The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-08
econtinued.4

InQee0t HOW Sog l, My route is the better. By a rieid economy of expenditure, by careful supervision of detail, I can effect tre- mendous saving over thesr initial cost hope to convince them of the fact and thus induce them to withdraw from the field or take over my road at "a reasonable figure Negotiations are : under way-y
 Gordon O,Neil srefrained from smiling with dld1cnlty. He felt certain that the mans entire operations were as unsound as his statement that he could bring the trust to terms Yet Gordon seemed thoroughly in earnest, Hither he expected to fool his present nearer or else he had become hypnotized by the spell of his own ma agnff7cent twad- E11e-0.NeH could not tell which.
 Who laid out your right of way P Hhe asked with some interest
 "A very able young engineer, Dan Appleton. An excellent man, but-7ll reliable in certain things. had to let him goy this very afternoon, in fact, for Standardization. But discharged him more for the sake Of discipline than anything else. He'll be anxious to re turn in few days. Now tell me-
 
 stare which failed to mask his gnaw- ing curiosity stwhat brings you to King Philip sound9 Are we t0 be rivals in the railroad heid91
 No. There are enough projects of that sort in the neighborhoou for the present.a
 rive al told. but only one destinedl t0 succeed. :,
 s.rm bound for the Kyak coal fields to perfect and amend my surveys un- der the new ruling
 eAhl I've heard about that ruling" Heard about it 2's exclaimed O'Nefl Good Lord! Haven't you compiled with ftT'
 Not yet.
 '.You surely intend to do so2''
 seOh, yes; suppose so-
 sf you don't you'll lose'' m not sure we can ever win"
 s.Nonsenser'
 more good money into those coal claims,2 said Gordon. seThis ruling will doubtless be reversed as the oth- CTS have been. One never knows what the land office policy will be two days at tfme.a
 You know your own business" O'Neil remarked after pause sbut unless you have insfde information or a bigger pull in Washington than the rest of us I'd advise you to get busy I'll 4belon my way to Kyak in the morn ing with gang of men. 2 Gordon's at titude puzzled him, for he could not bring bimsef to believe that such in- difference was genuine.
 It was difficult to escape from the hospitality of Hope, and O'NeiI sue
 
 ment with Natalie and her mother They let him go at last only upon his promise to return on his way back from the coal fields, and they insisted upon accompanying him down to the dock, whither Gordon had preceded them in order to have his mot6rboat in readiness.
 An ii o'clock twilight enveloped Cortez when O'NeiI and Slater land ed, but the town was awake The re- cent railway and mining activity in the neigllborhood had brought a con siderable influx of people to King Phillip sound, and the strains of mu- sic from dance hall doors, the click of checks and roulette balls from the sa- looms, gave evidence of an unusual prosperity.
 O'Eef1 had no difficulty in securing men. Once he was recognized, the scenes at Hope were re-enacted, and there WAS a general scramble to enlist upon his payroll. Within an hour, therefore, his arrangements were made, and he and Tom repaired ito Cal1ahanss hotel for a few hours sleep. A stud game was going on in the barroom when they entered, and O'Nei1 paused to watch it while Slater spoke to one of the players. a clean cut, blond youth Of whimsical countenance. When the two friends finally faced the bar for their "nighteap, Tom ex- planed
 That's Appleton. the fellow Gordon fired today. I told him I'd left the old man fat.''
 .sIs hesa friend of yours?'' !
 'ssure. Nice boy; good engineer too" ssUmph. That game is crooked. z $ "No?" Happy Tom displayed a flash of interest
 '.7as; Cortez is fast becoming a metropolis, see. The man in the derby hat is performing a little feat that once cost me $4,O0o to learn"
 :sTd better split Dan away said Tom hastily.
 Watt Education is good thing, even if it is expensive at times. I fancy your friend is bright enough to take care of himself Let's wait a bit.s'
 ..Ainlt that just my blamed Iuck?'' Iamented Slater Now, if they were playing fare I could make . killing