The evening world., 1915-01-18

ton terminal and stood on
the rearmost platform OF his outgo-
Ing train to watch for the passing Of
a certain familiar suburb where, at
the homo Of the hospitable Lassleys,
he had first met Miss Craigmiles.
On the Wednesday evening follow
Ing he was gathering his belongings
in the sleeper OF a belated Chicago
train preparatory to another dash
across platforms-this time in the
echoing station at Council BLUFFS, to
catch the waiting Overland Flyer for
the run to Denver.
President Pelham's telegram m, which
had found him In Boston on the eve
OF closing n contract with the sugar
magnates to go and build ref,nerles
in Cuba. was quito brief. but It be-
spoke haste:
We need n fighting man who can
build railroads and dams and dig
bitches In Arcadia. Salary salts
factory to you. Wire quick IL
you can come.
This was the wording OF it: and at
the evening hour of train changing
in Council Bluffs Ballard was sixteen
hundred miles on his way, racing defi-
nitely to a conference with the Presi-
dent In Denver, with the warning
telegram from Lassley no more than
q vaguely disturbing underthought.
What lay beyond the conference he
did not know in detail As q man in
touch with the moving world Of great
projects, he knew of the plan for the
reclamation Of the Arcadian arid
nesses.
A dam was in process OF construc-
tion, the waters OF a mountain tor
rent were to be impounded. a system
OF irrigation canals opened, and an
outlet railway built. Much OF tho
work. he understood. was already
done; and he was to take charge as
chief OF construction and carry 1t TO
its conclusion.
SO much President Pelham's sum-
mons made clear. But what was the
mystery hinted at in Lassley's tele-
gram? And did 1t have any connec-
tion with that phrase in President
Pelham's wire: I'VE need a fighting
mani"
These queries were presenting them-
the porter to the section reserved for
him in the Denver sleeper.
The car was filled, and when he
could break away from the specu-
lative entanglement long enough to
look about him, he saw that the
women passengers were numerous
enough to make II moro than prob
able that he would be asked later TO
give UP his lower berth to one of
them.
Being man selfish and a seasoned
traveller withal. he was steeling him
self to say mo" to this request what
time the train was rumblins over the
bridge to Omaha.
At the Omaha station there was
fresh influx OF passengers for the
Denver car. and to Billiards. dismay
they appeared to be all women.
"Oh. good Lord" he calculated: and
finding his pipe he beat a hasty re-
treat in the direction OF the smoking
compartment. vaguely hoping to post
pone the inevitable.
At the turn around the corner of the
linen locker he looked back. Two or
three figures in the group of late
comers might have asked for recog-
milton II he had looked at them; but
he had eyes for only one-a modish
young woman in veiled hat and q
shapeless gray travelling coat. who
was evidently trying to explain some
thing to the Pullman conductor.
"Jove!" he exclaimed; "if 1 didn't
know for certain that Elsa Craigmiles
is half way across the Atlantic with
the Lassleys-but she is; and II she
were not, she wouldn't be here, doing
the personally conducted for that
mob" And he went on 10 smoke.
II was a very short while afterward
when an apologetic Pullman conduc-
tor found him. and the inevitable
came to pass.
This IL MIR. Ballard, I believer"
A nod and an uphanding of tickets
Thanks. ! don't like to discOm-
mode you. Mr. Ballard; but you have
an entire section. and
II know" said Ballard crisply. THE
lady got on the wrong train, or she
bought the wrong kind OF ticket, oi
she took chances on finding the good
natured fellow who would give up his
berth and go hang himself on a
clothes hook In the vestibule. I've
been there before, but haven
learned how to say No Fix It VI