The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1916-04-27

lows to win out is to hurry-finish
your dam and finish it quick, before
congress or anybody else can get ac-
ton"
For single instant Brouillard was
puzzled. Then he began to under
stand.
Go on" he said.
What l was going to suggest is
this: You prod your people at Wash
ington with hot wire; tell 'em now's
the time to strike and strike hard.
They'll see the point. and if you ask
for an increase OF a thousand men
youth get it. Make it two thousand.
just for the dramatic effect Wen
work right along with you and make
things hum again. Wen start up the
cement plant. and l don't know but
what we might give the Buckskin NJ. &
Nj. folks a small hypodermic that would
keep 'em alive while we are taking a
few snapshot pictures OF NIirapolis
on the jump again"
Let me get it straight" said Brouil-
lard, putting his back against the door.
You fully believe you've got us down;
that eventually. and before the water
is turned on, congress viii pass a bill
killing the Niquoia project. But in the
meantime, to make things lively, you'd
like to have the reclamation service go
ahead and spend another million or so
in wages that can be turned loose in
Mirapolis. Is that it?"
You've surrounded it very neatly"
laughed the promoter. Once, some
little time ago, | might have felt the
necessity of convincing your scruples,
but you've cut away all that foolish
ness. It's a hJtle tough on our good
old Uncle Samuel. I'll admit, but it'll
be only pin-prick or so in comparison
to the money that is thrown away
every time congress passes an appro-
piration bill And. putting il upon the
dead practical basis, Brouillard. it's
your own and only salvation-person-
ally. mean. You've got 10 unload or
go broke, and you can't unload on a
falling market. You think about it and
then get quick action with the wire.
There is no time 10 lose"
Brouillard was looking past Cort-
window which commanded a view of
the great dam and its network of forms
and stagings
1T is a gamblers bet and a rather
desperate one" he said slowly. you
stand to win all or TO lose all in max
ing it, Mr.. Cartwright. The town is
balancing on the knife-edge of a panic
at this moment. Would it go up, or
down, with a sudden resumption Of
work on the DAMP"
The careless thinker would say
that il would yell 'Flre' and go up in
TO the air so far that it could never
climb down." was the prompt reply.
But Wen have the medicine dropper
handy. In the first place. everybody
can afford to stay and boost while
Uncle Sam is spending his million or
so right here in the middle OF things.
Nobody will want 10 pull out and leave
that cow unmilked. In the second
place, we've got a mighty good anti.
dote to use in any sure-enough case
of hydrophobia your quick dam build
ing may start"
You could let It leak out that. in
spite or all the hurrah and rush on
the dam, congress is really going to in
terfere before we are ready to turn
the water on" said Brouillard musing
ly and as If It were only his thought
slipping into unconscious speech.
Precisely. We could make that prom
hold il you were actually putting the
top course on your wall and making
preparations to drop the stop-gate in
your spillway."
Il see" was the rejoinder, and It
was made in the same halfabsent
monotone. But while we are still on
the knife-blade edge little
pueh Mr.. Cartwright, II there
were one solitary righteous man left
In Mirapolis-"
There isn't" chuckled the promoter.
turning back to his desk while the en-
gineer was cropping for the door knob
AT least. nobody with that particu-
lar brand of righteousness backed by
the needful inside information. You
go ahead and do your part and wen
do the rest"