The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1919-02-13

tan slim TSuFe WHICH, "uo asouAiho
the courtesy of the towns. The fine
handsome face was almost too girlish,
the muscles of the mouth too sensitive
vet for manly beauty, but he liked the
type. 1.-the as young desert-reared
Indian. his manner and carriage told
of q careful home and rigid school dis
cipline.
He was ushered into large cool
room. The furnishings he inyentoried:
q few stiff chairs, a long table and
typewriter desk, closed for the Sab
bath.
"The stenographer's room," an.
nounced the lad superfluously.
"WhoSe stenOgrapher"
General property now. Everyone
has a 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"
Rickard had not heard of Ogilvie.
He made mental register.
"When did Hardin 60 out?" He
knew the date himself. He expected
the answer would trail wisps of other
information. He had very active Gu
riosity about Hardin. The mans fail
ures had been spectacular.
The young fellow was thinking
aloud. 'The dam went November
29th. Hardin was given decent in
terval to resign. Of course he was
fired. 1t 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.
81 see that you are from the Univer-
sity of California;" Rickard 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
in my head. He said the Colorado
would give me III ore lessons-more real
knowledge in I 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. II
was a 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 a man of iron
one Of the strongest of the heads of
the Cvc.iand Pacific system. He was
not the sort of man son could speak
lightly of disobeying.
"Of course everyone calls me Jun.
ior."
81 guess you'll go back if he wants
you to-" smiled Rickard.
"Oh, but what rotten trick it
would beT exclaimed the son of the
man of iron. ''To throw me out Of
college, was daffy to finish with my
class, and to &c, ne here, to get me in
terested-and thel after I've lost my
place to pull me back. Why, there are
things happening every day that are
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
day. The Indians call her a yellow
dragon, but she's a tricky woman,
she's an eel; she's giving us sums to
break our teeth on"
"Who has the next room?"
"Used to be the general managers.
Ogilvie uses 1t now."
"And who did you say was Ogil-
vie?" They turned back into the
room.
"You can 60 in. He's not here. He
is the new auditor, an expert account
ant from Los Angeles. Put in by the
o. P. when 1t assumed control last
year. He used to come down once
a month. After Hardin went out he
came down to stay"
"Whose say-so?"
81 don't know. The accounts were
rotten, that's no Office secret. The
world knows that. Hardin Is blamed
for it. It isn't fair. Look at Sather's
stone palace in Los Angeles. Look at
Hardin's tent, his shabby clothes"
'Td like to meet Ogilvie," observed
the general manager.
"Oh, he's not much to meet. A pale,
white-livered vegetarian, a theoso-
Dh;c& vo,,,ro eoo, low Tno Annolao