The Huttig news., 1916-06-17

the toasts had ignored the official mis- sion of Mayor Cortwright's guests. tin gling curiosity still restrained itself, said nothing and did nothing until the train had stormed out on the begin ming of it's steep climb to War Arrow pass. Then the barriers went down. In less than half an hour after the depar- ture of the visitors, the Spotlight of flee was besieged by eager tip hunters, and the Metropole cafe and lobby were thronged and buzzing like the compart- ments of an anxious beehive.
 Harlan stood the pressure at the newspaper office as long as he could. Then he slipped out the back way. There was light in Brouillard's ofice on the sixth floor of the Niquoia build ing, and thither he went. hoping against hope, for latterly the chief of the reclamation service had been more than usually reticent.
 What do you know. Brouillard?" was the form his demand took.
 "Go to Cartwright" suggested the engineer. Hes your man."
 Just come from him, and l couldn't get thing there except his admission that he is buying instead of selling"
 Well, what more do you want! Haven't you any imagination"
 Plenty Of it and. by Cad, I'm going to use it unless you put it to sleep! Tell me a few correlative things, Brouillard. and I'll make a noise like going away. Is it true that you've had orders from Washington within the past few days to cut your force on the dam one-half?"
 The engineer was playing with the paperknife. absently marking little cir. cles and ellipses on his desk blotter and the ash on his cigar grew a full quarter of an inch before he replied:
 Not for publication, Harlan, I'm sorry to say"
 Put you have the order?"
 "Yes."
 Good. Then I'll ask only one more question, and if you answer it at all l know you'll tell me the truth: Are you, individually, buying or selling on the real estate exchange?"
 Brouillard did take time, plenty of it Harlan was a student of men, but his present excitement was against him Otherwise he would have interpreted differently the sudden hardening of the jaw muscles when Brouillard spoke.
 I'm buying, Harlan; when l sell 1t is only to buy again"
 The newspaper man rose and held out his hand.
 You're a man and brother, Brouil lard, and I'm your friend for life. I'm going to stay until you give me the high sign to crawl out on the bank. Is that asking too much?" No. If the time ever comes when have anything to say, I'll say it to you But don't lose sight of the if, and don't lean too hard on me- I'm a mighty uncertain quantity these days Harlan, and that's the truest thing I've told you since you butted in. Good l night"
 ll Mirapolis awoke to a full sense of it's opportunities on the morning fol ic"ihS Ait otpdi tdit LII tlS uiStiI guished guests. By ten o'clock it was the talk of the lobbies. the club, and the exchanges that the reclamation service was already abandoning the work on the great dam. One-half of the workmen were to be discharged at once, and doubtless the other half would follow as soon as the orders could come from Washington.
 Appealed to by mob of anxious in. quirers, Brouillard did not deny the fact of the discharges, and thereupon the city went mad in furor of specu. lative excitement in comparison with which the orgy of the gold discov. erers paled into insignificance. Curb exchanges sprang into being in the Metropole lobby, in the court of the Niquoia building, and at dozen street corners on the avenue. Word went to the placers, and by noon the miners had left their siuice-boxes and were pouring into town to buy options at prices that would have staggered the widest plunger otherwhere, or at any other time.
 BrouiHard closed his desk at one o'clock and went to fight his way