The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-07-24

man OMRra. Mr. EuiOtt himself Eda informed me that your quite spccsscr- lar success in one or two vital sAm- paigns has been entirely due t3 tho fact that you are an--or-cppc;tunis I agree with MT. Elliott absolutely that is, if my first premise is correct"
 Barbara's face had cooled Q little in that moment since Steve's eyes had left her face. Now she forgot her confusion-forgot to be annoyed, even at her fathers clumsy banter.
 ''Your man, O'SIarar' she exclaimed indignantly. "Your man! Why, he he's n.y. And that was as far as she went.
 Her voice thinned into nothingness, but words were not necessary to tell either Caleb or Steve that she had been about to assert a prior claim which dated back years and years.
 T have always insisted to MT. El- Hott," Steve said, "that the solution oc all the difficulties, which he chooses 10 view as gloriously romantic tits with Destiny, depends one half upon luck and tho other half on being on. the ground personally when the-affair- starts." He half faced toward Allison. 'I am O'fara. f he finished very brief ly; your man, O'Mara-if you happen to be the East Coast Development and Timber company"
 There was at most no more than the barest suggestion of it in Steve's crisp question, but Caleb sensed immediate ly that Allison's placid appropriation of the blue flannel shirted one as his own particular property was not e mu- tually accepted status. Dexter, how eyer, failed or chose to read nothing in the draw1ing question. 'S
 "I'm it," he agreed jovially-"t is. I and two or three others, including MT. Elliott, our esteemed president. I've heard much of you, MT. O'Mara. I've looked foryard to this meeting" he added as he shook hands. Now I want to tell you that nm proud to know you. And so you didn't get my, message, after all?'
 q had to come dow'l river yester- day." Steve explained. Your telegram found me here, and waited over un- til this morning, as you suggested" Surely -surely!, see-I see./ Ale lison emphasized his comprehension. 'sNot that it was anything of vital ims portance. I just wanted short con ference with you. that was all.'
 "Would you--would you mind finding Miss Sarah, Stever Caleb asked. .will you tell her. please. that we are to be subjected to another-neighborIy imposition?r
 Allison shook his head and led tho way to chair. ''I didn't know that you were acquainted with him. Cal. Have you known him longY'
 "Um-m-m-yesr' Caleb weighed his reply. eQuite some time, I think I might say.y ~ft
 He shook with scarcely suppressed laughter, but Allison ignored his sense less mirth. &
 "I'd like to. claim that boy as my own discovery" he avowed. s'but can't, not without fear of successful contradiction on Eliiott's part And in point of service it isn't fair to call him . boy, either, though I suppbse both of us are old enough to be his father. He's Elliott's find. Elliott suggested him as the one man for this job when consolidated with the Ainnesley, crowd and they took up the contract to move the restrve timber from Thir- ty Mile and the valleys above Elliott knew of him, but I've been looking up his record pretty closely since he took hold in earnest t
 "He's in his twenties, as near as II can make out, but he's come through on one of two jobs that might we'll make an cid campaigner envious- He took. atfortune in hard woods out of San Domingo for a Berlin concern; he was the only man on the St. Sebastian river job who said the construction! was too light. He said it wouidr't stand when the ice began to move m. the spring. and 1t didn't! Oh. he knowsr his business! But it wasn't his sue cesses witch caught Elliott's eye. It's the way he has failed a couple of times.i fighting right back to the last ditch, and fighting and fighting, when all the rest had quit, that made me anxious to get look at him. Perhaps theret are older men who can outfigure him on loads nhd stresses, but as a field general he stands alone. He, can han de men. And when it comes to meet ing conditions just as they arise FL liott says he's a wonder. He can out guess dear old Mother Nature herself.
 That's why the East Coast company brought him up here to build its bit of road" he went on slowly. They've / got to move that Reserve company tim Der. They have contract that'n byeakl 'em-5reak us-if we fall down. And do you know, Cal, IT can't help but believe that the thing is beyond the pale of possibility. | believed it six months ago, when Elliott and Ainnes- ley and the rest of them were so keen for 1t, and believe it still. even though I have seen Elliotts engineer and know what he has already accomplish ed. That track'n never go through on schedule-and that's why I'm up hers for the winter. It's going to be hot little race against time, with some mil lions for a purse. It'll break the East Coast company if he fails, and'-his voice became oddly intense-"and tell you again that it-can't-be- donev'
 Allison lay back in his chair and breathed deeply, slowly, and Miss Sa- rah anDosred that moment in the door.