The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1916-02-10

Just III Time 10 see lin German uIiN-
ing around the corner in his liveried
landau. He found in President Ur-
bank Of the Midcontinent. a spare man
who had worn three vertical creases
in his brow over one thwarted ambi-
ton. His rich but sprawling railroad
system ran fairly straight after 1t was
well started for Chicago, and fairly
straight from that way point until 1t
became drunken with the monotony of
the western foothills, where 1t gangled
and angled its way to the far south
and around up the Pacific coast, arriv-
ing there dusty and rafting, after a
thousand-mile detour from its course
but that road had no direct entrance
into New York city. 1t approached
from the north, and was compelled to
circle completely around, over hired
tracks, to gain a ~ferryboat entrance.
Passengers Injured to coming In over
the Midcontinent, which was a we'll
equipped road otherwise. counted but
half their journey done when they
came in sight of New York, no mat.
ter from what distance they had come.
"Out marketing for railroads today,
Gif?" suggested Allison.
II don't know" smiled Urbank. Il
might look at a few"
Here they are" and Allison tossed
him a memorandum slip.
Urbank glanced at the slip, then
he looked up at Allison in perplexity.
He had a funny forward angle to his
! neck when he was interested, and the
| creases In his brow were deepened un-
til they looked like cuts.
Il thought you were joking, and I'm
still charitable enough to think so,
What's all this junk9"
Little remnants and Job lots of
| railroads I've been picking up," and
Allison drew forward his chair. Some
l bought outright, and In some / hold
control"
eff you're serious about interesting
the Midcontinent in any of this prop
erty, we don't need to waste much
time" Urbank leaned back and held
his knee. There are only two of
these roads approach the Midconti.
nent system at any point, and they
are useless property so far as we are
concerned; the l.. and c., in the East,
and the s~ilverknob and Nugget City,
in the west. which touches our White
Range branch at Its southern termi.
nus. We couldn't do anything with
those"
You landed on the best ones riSht
away" smiled Allison. However. I
don't propose to sell these to the Mid.
continent. l propose to absorb the
M~idcontinent with them"
.Urbank suddenly remembered ALI.
sons traction history, and leaned tre.
ward to look at the Job lots and rem.
nants again.
This list isn't complete" he Judged,
and turned to Allison with q serious
question in his eye.
Almost" and Allison hitched t,
little closer to the desk. There rc.
mains an aggregate OF three hundred
and twenty miles Of road to be built
In four short stretches. In addition to
this, ! have a twenty-year contract
over a hundred-mile stretch of the In.
land Pacific, a track right entry into
San Francisco, and this" he Displayed
to Urbank a preliminary COPY of an
ordinance, authorizing the Immediate
building OF an eight-track tube through
Crescent island to the mainland. "Pos.
sibly you can understand this whole
project better II l show you a man"
and he spread out his little pocket
sketch.
II 1t had been possible to reverse
the process of time and worry and
wearing concentration, President Ur.
bank OF the Midcontinent would have
risen from his inspection q that
map with a brow as smooth n q
baby's. Instead. his lips went dry
as he craned forward his neck at
that funny angie, and projected his
chin with the foolish motion of q
goose.
"A direct entrance right slam into
the center of New York;" he ex.
claimed. cracking oil his knuckles VIC.
lently one by one. :.vedder court!
Where's that?"
That's the best part Of the Joke
exulted Allison. with no thought that
Vedder court was. at this present mo-
ment, church property. ITS Just
where you said-right slam In the cen.
ter Of New York: and the building
into which the Midcontinent will. run
Its trains will be also the terminal
building Of every municipal transpor.
tation line In Manhattan From my
station platforms passengers from
I Chicago or the far West will step di.
rectly into subway, L., or trolley.
When they conc in over the line
which Is now the Nideortinant, they
Will be landed. not across the
river. or in some side strsst, but
right at their own doors. scattering
from the Midcontinsnt terminal over
a hundred tracties i;nssi. His voice,
which had begun In the MN banter Of
q man passing N tdls joke, had rissa
to . ring % tipDrAant that he W.
almost shouting.
"But-but-waig : minute!" UylRnl
protested. Ne ~ Nstt1rtas. -V1Aes