Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1916-06-28

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there was rarely anything beyond the
shotlike sentence: Drive it. men
drive it; that's what you're here for
| drive it,"
The time he took to eat his hurried
meals at 9ongras' could be measured
in minutes. and what hours he gave
to sleep no man knew. since he was
the last to leave the headquarters at
night and the first on the work in the
morning. Twice, after the renewed
activities on the great wall had be
! come a well-ordered race against time,
and the concrete was pouring into the
high forms in steady streams from the
ranked batteries OF mixers, Mr.. Cort-
wright had sent for Brouillard. and on
each occasion the messenger had gone
back with the brief word; Too busy
during working hours" And when a
third messenger came 70 inquire what
Mr.. Brouillard's working hours were,
the equally blunt answer returned was:
All the time"
In the face of such discouragements
Mr. Cartwright was constrained to
pocket his dignity as mayor, as the
potentate of the exchanges. and as
the unquestionable master of the surly
young industry captain who refused
to come when he was called. and to go
in person. Choosing the evening hour
when he had been assured that he was
likely to find Brouillard alone and at
work, he crossed the boundaries OF the
sacred reservation and made his way
to the door of the log-built mapping
room.
81 came around to see what is eating
you these days" was the pudgy
tyraut's greeting for the young man
sitting under the shaded desk lamp.
why don't you drop in once in
while and give me the run Of things?'
4 gave your clerk the reas6ii' eau
BrouiTlard laconicaIly. 'TT too busy.
The devil you are!" snapped the
great man, finding the only armchair
in the room and dropping heavily into
it. Since when?"
Since the first time you sent for
me-and before"
Mr.. Cartwright recovered his work
ing geniallty only with a palpable eff
fort.
See here. Brouillard you know you
never make any money by being short
with me- Let's drop it and get down
to business What / wanted to say is
that you are OVERRIDING it: you are put
ting on too much steam. You've
brought the boom. all right, but at
the pace you're setting It won't last
long enough Are you catching onY'
I'm listening" was the noncommit-
tai reply.
Well, enough's enough, and too
much Of a good thing scalds the hog
before you're ready to dress it and cut
it up. It's all right for you t., run men
in hers by the trainload an! scatter
EN- out over your scaffolding-the
more the merrier and it's good for the
town-but you needn't sweat the last
shovelfuI of hurry out OF them the way
you're doing It won't do to get your
job finished too soon"
Before congress convenes. you
mean" suggested Brouillard.
That's Just what l mean. String it
out Make II last"
Brouillard sat back in his pivot chair
and began to play with the paper
knife.
And IL don't choose to string It
out'-if even confess that I am strain
ing every nerve to do this thing that
YOU don't want me to do what then.
Mr. Cartwright"
The quiet retort jolted the stocky
man In the armchair as il It had been
a blow. But he recovered quickly.
I've been looking for that" he said
with a nervous twinkllng OF the little
gray eyes. You've no business being
out Of business. Brouillard. II you'd
quit pudding sand ana cement and lit
tie rocks together and strike your gait
right in ten years you'd be the richest
man this side OF the mountains III
be open-handed with YOU This time
you've got us where we can't wiggle
We've got to have more time. How
much is 1t going to cost us?"
Brouillard shook his head slowly.
odd as 1t may seem TO you. I'm out
Of your market this time. Mr.. Cort
wright-quite out OF it."
"Oh. no. you're not You've goi
property to sell--a good bit of II. we
can turn it for you at a figure that
will"
No; you are mistaken" was the
quick reply. Il have 40 property in
Mirapolis. am merely a squatter OF
government land. like everyone else
In the Niquoia valley"
For heavens sake'" the promoter
burst out What's got into you
Don't you go around trying to stanc
that corpse on its feet it's dead one
tell you! The Coronida titles are al
right"
There are no Coronida titles. Yot
have known ii all along. and know Il
now. have it straight from the bu
reau Of land statistics, in a letter from
man who knows. The neares
boundary Of the old Spanish grant Il
I.atigo peak. ten miles south of Chi
eringo. The department knows thi;
and is prepared to prove it. And IL
the very beginning you and your asso
ciates were warned that you could no
acquire homestead or other rights /.
the Niquoia."
Let it go!" snapped the gray-eyeC
king OF the pack. We've got TO ge
out alive and we're going to get GU
alive. What's your priCe?"