Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1916-06-15

bank OF the Salmon river press
ed through to the upper valley. Here
they recrossed to the west side and
completed their survey, with the cx-
ception of the three mile gap which
Dan Appleton held.
Gordon continued to smart under the
sting of his defeat. however. O'Neil
had got the better Of him in argument,
and Natalie's simplicity had proved
more than Il match for his powers of
persuasion. At no time had he serious
~ considered making Mrs. Gerard his
wife, but he had thought to entice the
two women back under his own roof in
order to humble both them and their
self appointed protector. lie felt sure
that Natalie's return to Hope and her
residence there would injurc her Sc
riously i'll the eyes of the community,
and this would be Il stab to O'Ncil. Al
though he had failed for the
he did not abandon the idea.
Gordon'S business career had con
sisted Of a series of brilliant manipu-
lations whereby. with little to go p
he had forced financial recognition for
himself. No II knew better than he
the unstable foundation beneath his
Alaskan enterprises, yet more than
once he had turned as desperate ven
lures into the scmblance of success.
by his present operations he sought
not only to hamper O'Neil. but to ere
ate an appearance of opposition to
both him and the trust hat could be
coined into dollars and cents. There
are in the commercial world money
wolves who prey upon the weak and
depend upon the spirit of compromise
in their adversaries. Gordon was one
of these.
BY purchasing for Il song the McDer-
himself i'll position to share in the
benefits Of the Heidlcmann breakwa-
ter, and by rapidly pushing his tracks
ahead he made his rivalry seem for
midablc. AS Il means of attack upon
O'Ncil he adopted Il procedure common
original survey so that it crossed that
of the S. r. and n. midway between
the lower bridge over the Salmon river
ana the glaciers and at that point be-
gan the haSty erection of q grade.
1t was at the cost of no little incon-
venicnce that he rushed forward q
large body Of MOI and supplies and
began TO lay track acros the S. r. and
\. right of way. Ii Appleton could
hold Il hillside, he reasoned, he himself
could hold a crossing, if not perma-
ncntly at least for a sufficient length Of
time to serve his purpose. His action
came as Il ~disagrceable surprise to
Omar. These battles for crossings
have been ommon in the history Of
r~ailroading, and they have not infrc-
quently resulted in sanguinary ARRAYS.
Toward Gordon's stronghold Murray
O'Neils men worked, laying his road
bed as straight as an arrow. and as
the intervening distance decreased
anxiety and speculation at Omar in
creased.
Among those who hung upon the ru-
mors of the approaching clash with
greatest interest was Eliza Appleton.
Since Dams departure for the front she
had done her modest best to act the
part he had forced upon her, and in
furtherance of their conspiracy she had
urged O'Neil to fulfill his promise of
taking her owe the work.
She was greatly excited when O'Neil
announced one evening:
"I'm ready to make that trip to the
front if you are. l have business at
Kyak, so after we've seen the glaciers
we will go down there. and you can
take in the coal fields"
"I'm ready to leave at q moments
notice"
Then perhaps you'd better help
Natalie"
"Natalie!" exclaimed Eliza, seeing all
her we'll laid plans lettering. "Is she
goingw
"Oh, yes. It's an opportunity she
shouldn't miss, and l thought it would
be pleasanter for you if she went with
49,"