Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-01-07
CHAPTER II-(Continued)

a secondary ConslucTdtloh hitoi '""'
night beside the campfire. l saw
how this big vacant north coulu
me made to strike a mighty blow
at those interests which make a pro
fession OF cornering mcatstufis on the
other side. how it could be made to
fight the fight of tho people by send
ing down an unlimited supply or ish
hat could be sold at n profit in New
York. Boston, or Chicago for a half
of what the trust demands. My scheme
wasn't aroused entirely by philan'
thropy, mind you. l saw in 1t a cnance
to get back at the very people VINO
brought about my fathers ruin, II
who kept pounding him after he was
in a. corner until he broke down II
died. They killed him. They robbed
me q few years later. They made me
hate what ! was once, q moving JOY
nus part of-life down there. | went
from the north, first to ottawa theh
10 Toronto and Winnipeg. After that
I went to Brokaw, my rather ON
mariner, with the scheme I've tolo
Won of Brokaw-one OF the deepest,
shrewdest old fighters in the Middie
West. 1t was only a year after my
fathers death that he was on his ieeN
again, as strong as ever. BroKa"
Arrow In two or three others as strong
&c himself. and we went after the
privileges. 1t was a fight from lhe
beginning.
"Eardly we're our plans made pup
tic before we were met by powerful
opposition. a combination OF cana
dian capital quickly organized ana
petitioned for the same privileges
Old Rrokaw knew what it meant. IL
was the hand of tho trust-disguiscd
under a veneer of Canadian promoters
They called us 'aliens'-Amcrican
.money-grabbers' robbing Canadians OF
what Justly belonged to them They
aroused two.thirds of the press against
us, and yet"
The lines in Whittemore's face soft
ened. He chuckled as he pulled out
his pipe and began filling 1t,
"They had to go some TO Dcat the
old man, Creepy. l don't know just
how Brokaw pulled tho thing Off but
I do know that when We won out
three members of Parliament n half
a dozen other politicians were hon
orary members of our organization
and that it cost Brokaw a hundred
thousand dollars. Our opponents had
raised such u howl, calling upon the
patriotism of the country and pointing
out tina the people OF the north would
resent this invasion Of foreigners,
that we succeeded in getting only a
provisional license. subject TO with.
drawal by the Government at any
time conditions seemed to warrant It.
I,saw in this no blow to my scheme,
for | was certain that we could
carry the thing along on such n
square basis that within a year the
whole country would be in sympathy
with us. ! expressed my views with
GlltlluolGSlll hi OuA AilA'A AAAN'N'A'0f ''N''
the seven of us met to complete our
plans. Brokaw and the other five
were to direct matters in the south;
I was to have full command OF af-
fairs in the north. a month later
/ was at work. i've here"-he lean.
cd over Gregson's shoulder and placed
n forefnger on the map-"I establish
ed our headquarters, with MacDoug'
all, n Scotch engineer, TO help me
Within SIX months We had n hundred
. and fifty men at Blind Indian Lake,
and another gang putting in stations
over a stretclE OF more than a hun
dread miles OF lake country. livery
thing was working smoothly, better
than I had expected. At Blind Indian
Lake we had a shipyard. two ware
houses. icehouses, n company store
and n population of three hundred
and had nearly completed a ten-milt
roadbed for narrow.gauge steel, which
would connect us with the main Lint
when It came up TO US. I was com
pIetely lost in my work. At times
almost forgot Brokaw and tho others
I was particularly careful Of the fund
sent UP to me. and had accomplish,
my work at a cost of a little unde
a hundred thousand. At h end o
the six months, when 1 was about Il
make a visit into the south, on
of our warehouses and ten thousan,
dollars worth of supplies went u
In smoke. 1t was our first misfor
Etune, and it was a big one. IT wa
about the first matter that / brough
up after I had shaken hands wit
Brokaw."
Philips face was set and white a
he stood in the middle OF tho roor
looking at Gregson.
"And what do you think was hi
reply, Creepy? He looked at me 70
y moment, a peculiar twitching aroun
tho of his mouth, and the
said, Don't allow a trivial matter Xix
that to worry you, Philip. Why-we'v
already cleaned up a million on TIL
little fish dealt"
Gregson sat up with a jerk.
"A million! Great Scott"
Yes. a million. Creepy" said Philil
softly. with his old fighting smil
-There was a hundred thousand do