The states-graphic. (Brownsville, Tenn.) 1???-1984, 1916-10-27

/ trary, they continue to dribble away,
a few every day. And, though they
appear to do nothing but talk their
time away in the saloons in the lower
end of the town, they seem to have
just MS much money to spend as they
did when they were getting their time
checks from us
what sort Of talking'" steve want
ed to know.
"Thats just it," Elliott exclaimed.
'sTheir talk leads nowhere. | went
down and attempted to find out what
their grievance might be, but they
close up like CLAIMS whenever ! come
within earshot They stare ct the cell
Ing, rub their chins and laugh when
there's nothing to laugh at This morn
ing, however, finally convinced Nc
Lean that something was radically
! wrong SO he took one OF them who
had just decided to quit and pinned
him up against the mountaineering
you know Mclean and his metnods-.'.
he showed his jaw up within an inch
OF the others nose and invited him to
talk, and-well, he found out enough
to make him begin to worry too.
Somebody's been talking to them, Mr.,
OAlara Somebody has put the fool
notion into their heads that this strip
Of railroad will mean the end of all
lumber operations in this Countrywide
old time river drives, of course. And
some of them are beginning to believe,
whoever was responsible for that state.
ment.
"You know and ! know how absurd
it IS. We know that this road viii.
mean work for every riverman in this
section, as often as he wants to work.
But it isn't going to help us any If they
can't see it that way. 1t isn't going
to replace the men who quit. I've been
celebrating one point Don't you sup
pose we might import regular squad
Of construction men now, before it's
too late?"
"Its too late now" Steve told him,
his words none the less final for all
that they were absently quiet. ut
was too late the day we began opera
lions, And yesterday at this time |,
wouldn't have given much worry~fj
this particular brand Of trouble
They're an odd lot. They're the hard.
est working, hardest living crowd Of
big men that ever failed entirely to
grow up. But since yesterday--since
yesterday did you say, was re-
sponsible for that statement, as yor
call it"
IL didn't say. And if I-if l had
TO guess The hand passed across
his eyes now. "O'Mara, do you know
how deeply Mr.. Ainnesley and myself
are involved in this prospect?"
I don't believe have ever given it
much actual thought" Steve replied.
Il never viewed it as any of my af-
fair. But | haven't forgotten the last
time we talked the plans over, that
you couldn't go into it to lose"
"Of course" Elliott answered quick
ly. "Of course-of coursew He seem
ed cropping for fresh beginning, then
gave up suddenly all attempt at cir
Guilty and blurted 1t out much as
though he had lived with the thought
too long to endure it longer alone.
I'm In up to my last dollar" he
stated. "And Ainnesley-why, Ain
nesley wouldn't have roof over his
head If we failed in our obligationsl
You must know as well as | do why
the banking interests took our paper
to those amounts which made it posi-
BILE for us to drive the first spike"
When he failed to go on Steve under
stood that the last sentence had been
a question.
"Mr. Allison, | suppose. His voice
became utterly impersonal. without
doubt you mean Mr.. Allison
"They would have laughed at u.s.
the older man came back instantly.
"And, what is more, they did! They
wouldn't touch the proposition until
Allison came in with us. And then
but you know what Dexter Allison has
done already in this country. don't
know what he started with. | do
know that all that Ainnesley and
had scraped up between us looked like
shoestring to him.
1--WE couldn't move until he, of his
own accord, expressed his enthusiasm
for the plan and asked for share III
the holdings. You know perhaps how
he can laugh too. Well, he laughed
that way and confessed that we had
just beaten him to It. He said 1t would
tap gold mine this strip of steel
as he called it. He even told us that
he'd parallel our road with COM
petitor, jokinaly to be sure, If we
hadn't tied up the only available and
practicable right of way.
HE came in. He opened up, merely
through his own name and all there is
behind 1t, loan possibilities for which
We might have struggled uselessly the
rest of our lives without his help. Be
tween us Mr.. Ainnesley and ! just man /
aged to hold the balance of stock con
troll and-and that's how deep we are
in, Mr.. O'NIara."
Both men sat and smoked, each
avoiding deliberately the others eyes.
After a long pause Elliott cleared his
throat laboriously.
'"This morning." he continued slow
ly-"this morning l am In receipt Of a
communication from. Mr.. Ainnesley