The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1916-09-28


a few every day. And, though they
appear 20 do nothing but talk their
time away IN the saloons In the lower
end 81 the town, they seem 20 have
Just ms much money TO spend as they
did when they were getting their time
checks from us"
"what sort OF talkingf' steve want.
ed o. know.
THAT'S Just IT," Elliott exclaimed.
Their talk leads nowhere. went
down and attempted TO find out what
their grievance might be. but they
close up like clans whenever ! come
within earshot They stare at the cell
ing. rub their chlns and laugh when
there's nothing TO laugh at This morn
ing. however. finally convinced Nc
Lean that something was radically
wrong. SO he took one OF them who
had just decided TO quit and pinned
him up against the embankment-b but
you know Mclean and his methods
he showed his Jaw up within an inch
Of the Others nose and invited him to
talk, and-well, he found out enough
to make him begin to worry too.
Somebody's been talking to them, Mr..
0'Mara. Somebody has put the fool
notion into their heads that this strip
Of railroad will mean the end of all
lumber operations In this countryside
old time river drives. Of course. And
some Of them are beginning 10 believe.
whoever was responsible for that state
ment
you know and I know how absurd
II Is. We know that this road will
mean work for every riverman In this
section, as often as be wants to work.
But II isn't going TO help us any II they
can't see IL that way. II isn't going
TO replace the men who quit. I've been
celebrating one point Don't you sup
pose we might import n regular squad
Of construction men now, before It's
too later"
Its too late now" Steve told him.
his words none the less final for all
that they were absently quiet. ut
was too late the day we began opera
lions And yesterday at this time I
wouldn't have given much worry to
this particular brand OF trouble.
They're an odd lot. They're the hard.
est working. hardest living crowd Of
big men that ever failed entirely to
grow up. But since yesterday-slnce
yesterday who. did you say, was re-
sponsible for that statement. as you
call itr'
II didn't say. And II If l had
TO guess The hand passed across
his eyes now. "O'Mara. do you know
how deeply Mr.. Ainnesley and myself
are involved In this prospectr'
4 don't believe ] have ever given II
much actual thought" Steve replied.
II never viewed IL as any Of my af-
fair. But ! haven't forgotten the last
time we talked the plans over. that
you couldn't go Into II TO lose"
"Of course" Elliott answered quick
ly. "Of course--of course!" He seem
ed cropping for a fresh beginning. then
gave up suddenly all attempt at cir
Guilty and blurted II out much as
though he had lived with the thought
too long to endure II longer alone.
I'm In up to my last dollar" he
stated. "And Ainnesley-why, Ain.
nesley wouldn't have n roof over his
head II we failed In our obligations!
You must know as well as | do why
the banking interests took our paper
10 those amounts which made II posi-
BILE for us TO drive the first spike"
When he failed To go on Steve under
stood that the last sentence had been
a question.
mfr. Allison. | suppose" His voice
became utterly impersonal. Without
doubt you mean Mr.. Allison"
They would have laughed at us. $
the older man came back instantly.
"And. what is more, they did, They
wouldn't touch the proposition until
| Allison came In with us. And then
but you know what Dexter Allison has
done already In this country. | don't
know what he started with. | do
know that all that Ainnesley and !
had scraped up between us looked like
a shoestring TO him.
I'VE couldn't move until he. Of his
own accord. expressed his enthusiasm
| for the plan and asked for a share In
the holdings. You know perhaps how
he can laugh too. Well. he laughed
that way and confessed that we had
Just beaten him To H. He said II would
tap a gold mine-thls strip OF steel.
as he called II. lie even told us that
he'd parallel our road with com.
petitor. jokingly TO be sure, II we
hadn't tied up the only available and
practicable right OF way.
"He came In. lie opened up. merely
through his own name and all there Is
behind II. loan possibilities for which
We might have struggled uselessly the
rest OF our lives without his help. Be
tween us Mr.. Ainnesley and just man
aged TO hold the balance of stock con.
troll and and that's how deep we are
In. Mr.. O'Mara."
Both men sat and smoked, each
avoiding deliberately the others eyes.
After long pause Elliott cleared his
throat laboriously.
This morning." he continued slow.
ly-"this morning am In receipt Of q
communication from Mr.. Ainnesley
himself advising me that another right
OF way has been applied for for a sin
gle track road here I'm the north. The