Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1919-03-21

| connexions between the valley IOWuS.
Richard lost the feeling of having
gone into a remote and isolated re-
giOn. The twin towns were on the
map. 4
| One of the older men returned his
nod. The young men returned their
! hastily withdrawn attention to their
game of checkers. The other smoker
was watching with cross-eyed absorb
| ton the rings his cigar was sending
into the air. Richard might not have
been there.
One of the checker players looked
UP.
Anything can do for you? Do you
want to see anyone in PARTICULAR"
"No," it was admitted. mo one in
particular. 1 was just looking round"
Its the show place Of Calexico. I'll
take you around. 1t is the only place
in town that is comfortable when it's
| hot, or when the wind blows, AND
that's the program all summer. Take
my place, Pete"
/ Pete, the young giant with the face
of his infancy enlarged rather than
matured, slipped into the vacant chair.
He had been the first to discover the
stranger, but he had evaded the re-
sponsibility. The game Immediately
absorbed him.
Its nice here" repeated the young
/ fellow, leading the way. They were
followed by few idle glances.
Richard looked with approval at the
the courtesy of the towns. The fine
handsome face was almost too girlish,
the muscles of the mouth too sensitive
yet for manly beauty, but he liked the
type 1.-the as a young desert-reared
Indian, his manner and carriage told
of careful home and rigid school dis
cipline.
He was ushered into a large cool
room. The furnishings he inventoried:
a few stiff chairs, long table and
typewriter desk, closed for the Sab
bath.
1.-The stenographer's room," an
nounced the lad superfuously.
"Whose stenographer''
General property now. Everyone
has right to use her time. She used
to be Hardin's, the general managers.
She is his still, in a way. But Ogilvie
keeps her busy most of the time
Richard had not heard of Ogilvie.
He made mental register.
"When did Hardin go out?" He
knew the date himself. He expected
the answer would trail wisps of other
information. He had a very active Gu
riosity about Hardin. The mans fail
ures had been spectacular.
The young fellow was thinking
aloud 1.-The dam went November
10Th. Hardin was given a decent in
terval to resign. OF course he was
fired It was an outrage" He re-
membered that he was speaking to a
stranger and broke off suddenly. Rick
ard did not question him. He made
another note Why was it an outrage
or why did it appear SO? In perspec-
tive, from the Mexican barranca,
where he had been at the time, the
failure of that dam had been another
bar sinister against Hardin.
II see that you are from the Univer-
sity of California;" Richard said, and
nodded at the pin of gold and blue
enamel.
"Out for a year." glowed the lad.
dad wanted me to get some real stuff
~, To hn n
would give me more lessons-mOre real
knowledge in year than I'd get in
six at college. I kicked up an awful
row.
The older man smiled. '"Of course.
You don't want to go back now
The boy made a wry face. He ex-
! poets me to go back in August. Says
I must"
"You did not tell me your name"
was suggested.
"MacLean, George MacLean," said
the young man rather consciously. 1t
was good deal to live up to. He al
ways felt the appraisement which fol-
lowed that admission. George Mac
Lean, elder, was known among the
railroad circles to be man of iron,
one of the strongest of the heads of
the Overland Pacific system. He was
not the sort of man a son could speak
lightly of disobeying
''Of course everyone calls me Jun
Tor"
II guess you'll go back if he wants
you to-" smiled Richard
ooh, but what rotten trick it
would be!'' exclaimed the son of the
man of iron. 'To throw me out Of
college, was daffy to finish with my
class, and to get me here, to get me in
terested-and then after I've lost nay
place to pull me back. Why, there are
things happening every day that are d
liberal education. They are only just
beginning to understand what they are
bucking up against. The COloradO's
: an unknown quantity; even old engi-
neers are right up against it. There
! are new problems coming up every