Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1916-09-22

aRREaMRnAN ManRRKKRaM aMN8.
Copyright By
ckIris SdibnsfI Sens

go % it and get the money" wa.
added And don't come back with
out H." II was said with a laugh, bu.
behind the laugh there was a menace
Among the Individual transforma
t.ous wrought by the new conditions
the young chief Of the reclamation
service afforded the most striking ex
ample. From the morning when he had
summartly Cancelled the lease for the
Offices In the Niquoia building and had
returned his headquarters to the old
log buildings on the government reser
walton and thence had issued his first
series OF orders for the resumption Of
fglliOrao work on the dam and canals.
those who had not known him best dis.
covered tfat they had not known him
at all. Even TO Grislow and the men
OF his staff he was curt, crisply manda.
tory. almost brutal. For one and all
there was rarely anything beyond the
shOtllko sentence: Drive It, men,
drive it that's what you're here for
drive IT,"
The time he took to eat his hurried
meals at 8onRras' could be measured
In minutes, and what hours he gave
to sleep no man knew, since he was
the last to leave the headquarters at
night and the first on the work in the
morning. Twice, after the renewed
activities on the great wall had be-
come a well-ordcred race against time,
and tho concrete was pouring into the
high forms in steady streams from the
ranked batteries of mixers, Mr.. Cort-
wright had sent for BrOuillard, and on
each occasion the messenger had gone
back with the brief word TOO busy
during working hours And when a
third messenger came to inquire what
Mr.. BrOuillard's working hours were,
the equally blunt answer returned was:
IAN the time
In tho face Of such discouragements
Mr.. Cartwright was constrained to
pocket his dignity as mayor. as the
p~otentate Of the exchanges, and as
tho unquestionable master OF the surly
young industry captain who refused
to come when he was called, and to go
in person. Choosing the evening hour
when he had been assured that he was
likely to find Brouillard alone and at
work, he crossed the boundaries OF the
sacred reservation and made his way
to the door OF the log-built mapping
room.
Il came around to see what Is eating
you these days. was the pudgy
tyrant's greeting for the young man
sitting under the shaded desk lamp.
Why don't you drop in once in a
while and give me the run OF things
81 gave your clerk the reason said
Brouillard laconically. I'm too busy
The devil you are!" snapped the
great man, finding the only armchair
in the room and dropping heavily into
it. Since when?"
Since the first time you sent for
me-and before"
Mr.. Cartwright recovered his work
ing geniality only with a ~palpable eff
fort.
Sec here, Brouillard, you know you
never make any money by being short
with me. Let's drop it and get down
to business. What | wanted to say is
that you are OVERRIDING It; you are put
ling on too much steam. You've
brought tho boom, all right, but at
the pace you're setting 1t won't last
long enough, Are you catching on?"
I'm listening" was the noncommit-
tai reply.
We'll, enough's enough, and too
much OF a good thing scalds the hog
before you're ready to dress 1t and cut
it up. It's all right for you to run men
in here by the trainload and scatter
EN- out over your scaffolding-the
more the merrier, and it's good>for the
town-hut you needn't sweat the last
shovelful OF hurry out OF them the way
you're doing. 1t won't do to get your
job finished too soon"
Before congress ~Convenes, you
mean?" suggested Brouillard.
That's Just what | mean. String it
out. Make it last
Rrouillard sat back in his pivot chair
and began to play with the paper
knife.
And II | don't choose to string it
out-if even confess that | am strain
ing every nerve to do this thing that
you don't want me to do-what then.
Mr.. Cortwright?'
The quiet retort jolted the stocky
nan in the armchair as II 1t had been
a blow. But he recovered quickly.
I've been looking for that" he said
with a nervous twinkling of the little
gray eyes, you've no business being
out of business, Brouillard. II you'd
Quit pudding sand and cement and lit.
tie rocks together and strike your gait
right in ten years you'd be the richest
man this side Of the mountains. III
be o~pen-handed with you; This time
you've got us where we can't wiggle.
: N,'Uo cot y, hoN.o D,nro ,I.,- "