Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1917-08-16
CHAPTER X.
The Rocket and the Stick.


For a full fortnight after the pre-
liminary visit to the Brewster City
National bank Smith was easily the
busiest man in TimanyOni county. Es-
tablishing himself in the Hophra
House, and discarding the working
khaki only because he was shrewd
enough to dress the new part becom-
ingly, he flung himself into what
Colonel Baldwin called the miracle
working" campaign with zest that
knew no tagging moment.
Within the fourteen-day period new
town offices were occupied on the sec
ond floor of the Brewster City Ma
tional building; Stillings, most efficient
of corporation counselS, had secured
the new charter; and the stock-books
of Timanyoni High Line had been
opened, with the Brewster City Ma
tional named as the cOmpany's deposit
tory and official fiduciary agent.
At the dam the building activities
had been generously doubled. An cleo
trio light plant had been installed, and
Williams was working day and night
shifts both in the quarrieS and on the
forms. Past this, the new financial
manager, himself broadening rapidly
as his field broadened, was branching
out in other directions. After brief
conference with few of his principal
stockholders he had instructed Stillings
to include the words Power and Light"
in the cataloguing of the new COM
pany's possible and probable charter
activities, and by the end Of the fort
night the foundations of powerhouse
were going in below the dam, and ne
gotiatlOns were already on foot with
the Brewster city council looking to-
ward the sale of electric current to the
city for lighting and other purposes.
Smith had made the planting Of his
financial anchor securely to windward
his first care. Furnished with select
ed list by Colonel Baldwin, he had
made thorough canvas of possible in
vestors, and by the time the new stock
was printed and ready for delivery
through Kinzie's bank, an ironclad pool
of the majority of the original Timan-
yoni Ditch stock had been organized,
and Smith had sold to Maxwell, Star
buck, and other local capitalists q suf-
ficient amount Of the new treasury
stock to give him a fighting chance /;
this, with a promise of more if it
should be needed.
Not to Maxwell or to any of the new
investors had Smith revealed the full
dimensions of the prize for which Tim
anyoni High Line was entering the
race. Colonel Baldwin and one Will
liam Starbuck, Maxwell's brother-in-
law, by courtesy, and his partner in
the Little Alice mine, alone knew the
wheel within the wheel how the great
eastern utility corporation represented
by Stanton had spent a million OF
more in the acquisition of the Esca'
lante grant, which would be practical
ly worthless as agricultural land with
out the water which could be obtained
only by means of the TimanyOni dan
and canal system.
With all these strenuous STRINGS in
the business field, it may say itself thai
Smith found little time for social in
dulgences during the crowded fort
night. Day after day the colonel begged
him to take a night off at the ranch
and it was even more difficult 10 refuse
the proffered hospitality at the week
end. But Smith did refuse it.
1t was not until after Miss Corona
driving to town with her father as sht
frequently did-had thrice visited thu
J new offices that Smith began to con
graduate himself, rather bitterly, t,
be sure, upon his wisdom in stayini
away from Hillcrest. For one thing
, he was learning that Corona Baldwin
was able to make him see rose-colored
, When she was not with him, he was
, man in daily peril Of meeting tn
/ sheriff. But when she was present
: calm sanity had way of losing 1t
! grip.
Miss CorOna's fourth visit to tn
handsome suite of offices over tn
Brewster City National CHANGED t
, fall upon a Saturday. Her father
president of the new company, as h
: had been of the old, had a private OF
fee of his own, but Miss Corona 500
: drifted out to the railed-Off end Of tn
! larger room, where the financial seC
/ rotary had his desk.