Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1917-01-19

body but an Indian; coax more shots
out of gun than anybody else can
put into tiff you want him fat, that's
Henry as size him."
Jeffries resumed his mlldest tone:
"Tell him to come in minute, john"
De Spain himself expressed con-
temptuous Impotence when Lefever
told him the superintendent wanted
him to go to work at Sleepy Cat. He
declared he had always hated the
town, raised one objection after anoth-
er to leaving Medicine Bend, and JEFF
fries finally summoned a show of i'm
patience.
"You are looking for promotion,
aren't your" he demanded threaten
ingly.
"Yes, but not for motion without the
pro-" objected De Spain. ~ want to
stick to the railroad business. You
want to get me into the stage bust
ness"
Temporarily, yes. But I've told
you when you come back to the dlvl-
sion proper, you come as my assist
ant, If you make good running the
Thief River stages. Think of the sal
ary."
~ have no immediate heirs"
"This is not matter for joking, De
SPAIN"
II know that, too. How many men
have been shot on the stages In the
last six months?'
"Why, now and again the stages
are held up, yes" admitted Jeffries
brusquely; shat is to be expected
where the specie shipments are large.
The Thief River mines are rotten with
gold just now. But you don't have to
drive stage. We supply you with
good men for that, and good guards
men willing to take any kind Of
chance II the pay Is right. And the
pay is right, and yours as general man.
ager will be right"
u have never as yet generally man.
aged any stage line" remarked De
Spain, poking ridlcule at the title, mo
matter how modest an outfit"
'You will never learn younger. We
must have man to run that line that
can curb the disorders along the route.
Calabasas valley, DE Spain, is a bad
place."
'Is itf' De Spain asked as naively
as IL he had never heard of Calabasas,
though Jeffries was nervily stating a
fact bald and notorious to both.
"There are lot of bad men there"
Jeffries went on. ''who are bad simply
because they've never had man to
show them."
1.-THE last general manager was
killed there, wasn't hef"
mot IN the valley, no. He was shot
at Calabasas inn.
would that make very much differ-
ence In the way he felt about itf"
.Ieffries, with an effort, laughed.
"Thats all right Henry they won't
get you" Again ne extended his I'm
ger dogmatically: III I thought they
would, / wouldn't send you down
there"
"Thank You"
"You are young, ambltlous-four
thousand year isn't hanging from ev-
cry telegraph pole; 1t is almost twice
what they are paying me-
you're not getting shot at"
"No man, Henry, knows the hour OF
his death. No man In the high coun-
try knows when he is to be made
target--that you well understand. Men
are shot down In this country that
have no more idea of getting killed
than / have--or you have"
"Don't include me. | have a pretty
good idea Of getting killed right
away-the minute take this job
ave have temporized with this Gala
basas outfit long enough" declared JEFF
fries dropping his mask at last. Deaf
Sandusky, Logan and that squint-eyed
thief, Dave Sassoon-all hold'up men,
every one of theml Henry, I'm put
ting you In on that job because you've
got nerve, because you can shoot, be-
cause don't think they can get YOU
and paying you whaling big salary to
straighten things out along the Span
fish Sinks. Do you know, Henry"
Jeffries leaned forward and lowered
his tone. Master Of the art Of persuad-
ing and convincing, Of hammering and
pounding, Of swaying the doubling and
deciding the undecided. the strong-eyed