The Green Forest tribune., 1916-03-03

1AOHo III AeSlIdiHI or everything! w NOW! |! HoWle! That was the hot one! The A.-P. was the main stem, and within thirteen seconds of the appearance on the streets of the tremendous extra, every other fragile branchlet of rail road not under the immediate protec- ton ot the A.-P, was reduced to a shrlVel, and it's stocks began to drop With the sickening plunge of an un- opened parachute!
 Gail Sargent kept Nanette on the rush for extras from the first yell on the streets, and she read every word, including the underlines on the miscel- laneous portraits of Allison and the funny pi-lines which invariably oc- cured in the middle of the most inter- esting sentences.
 It was true, all true. Here was the first step in Allison's tremendous prof. ect an accomplished fact. The rest of 1t would be gradually revealed, from day to day, as suited his needs, and the empire he had planned would spread, until it's circle touched, and cferiapped and broke into an intricate webbing, over all the land and water of the earth! And she was to be the empressi
 Was she? Through all the night she had battled that question, and the bat tie had left traces of darkness around her luminous eyes.
 Late in the afternoon Jim Sargent looro 1r-o, holloN.- under his eyes. He had vio- 1 lent headache, and he looked ten years older. He walked slowly into the li- brary where Mrs. Sargent and Mrs. Davies and Gail were discussing the future of Vedder court, and dropped into chair.
 Grace Sargent rang a bell instantly. When Jim felt that way, he needed hot drink first of all
 What is the natter" she asked him, the creases of worry flashing into her brow
 Its been hard day." he explained, forcing himself, with an effort, to an swer. Years of persistent experience had taught him to follow the line .ki is.,;5, ,2 G sEsz1 nee ..ssh gre S. panic on change. Railroads are going to smash all up and down the line. AL l lison's new A.-P road. It's the star piracy of the century. Allison has brought into the railroad game the same rough-shod methods he used in his traction manipulations"
 Has your company been hurt, Jim?" asked his wife, fully prepared for the worst, and making up her mind to bear up bravely under it.
 Not yet" replied Sargent and he passed his hand over his brow. He was already making a tremendous eff. fort to brace himself for tomorrow's 1 ordeal. "I escaped today by an acci- dent. By some mistake the Towando Valley was mentioned as belonging to the new A.-P. combination. Of course didn't correct it, but tomorrow they'n know"
 MT. Allison was responsible for thar statement" Gail serenely informed her uncle He promised he'd take care of you"
 Great guns!" exploded her uncle. What did you know about this thing?"
 All of it," smiled Gail. She had known that Allison would keep his word, but it gave her strange sense of relief that he had done so.
 Her Aunt Helen turned to her with commanding eye; but Gail merely dimpled.
 Of course I couldn't say anything" went on Gail. Tt was all in confi- dence. Isn't it glorious, Uncle Jim!"
 You wouldn't have thought so if you'd been down town today" respond ed her uncle, trying again to erase l from his brow the damage which had been done to his nerves. They wanted to mob Allison! He has cut the ground from under the entire railroad business of the United States! Their stocks have defiated an aggregate Of billions of dollars. and the slump is permanent! He has bankrupted host of men, rifed the pockets of million poor investors; he has demoralized the entire transportation commerce of the United States; and he gave no one the show of rat in trap!"
 Isn't that business?" asked Gail, the red spots beginning to come into her cheeks.
 Not quite!" snapped her Uncle Jim. Fiction has made that the universal idea, but there are decent men in busi- ness. The majority of them are, even in railroading Most roads are organ ized and conducted for the sole pur- pose of carrying freight and passen- gers at a profit for the stockholders and spectacular stock jobbing deals are the exception rather than the | rule"
 Has MT. Allison been more unfair than others who have made big con- solidations?" demanded Gail, again aware of the severely inquiring eye of Aunt Helen.
 "Rotten!" replied her uncle, with an emphasis in which there was much of personal feeling. He has taken tricky advantage of every unprotected loop