Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1917-08-31

ed-believes In the resources of the
country and all that. But you can't
borrow money from him without secur-
ity, if that's what you're aiming to do"
Cant WEI" smiled the young man
who knew banks and bankers. Lets
go and see. You may introduce me to
Kinzie as your acting financial secre-
tary, if you like. Now one more ques-
ton: What is Kinzie's attitude toward
TimanyOni Ditch?"
"At first he was all kinds of friend
ly; he is a stakeholder in a small way.
But after a while he began to cool
down a little, and nOw-well, l don't
know; hate to think it of Dave, but
I'm afraid he's leaning the other way,
toward these Eastern fellows. He
tried to cover StantOn's tracks in the
stock-buying from Gardner and Boil
ling"
"That is natural, too" said Smith,
whose point of view was always I'M
obscured In any battle of business.
"The big company would be a better
customer for the bank than your little
one could ever hope to be. 1 guess
that's all for the present. If you're
ready, Wen go down and face the
music"
"By Janders" said the colonel with
an open smile; 81 believe you'd just as
soon tackle a banker as to eat your
dinner; and I'd about as soon take a
horsewhipping. Come on; I'll steer
you up against Dave, but I'm telling
you right now that the steering is
about all you can count on from me-"
It was while they were crossing the
street together that Mr.. Crawford
Stanton had his third morning caller,
q thickset, barrel-bodied man with
little piglike eyes, closely cropped hair,
bristling mustache, and a wooden
leg Of the homemade sort. The men
of the camps called the cripple "Peg-
leg" or "Blue Pete" indifferently,
though not to his face. For though
the fat face was always relaxed in a
good-natured smile, the crippled sa-
loonkeeper was of those who kill with
the knife.
Stanton looked up from his desk
when the pad-and-click of the cripple's
step came in from the street.
"Hello, Slmms," he said, in curt
greeting. "Want to see me? Sit
down."
Simms threw the brim of his soft
hat up with a backhanded stroke and
shook his head. sit amt worth while ;
and 1 gotta get back to camp. blew
in to tell y'u there's a fella out there
that needs tn sandbag." o
"Who is it?"
STELLA name Smith. He's shown
'em how to cut too many corners
pace-settin', he calls it. First thing
they know, they'll get the concrete up
to where the high water won't bust it
out"
Stanton's laugh was impatient.
Don't make any mistake of that
sort, Simms," he said. eve don't want
the dam destroyed; we'd work just
as hard as they would to prevent that.
All we want is to have other people
think it's likely to go out-think 1t
hard enough to keep them from put
ting up any more money. Let that go,
Is there any more fresh talk-among
the men" Stanton prided himself a
little upon the underground wire-pull-
ing which had resulted in putting
Simms on the ground as the keeper of
the constructiOn-camp canteen. 1t was
fairly original way of keeping lis
tening ear open for the camp gossip
, little" said the cripple briefly
"This here blink-blank felIa Smith,
been tellin' Williams that ort to be
run off tn reservation; says tn booze
puts the brake on for speed"
$50 it does" agreed Stanton mus
ingly. 'But 1 guess you can stay a
while longer. I have a notion that
Smiths been sent hereby some outfit
that means to buck us. If he hasn't
any backing"
The interruption was the hurried in.
coming of the young man with sleepy
eyes and the cigarette stains on his
fingers and for once in a way he was
stirred out of his customary attitude
, Of cynical Indifference.
"Smith and Colonel Baldwin are
, over yonder in Kinzie's private office,
he reported hastily. Before they shut
, the door 1 heard Baldwin introducing
Smith as the new acting financial sec
rotary of the Timanyoni Ditch com
panyw
CHAPTER TX.