Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-06-19

There were dozen business blocks
under construction In Mirapolis, with
" proportional number of dwellings
and suburban villas at various stages
in the race toward completion, when
It began to dawn upon the collective
CONSEQUENCES OF q daily increasing
citizenry that something was missing.
Garner, the real estate plunger from
Kansas City, first gave the missing
quantity its name. Tho distant thun.
der Of the blasts heralding the ap
proach Of the railroad had ceased be.
tween two days.
Up to the period Of the silenced dy.
Mantle thunderings new industries
were projected daily. and investors.
tolled In over the high mountain trails
or across the Buckskin in dust-en'
crusted automobiles BY methods best
known to . gray.mustached adept in
the art Of promotion, thronged the
lobby OF the Hotel Metropole and
bought and sold Mirspous corners
or "insides" on . stesdily.ascending
scale OF prices.
A strange mania for holding on, for
permanency. seemed TO have become
epidemic. Many Of the working men
were securing homes on the install.
ment plan. A good few Of tho villas
could boast parouetry floors and tiled
bathrooms. One coterie Of Chicagoans
decided to build q six.storied once
building. with . ground door corner
for the Niquoie National bank with
modern conveniences and that the
chosen building material should be Of
nothing less permanent than mono.
2ithic concrete.
In harmony with the same spirit the
newly incorporated Buckskin Gold
Mining and Milling company plowed
deep burrows to bedrock across and
back until the face Of Jacks mountain
was xigzagged and SCARED like . vet
eran Of many battles.
In keeping was the energy with
which Mr.. Cartwright and his munich.
pal colleagues laid water mains, strung
electric wires. drove the paving con-
tractors. and pushed the trolley line to
the stage at which It lacked only tho
rails and the cars awaiting shipment
BY the railroad.
This was the situation on tho day
whom Garner, sharp cared listener at
the keyholo Of opportunity, missing
the dynamite rumblings, sent . cipher
wire Of inquiry to the East, got .
rush" reply, and began warily to un.
load his Mirapolitan holdings. Being
Z man Of business, he ducked to cover
first and talked afterward; but BY the
time his hint had grown to rumor size
Mr.. Cartwright had sent for Brouil-
lard.
"Pull up Q chair and have . cigar,"
said the great man when Brouillard
had penetrated to the nsrve-center Of
the Mirapolitan activities IN the Metro
pole suite and the two stenogrsphers
had been CURLY dismissed. Have
you heard the talk Of the street, There
IL rumor that the railroad grading
has been stopped"
BrouiNard. 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 q
delayed shipment Of dynamite" was
his rejoinder.
1T looks bad-devilish bad" Tho
promoter was planted heavily in his
pivot chair, and the sandy-gray eyes
dwindled to pin points. I'VE are up
against It. that's all. Read that" and
the promoter handed q telegram
across the desk.
The wire was from Chicago. was
signed Alderman" and was still
damp from the receiving operators
copying press. It read:
Work on P. S.W.'s Buckskin ex-
tension has been suspended for the
present. Reason assigned, shrinkage
In securities and uncertainty of bust.
ness outlook In Niquoia."
Mr.. Cortwright's frown figured a. .
fieshly mask Of irritability. Let It
once get out that the railroad people
don't believe in the future Of Mirapo-
liz and we're DONE"
Brouillard's retort was the express
sion Of an uphash Of sanity.
-biirapolis has no future; It has
only an exceedingly precarious pres.
emit"
For . moment the sandy-gray eyes
became inscrutable. Then the mask
Of irritation slid aside, revealing the
lace which Mr.. J. Wesley Cartwright
ordinarily presented to his world
The face OF imperturbable good nature.
You're right. Brouillard; Mirapolis
Is only q good joke, after all. Some