The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1916-09-28

material chnnges IN the Iorhl tou
asked mo a moment ago-or did I offer
to guess 7-who might be responsible
for the report which Is costing us our
men. I wonder n I need 10 tell you
who controls this new northern reuter-
Maybe you've been telling me-"
Steve came back coolly. "You have
already mentioned"-
"wickershamr' Hardwick Elliott cor
rected. "Wickersham-that is, through
allied interests which he represents or
controls. O'Mara, doubt II I would
even insInuate this 10 any one else; l
haven't even intimated It to Ainnesley
ms yet. wickersham IL reputed to rep
resent huge mmeyed foreign interests.
But have you ever stopped to wonder
whether he might not represent big To-
cal interests as well? I'd like to ask
you-what do you thinkr
yesterday" Steve answered. yes
terday-wcll. couldn't guarantee Just
what I might have thought twenty.
four hours back. But doesn't one fact
remain unchanged still, no matter what
we think2 Suppose we admit that some
one else does want this stretch of
track we're laying. Suppose some
body is figuring ON picking II up cheap
ut n bankruptcy price II we forfeit to
the Reserve company. You know
yourself that you would never have
begun II simply for the profit there will
be In moving the Reserve logs and the
millions ON millions Of feet Of lumber,
both to the east and west, which can't
be touched at anything but a prohibi-
tive figure without this road. We were
going through to the border too. And
II some one else Is betting that we
don't, II some one else Is betting that
we can't yank trainload Of logs down
to this end OF the line before the LIST
Of May. that doesn't alter our case any.
does III Even though We suspect that
some man Is playing us to lose, do We
have to know exactly who he isT
Slowly. but very surely, the older
mans face began to smooth.
Once or twice." he stated, "Tve
thought to anticipate you, perhaps be-
cause ! have 1t on you a little. as they
say. In the matter Of years. I'm not
going TO attempt II any more, for |
thought that this conversation would
be at least surprise to you. You sit
there and take 1t very quietly for a
man who has been badly startled"
Fat Joe has been preaching 1t for
a month" Oddly enough, stephen
Aas NJ sn
laugh softly. And |, for a month,
have been ridiculing him. That's one
OF Fat Joe's pet diversions, you know.
When all other excitement falls Joe
invariably falls back upon an magma
ton too totally vivid to be wasted on
technical things. l laughed at him un-
I'll last night Do you-but. Of course.
you know Garry DevereauT he I'm
ished.
knew his father" Elliott answered
succinctly. Know him well Good
blood, good brains. big heart! Why
And then for the second time that
day Steve related the salient points OF
that episode which had ended with
the first gray streaks OF returning day.
During the recital the expressions
which chased across Elliott's face were
as varied as they were full of concern.
"Then | wasn't merely hysterical,
was IT. he brooded after Steve had
finished. "Who-who did you say you
thought might be behind the man who
would have had your plans had II not
/ been for Mr. DevereauT'
81 didn't say" replied Steve, and for
the first time since his entrance there
was mirth In the unison Of their laugh
ter.
1T all brings us back to the point
from which we started" the younger
man went ON when they were grave
again. Its plain enough issue so
\ far as we are concerned. We've got 10
be at the mouth OF that lower valley
by May. We're going TO be! And as
| I see II. wasting time and energy In
| shall we call II sleuthing. Mr.. Elliotti
| won't help us much. We thought
| that lack Of time and the general ma
ture OF this country were going to be
handicap enough. But now your mon
| ty IN III anu IL utNti uiu hhe w "
beaten. Can't we let Il stand like that
at least until some one else makes
palmer move? We know the cards We
hold. II others care to sit In perhaps
well all come TO showdown next
spring at Thirty Mile. TIN be easy
enough TO explain just how we did IL
Alibis based on yelled opposition would
not interest the Reserve people much
II we left their timber there to rot
- And I'm trying not to over
look any bets. Mr., Elliott"
Hastily the iron gray man thrust his
hat back from his forehead. He came
to his feet and crossed and clapped
one hand upon Steve's shoulder.
Next Mayv' he harked. "O'Mara,
I'm glad you came down this morning.
I've been carrying a lot Of those ideas
around In my head until they had be
come nightmarish. But I'm through
now. You won't hear me croak again.
I staked what had on you months
ago. I'd do II again this minute
What's the odds, after all. who II Is
that's playing us to loser It's only
the fact that somebody may be fight
ing us that needs TO occupy our atten'
ton. I'm done worrying. DO you hear
| But what about those men who are