The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-07-07

y
I ask you to, would you consider as
possibility the taking of the doctor
job on this sick project Of ours?"
No" was the brcf rej0indar.
"Why not?"
Smith looked away out Of the on,
square window in the shack at tn,
busy scene on the dam StagingS
because I'm not exactly a born sim
pleton. Mr.. Wil.ialnS There are {
number Of reasons which are purely
personal to me, and at least one which
cuts ice on your side of the pond. your
financial doctor, as you call him
would have TO be trusted absolutely in
the handling of the company's money
and its negotiable securities. You
could, anG should put him under q
fairly heavy bond. I'll not go into ii
any deeper than to say that l can't
give bond"
Williams took his defeat, if it could
be called defeat, without further
| protest.
Il thought it might not be arliss to
talk it over with you" he said. You
say It IS Impossible, and perhaps it is.
But it won't DO any harm for You to
think it over, and if I were you,
shouldn't burn all the bridges behind
me-"
Smith went back to his work in the
quarry with troubled mind. The
little he"rt-to-hcart talk with Williams
lla 4 -
shown him, as nothing else could, how
limited for all the remainder Of his life
his chances must be. That he would
be pursued, that descriptions and pho
t0graphs of the eX-caShier of the Law
renceville Bank and Trust company
were already circulating from hand to
hand among the paid man-catchers, he
did not doubt for Il moment While he
could remain as workman unit In an
isolated construction camp, there was
some little hope that he might be over
looked. But to become the public char |
acter Of Williams suggestion in n
peopled city was to run to meet his
fate.
It IS said that the flow Of mighty
river may owe its most radical change
in direction to the chance thrusting Of
a twig into the current at some critical
instant in the rise or fall Of the flood
To the reincaraated Smith, charting
his course upon the conviction that his
best chance of immunity lay in isola-
ton and q careful avoidance Of the
peopled towns, came the diverting twig
In this WISE
On the second morning following the
unofficial talk with BARLEY Williams
n the iron-sheeted headquarters Office !
It the dana, a delayed consignment of [
steel and commiSsary supplies {
vas due at the Sidetrack a mile below F.,
he camp. Perkins, the timekeeper, !
'alled Smith from the quarry and gave
lin the invoices covering the ship {
nent. s
i guess you'd better go down to t
he siding and check this stuff in, so
hat We'll know what we're getting"
vas his suggestion to the general util-
ty man.
When the crookingS of the tote-road
IT Smith get his first sight of the side g
rack, he saw that the train was al Il
eady in. \ few minutes sufficed for Il
ne checking. He sent the unloading il
arg back to camp with the teams, S
leaning to walk back himself after he "
Mould have seen the car Of steel and h
he two cars of cement kicked in at d
le upper end Of the Sidetrack. 81
While he was waiting for the train Il
pull up and make the shift, he was IL
IDLY upon the clumsy lay re
1t OF the temporary unloading yard,
ID wondering if Williams were re- 81
'onSible for it. The siding was on in
e outside Of a curve and within a re
lndred yards of the river bank. nc
here was scanty space for the unload BIT
g Of material, and good bit of what br
ere was was taken Up by the curry it
g spur which LED off from the siding in
cross the river Oh treStlc, and by W.
e wagon road itself, which came Of
wn long hill on the south side of Sn
e railroad and made an abrupt turn ha
cross the main track and the siding tn
Fly N the midst or tnlESS. DO
As the long train pulled UP to clear he
road crossing, Smith stepped back giy
d stood between the two tracks. A
'-leat later the cut was made, and sol
: forward section of the train went cir
to set the three loaded cars out at sto
upper switch, leaving the rear half :
nding on the main line. be,
One of the men of the unloading oh;
lg, leather-faced grade shoveler sta
0 had helped to build the Nevada ''Y
ore Line, had Jagged behind the de- are
ting wagons to fill and light his s
@. 9
Wouldn't that jar you UP right good "
hard FIR way to run a railroad" fat
said to Smith, indicating the wholly S
ertcd standing section of the freight tia
h the burnt inatch-cnd. ',Them fell for
We all gone off UP ahead, a-leavin' onl
) yere hind end without a sign of anC
IAN r flag to take keer Of it." in