Middletown transcript., 1916-01-22

/
heard"
Gail looked at him in questioning
perplexity. She could not gather what
he meant, but she had a sense of some
thing big, and once more she was inn
pressed with the tremendous reserve
force in the man. His clear gray eyes
were fixed on the road ahead. and the
very symbol of him seemed to be this
driving; top speed, a long road.
steady hand, a cool determination, a
sublime disregard of hills and valleys
which made them all level road.
why? That word set me out on a
new principle that never, while ! had
strength in me, would l consider my
work finished, no matter how great an
achievement had made. l am still at
work"
Something within her leaped up in
answer to the thrill of exultation in his
voice. To have been the inspiration of
great deeds, even by so simple an
agency as the accidental use of a
word, was in itself an exalting thing.
though an humbling one. too. And
there were great deeds. She was sure
of that as she looked at him.
When / was a boy lived on an
cient history" he went on, with a
smile for the bygone dreamer he had
been. Il wanted to be a soldier, a
great general, a warrior, in the sturdy
old sense, and my one hero was Alex
ander the Great, because he conquered
the world! That's what l wanted to
do. When 1 grew older, and found
how small was the world which Alex.
ander had conquered, not much bigger
than the original thirteen states, |
grew rather disillusiOned, particularly
as was working at about that time
for a dollar and a quarter day. |
spent a few busy years, and had for
gotten the dream; then you said why
and it all came back"
Hurry" commanded Gail "Curi
osity is bad for me"
Let me build it up. step by step,
for you. Incidentally, I'll give you some
confidential news which you will be
reading in months to come. 1 hope
and he laughed, that you will not tell
your friends the reporters about it"
Gross my heart. 1 won't" she gayly
replied. The sting of her one bis
newspaper experience had begun tc
die away.
when you asked me why, / was
81 noo,,ro U05lor f0r
terminal station for my city traction
lines. Vedder court quickly became
in my imagination, the terminal poin
not only of the city traction lines, bu
of the worlds transportation. From
that l would run railroad tube to tht
mainland, so that could land passen
gers, not only in the heart of New
York, but at the platforms of ever
street car and L and subway train"
How wonderful" exclaimed Gail
in enthusiasm. This was an idea she
could grasp. And have you secure'
Vedder court?"
It's matter of days." he returned
carelessly. THE next step was tht
II 4lAlC" ~OGAAS ~ AP
piece by piece, and today, under my
own personal control, with suffcieni
stock to elect my own directors, who
will jump when l crack the whip, }
possess a railroad line from the Allan
tic to the Pacific so direct, so straight
and SO allied with ninety-flve per cent
of the freight interests of the United
States that, within two years, there
will not be a car wheel turning in
America which does not do so at the
command of the A-P. railroad. That
is the first step leading out of VeddeI
court The news of that consolidation
will be in tomorrow mornings papers
and from that minute on, the water
will begin to drip from railroad
stocks"
How about Uncle Jim's road?" Gail
suddenly interrupted.
Il am taking care of him." he told
her easily. From Vedder court run
subways along the docks"
Il see!" interrupted Gail. You
have secured control of the steamship
companies, of the foreign railroads, OF
everything which hauls and earliest"
"Airships excepted" he laughingly
informed her.
She was silent now, and he left her
silent, brooding, himself, upon the vast
scope of his dreaming, and planning
still to center more and more the
fruits of that dreaming within his own
eager hand.
Roseleaf inn. Gail recognized it with
a smile as they turned in at the drive.
She was glad that they had come here,
for it was linked in her mind with the
beginnings of that great project of
which she had been the impulse, and
in which the thing in her that had
been denied opportunity because she
was woman, claimed hungry share.
At his suggestion-it was more like
command, but she scarcely noticed
she telephoned that she was going to
remain to dinner with Allison; and
then they enjoyed two-hour chat of
many things, trivial in themselves, but
fraught now with delightful meaning.
because they had to think on so many
unexpressed things, larger than these
idle people about them could conceive,
or grasp if they knew.
CTO BE CONTINUED3
To Remove Brown Stains.