Marble Hill press., 1917-08-30
CHAPTER XVII.
Thr Meaaiomanlae.

ne "f1a'oUsnfsSs
Slxiy.nld hours before the expiration
~ the time limit. FARLEY Williams.
lean and ,onh.rry.I from the strain
b. had been under fnr many days Hui
nights. saw The presidents gray road.
stcr pluw.uE 90, Nay through the mesa
sand on the approach 90 the cunsiruc.
'iuu camp auI Was glad.
i've been trying ull the morning 70
squeeze og' tiHo 80 80 into town. he
told baldwin. when The roadster came
~ q stand go front ~ the shack com.
mlssary. where is SM!'hI'
The co'on.I threw NJ his hand IN o
gesture expressive 81 complete dctaeh-
mcut.
Don't ask mo. John has gone plumb
loco IN thys" last tNp 'r thr'" days.
Irs as much a., your Mes worth 10
ask him where hc has been or where
he IS gong or what be- means 10 Do
next"
"IIe hasn't stopped hchtlugf" said
the engineer. half a-hast at the bare
possibility.
"Oh. ~: b" Is az IL harder than
eycr-roinc II Just a Shawn: too
strong. is what Id tell him. II he'd let
me cct near enough 10 shout nj him.
Last night. after the thoater. he went
around TO the Herald office, and the
way they're talking Il on the street
he was aiming tu shoot up the whole
newspaper Joint II Marx Allen, the call
tor wouldn't take back bunch of III"
lies he's been publishing about the
High Line. I, wound up in n scrap
~ some sort. / don't know who got
the worst Of IL. but John isn't crippled
up any. to speak OF, this mornIng-only
10 his temper
Williams shook his head. 81 guess
we1l have 70 stand for the crouch, II
he'll only keep busy. He has the hot
end OF IT, We couldn't very well get
along without him. right now, colonel.
With all due respect TO you and the
members ~ the board be IS the fight
( Ing backbone Of the whole outfit
"IIe IS that" was Baldwin'S ready
admission. "IIe Is just what we've
been calling him from the first, Bart
1 lcy-a three.ply, dycd-in.the.wool won
der in his speciality. He Is lighting
now like n man IN the last ditch, and
believe he thinks be IS in the last
I ditch"
1T will be only two days more,
! said the engineer. saying II as one who
/ has been counting the days in keen
anxiety. And then: "StilIinEs told me
Yesterday that we're not going 10 get
nm extension of the time limit from the
state authorities"
"No; that little fire went out blink.
! lust as Smith said It would. stanton :
/ hackers have the political pull--in the
state as we'll as in Washington. They're
/ going to hold us TO the letter OF the
law"
LET 'em do It. Wen win out yet
II we don't run up against one or ho'h
Of the only two things I'm afraid OF
now: high water or the railroad call
| down"
The railroad grab? Have you heard
ANYTHING more about thatT'
THAT Is what was trying to get to
town for 10 talk the railroad business
over with you and Stillings and Smith.
They've had gang here this morn
lng-a bunch Of engineers. with n
stranger. who gave his name as Hat
lowell, in charge. They claimed to he
verifying the old survey, and Halloween
notified me formally that our dam stood
squarely In their right of way FOR
bridge crossing of the river
"They didn't serve any papers on
you, did theyf' inquired the colonel
anxIously.
"No: the notice was verbal. But
Hallowell wound up with threat. lie
said, You've had due warning, legally
and otherwise. Mr.. Williams. This Is
our right of way, bought and paid for
. as we can prove when the matter gets
into the courts. You mustn't be sur
prised II we take whatever steps may
, be necessary to recover what belongs
. TO us.
"Forcer queried the Mlssourian
with a CLINT Of the border fighters fire
10 his eyes,"
maybe. But we're ready FOR that