Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1917-10-12
CHAPTER XVII.
The MeoaIomaniac,


Sixty-odd hours before the expiration
of the time limit, BARLEY Williams,
lean and sOmber-eyed from the strain
he had been under for many days and
nights, saw the presidents gray road
ster blowing its way through the mesa
sand on the approach to the construc-
ton camp, and was glad.
"I've been trying all the morning to
squeeze out time to get into town." he
told Baldwin, when the roadster came
missary. ''Where is Smith,"
The colonel threw up his hand in a
gesture expressive of complete detach-
ment.
Don't ask me. John has gone plumb
loco in these last two or three days.
It's as much as your lifes worth to
ask him where he has been or where
he is going or what he means to do
next"
"He hasn't stopped fighting?" said
the engineer, half aghaSt at the bare
possibility.
"Oh, no; he is at 1t harder than
ever-going it just a shaving TOO
strong, is what I'd tell him, if he'd let
me get near enough to shout at him.
Last night, after the theater, he went
around to the Herald Office and the
way they're talking it on the street,
he was aiming to shoot up the whole
newspaper joint if Mark Allen, the edi-
tor, wouldn't take back a bunch of the
lies he's been publishing about the
High Line. 1t wound up in q scrap
of some sort. l don't know who got
the worst of it, but John isn't crippled
up any, to speak of, this morning-only
i'll his temper"
Williams shook his head. 81 guess
We'll have to stand for the crouch, If
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 of the board he Is the fight
ing backbone of the whole outfit"
"He is that" was Baldwin's ready
admission. 'He is just what we've
been calling him from the first, Bart
ley-a three-ply, dyed-in-the-wOol wO2-
now like a man in the last ditch, and
l believe he thinks he Is in the last
ditch"
at will be only two days more"
said the engineer, saying it as one who
has been counting the days in keen
anxiety. And then: "Stillings told me
yesterday that we're not going to get
an extension of the time limit from the
state authorities"
mo; that little fire went out, blink,
just as Smith said it would. Stanton's
hackers have the political pull-in the
state as well as in Washington. They're
going to hold us to the letter of the
law"
if we don't run up against one or both
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 that?"
"That Is what was trying to get to
| town for to talk the railroad business
over with you and Stillings and Smith.
They've had gang here this morn
ing-a bunch of engineers, with a
stranger, who gave his name as Hal
lowell in charge. They claimed to be
verifying the old survey, and Hallowell
notified me formally that our dam stood
squarely in their right Of way for a
| bridge crossing of the river"
"They didn't serve any papers on
you, did they?' inquired the colonel
anXlOusly.
"No; the notice was verbal. But
Hallowell wound up with threat. He
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 If we take whatever steps may
be necessary to recover what belongs
to u.s."
"Force" querled the Mssourlan,
with a CLINT of the border fighters fire
In his eyes"
Maybe. But we're ready for that.