Macon beacon., 1916-06-16

tine his hint had grown 70 rUUOr CiZe
Mr.. Cortwright had sert for Erouil-
lard
Pull up a chair ard have 4 cigar,
said the great man when Brouillard
had penetrated to the nerve-eenter OF
the Mirapolitan activities in the Metro
pole suite and the two stenographers
had been curtly dismissed. Have
you heard the talk of the street. There
is rumor that the railroad grading
has been stopped"
Brouillard. busy with the work OF
setting the third series OF forms on
his great wall had heard nothing.
I've noticed that they haven't been
blasting for two or three days. But
that may mean nothing more than a
delayed shipment of dynamite" was
his rejoinder.
1T looks bad-devilish bad" The
promoter was planted heavily in his
pivot chair, and the sandy-gray eyes
dwindled to pin points I'VE are up
against 1t, that's all. Read that" and
the promoter handed a telegram
across the desk.
The wire was from Chicago. was
signed "Ackerman." and was still
damp from the receiving operators
copying press. 1t read
Work on p. S.W.'s Buckskin ex.
tension has been suspended for the
present Reason assigned, shrinkago
in securities and uncertainty Of busi.
ness outlook in Niquoia."
Mr.. Cortwright's frown figured as n
fleshly mask of irritability. Let 1t
once get out that the railroad people
don't believe in the future of Mirapo.
lis and we're done"
Brouillard's retort was the expires.
sion of an upfash Of sanity.
"Mirapols has no future; It has
only an exceedingly precarious pres.
ent."
For moment the sandy-gray eyes
pecame inscrutable. Then the mask
| VI II IllullOl Siu uolut, lNNNdiIllS lllu
face which Mr.. J. Wesley Cortwright
ordinarily presented to his world
the face Of imperturbable good nature,
you're right. Brouillard; Mirapolls
is only good joke, after all. Some
times | get bamfoozled into the idea
that it isn't-that it's the real thing,
Tha4's bad for the nerves. But about
this railroad fizzle; don't relish the
notion of having our little joke sprung
on us before we're ready to laugh, dc
you? What do you Think
at is not my turn to think, Mr. Cort'
wright
"Oh, yes, it is; very pointedly. You're
one OF u.s. to certain extent; and II
you were not you would still be inter
ested. A smash just now would ham
per the reclamation service like the
mischief; the entire works shut down;
no cement, no lumber, no power;
everything tied up in the courts until
the last creditor quits taking appeals
| oh, no, Brouillard; you don't want to
see the end of the world come before
it's due"
It was the consulting engineer OF
the power company rather than the
reclamation service chief who rose
and went to the window to look down
upon tho morning briskness OF Chi
gringo avenue. And it was the man
who saw one hundred thousand dol
lars, the price Of freedom, slipping
away from him who turned after
minute or two of the absent street gaz
ing and said: What do you want me
to do, Mr.. Cortwright? did put my
shoulder to the wheel when Ford wat
here. | told him II we're In his place
I'd take the long chance and build the
extension"
Did you-and before you had
stake in the game? That was white
mans boost. right! Think you could
manage to get Ford on the wire and
encourage him a little more?"
1T isn't Ford; it is the New York
bankers. You can read that between
the lines In your man Ackerman's tele
gram"
The stock gentleman in the pivo
chair thrust out, his jaw and tilted his
freshly-lighted cigar to the aggressive
angle.
Say, Brouillard, we've got to throw
fresh piece of bait into the cage
something that will make the railroad
crowd sit up and take notice. BY
George, IL those gold hunters up or
Jacks mountain would only stumble
across something big enough to adver
tise-"
Brouillard started as il the wishfu
magic had been a blow. Like a no
wave from a furnace mouth 1t swep
over him-the sudden realization tina
the means, the one all-powerful, earth
moving lever the promoter was 81
anxiously seeking, lay in his hands
THE Buckskin people, yes, he said
making talk as the rifieman digs pi
to hold his own on the firing line. IL
they should happen to uncover a golt
reef Just now 1t would simplify mat
ters immensely for Mirapolis, wouldn'
il? The railroad would come on, then
without a shadow Of doubt. All th'
bankers in New York couldn't hold l
back"
Nou corno Mr. Cnrt wripht's turn Il