that tiny territory
near the Atlantic. which, up to now, he
had called a world, because he had
mastered II.
His library phone rang.
"Mr. Alllson?" womans voice. Gail
Sargent, Mrs. Sargent, Mrs. Davies. or
Lucille Teasdale. No other ladies were
on his list. The voice was not that OF
Gail. Are you busy tonlght?" oh,
yes. Lucille Teasdale.
Free as air." he gayly told her.
I'm so glad" ratified Lucille. "Ted's
just telephoned that he has tickets for
The Lady's Maid Can you Join us?"
with pleasure" No hesitation
whatever; prompt and agreeable; even
pleased.
That's Jolly. think six makes such
nice crowd. Besides you and our.
selves, there1l be Arly and Dick Rod
ley and Gail" Gail Of course. He had
known that. "We1l start from Uncle
Jim's at eight o'clock"
Allison called old Ephraim.
81 want to begin dressing at seven.
iifteen," he directed. "At three o'clock
set some sandwiches inside the door.
Have some fruit in my dressing room.
He went back to his map, remember
ing Lucille with retrospective smile,
The last time he had seen that viva.
cious young person she had been emp
tying a box Of almonds, at the side of
the camp fire at the toboggan party.
He jotted. down a memorandum to send
her some, and drew a high stool in
front Of the map.
Strange this new ambition which
had come over him. Why, he had ac-
tually been about to consider his big
work finished; and now, all at once,
everything he had done seemed trivial.
The eager desire Of youth to achieve
had come to him again, and the blood
sang in his veins as he felt OF his
lusty strength. He was starting to
build, with a youths enthusiasm but
with a mans experience and with the
momentum of success and the power
Of capital. Something had crystallized !
him in the past few days.
Across the fertile fields and the
mighty mountains and the arid deserts
Of the United States, there angled four
black threads, from coast to coast, and
everywhere else were shorter main
lines and shorter branches, and, last
of all, mere fragments of railroads. He
began with the long, angling threads,
but-he ended with the fragments, and !
these, in turns, he gave minute and |
careful study. At three o'clock he
took a sandwich and ordered his car
He was gone less than an hour, and |
came back with an armload Of books;
government reports, volumes OF statis- |
tics, and a file OF more intimate infor. |
nation from the office of his broker. !
He threw off his coat when he came |
in this time. and spread, on the big,
lion.clawed table at which Napoleon |
had once planned a campaign, vari-
colored mass of railroad maps. At
seven-fifteen old Ephraim found him at |
the end of the table in the midst OF
some neat and intricate tabulations.
Time to dress, sir" suggested
Ephraim.
"oh, It's you" remarked the alb.
sorbed Allison, glancing UP.
YES, sir" returned Ephraim. "You |
told me to come for you at SEVENTH.
teen"
Allison arose and rubbed the tips of
his fingers over his eyes.
Keep this room locked, he ordered
and stalked obediently upstairs. For
the next thirty minutes he belonged to |
Ephraim.
He was as carefree as a boy when |
he reached Jim Sargent's house, and
his eyes snapped when he saw Gail
come down the stairs, in a pearl.tinted |
gown, with triple string of pearls in
her waving hair and a rose-colored
cloak depending from her gracefully
sloping shoulders.
Her own eyes frightened at the sight
of him. He had been much in her mind
today; not singly but as one of
group. She was quite conscious that
she liked him, but she was more con.
scious that she was curious about him.
He stepped forward to shake hands
with her and for a momen.. she found