The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-28
cHAPrER xxi.
erdon Loaes His Mind.

CfTAP E. n /NNt' es
 Gordon Loses His Mind. 0 NE evening as Captain Johnny vE M Brennan stood on the dock su- iW perintending the final loading of a cargo for the s. R. and N. he was accosted by a tall nerv- ous man with shifting eyes and twitching lips It was hard to recog- nize in this pitiable shaken creature the once resplendent Gordon, who had bent the whole northland to his ends. Some tantalizing demons inside the mans frame were jerking at his sin eWs. Fear was in his rowing glance. He stammered. He plucked at the lit tie captains sleeve like a frightened woman. The open hearted Irishman was toucheds
 Yes said Johnny after listening for a time, 1sI'll take you with me, and they won't catch you either"
 Gordon chattered: 'eI'n pay you well, handsomely. I'm a rich man. I have interests that demand attention, so ae- cept this money. Please! Keep it all,
 my good fellow"
 Brennan stared. at the bundle Gordon had thrust into his hand, then regard ed the speaker curiously.
 Man, dear" he said, "this isn't money. These are stock certificates" "Eh? Stock? Well, there's money in stocks, big money, if you know , how to handle them.' The promoters wandering eye, shifted to the line of stevedores trundling their trucks into the hold, then up to the crane with its straining burden of bridge material. Every package was stenciIed with his rivals name, but he exclaimed: kI, summit by Christmas No graft! No incompetence! The utmost publicity in corporate affairs'-that's our plat form We're destined for glorious success. Glorious successw
 ssGo aboard and lie down. Brennan said gently. You need a good sleep" Then, calling a steward, he ordered, .'Show MT. Gordon to my cabin and give him what he wants.
 He watched the tall figure stumble up the gangplank and shook his head.
 < *The utmost publicity is it? Well, it's you that's getting it now. And to think that you're the man with the mines and the railroads and the wid- ow! Pm afraid you'll be in irons when she sees you. But that's as good a finish as you deserve, after all.' The building of the Salmon river bridge will not soon be forgotten by 1 engineers and men of science.
 Nowhere else in the history Of bridge building had such conditions been en- | eountered; nowhere on earth had work 1 of this character been attended with | greater Hazards; never had circun- | stances created a situation of more dramatic interest By many the whole venture was regarded as a reckless | Ia. lars had been fislzed on the chance not alone that O'NeiI could build supports which the ice could not demolish, but that he could build them under the most serious difficulties in record break | ing time. Far more than the mere cost of the structure hinged upon his success; failure would mean that his l whole investment up to that point would be wiped out, to say nothing of the $2O,OO0,0OO project of trunk line up the valley of the Salmon.
 | Had the government permitted the l Kyak coal fields to be opened up the lower reaches of the s. R. and N. would have had a value, but all activity in that region had been throttled, and the policy of delay and indecision at head | quarters promised no relief.
 The actual erection of steel work was | impossible during the coldeSt months ; l Parker had planned only to rush the I piers, abutments and false work to com pletion so that he could take advantage
 of the mild spring weather preceding
 the breakup The execution of this
 plan was in itself an unparalleled un- dertaking, making it necessary to hire double crews of picked men. Yet, as the weeks wore into months the intri- | cate details were wrought out one by one and preparations were completed for the great race.
 Gro Be Co<.sz.Gsd.)