The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-10-16
CHAPTER I.
A Coward

The windows of the division
headquarters of the Pacific South
western at Copah look northward
to the Uintah hills. The prospect
Is crude and harshly aggressive;
and to Lidgerwood, glooming
through the panes, 1t was pecu-
liarly depressing.
mo, Ford. l am not the man
you are looking for" he said. ut
isn't in me to flog the Red Butte
Western into well-behaved divi-
sion of the p. S.-W."
Mr.. Stuart Ford, first vice pres
ident of the Pacific Southwestern
system, locked his hands over one
knee and spoke as q man and a
comrade.
Let me tell you, Howard
you've no idea what savage
fight we've had in New York, alb
sorbing these demoralized 800
miles. Even President Brewster
lost his nerve. He asserted that
the execctive didn't live who could
bring order out of the chaos into
which bad management and a
tough environment had plunged
the Red Butte Western. That's
where | had him bested, Howard.
All through l kept saying to my
self that ] knew the man"
But you don't know him,
Stuart; that is the weak link in
the chain. Stuart. there is a yell
low streak in me that you seem
never to have discovered. | am
a coward. This is the fourth time
l have had to refuse a good offer
that carried with it the fighting
chance"
The vice president was still a
young man and he was confront
ing a problem that annoyed him.
He had been calling himself, and
not without reason, a fair judge
of men. Yet here was man whom
he had known intimately from
boyhood, who was but just now
revealing a totally unsupported
quality.
How do you know you
wouldn't buck up when the real
pinch comes?" he demanded.
Because the pinch came once
and | didn't buck up. 1t cost
me the love Of the one woman in
the world. 1t was in the Montana
mountains. l was escorting her
and her mother from the railroad
terminus to the summer camp in
the hills. We had to drive 40
miles in a stage, and there were
six of us-the two women and
-four men. Well, we had our hold
up-one lone, crippled desperate.
The other three men were not
armed. was, and Miss Ell,
the young woman knew it. l
stood there like a frozen image,
and let that crippled cow-rustler
rob those two women-take the
rings from their fingers."
Howard" answered the vice
president, I'm telling you it will
require a higher brand of courage
to go over to Angels and man
handle the Red Butte Western
as division of the p. S.-W. than
it would to face dozen high
waymen."
Lidgerwood left his chair and
began to pace the narrow limits
of the private office. you mean
you are still giving me the chance
to make good over yonder in the
Red Desert-after what l have
told your"
Il do. You've got to CO."
Lidgerwood took time to re-
fleet, tramping the floor. In the
lend he yielded, as the vice presi-
dents subjects commonly did.
"I'll go, if you still insist upon
it," was the slowly spoken deci-
sion.
A little silence supervened
Then Ford plunged into detail.
"Of course, you know that you
will have a free hand. With one
exception, your authority will be
absolute; you will hire and dis
charge as you see fit, and there
will be no appeal from your deci-
sion. Gridley, the master me.
chanic, will be nominally under
your orders, but if it should come
to blows between you, you
couldn't fire him. It's a family
affair. He is a widower, and hi