The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1920-06-18

he found Tom Stone was to go ou
with him as constructing engineer ii
he hadn't wanted to make good with
Nora Rounds, and, being essentially a
mans man, undertook to do it by
making good with her father.
Contractor Rounds himself, know
ing both men had an eye on pretty
Nora, took it none too seriously when
Halpern pointed out that while the
Trans-Asian railroad had ordered the
bridge flung across the half-mile
gorge in far-off Burma with a lavish
disregard of cost no man could re-
fuse, they wanted it built in a min.
imum of time that presented. enough
difficulties to satisfy any ordinary
bridge builder without adding To
them by signing on man of Stones
quick, unruly spirit and jealous tenn
per.
"He's capable civil engineer, if IL
wasn't for his black temper with any
one over him." Halpern said. "a
bridge builder hasn't chance unless
he's a sort of uncrowned king with
absolute authority over all his men.
I'll have trouble enough lodging that
spiders web of forfeitures for DELAY
the Trans-Asian has tied us up with.
without him to foment discord among
the superstitious Burmese natives
I'll have to depend on to fill up the
scant crew of American bridgemen
you're allotting me, Mr.. Rounds"
"You know 1 haven't the money to
pay for breaking Stones contract,
Halpern," he said. ''Im in a financial
hole that will swamp me unless you
make good on that bridge; it's make
or break for me on that, son."
Halpern was under no illusion as to
the difficulties he would face in fling
ing the gossamer steel structure uf
the mammoth bridge across the tropic
gorge, with it's towers set to defy the
terrific winds of the monsoon OIL
mighty caissons sunk in the river
that swirled 800 feet below it. But
he knew Rounds could not find all
Sother dependable engineer to take the
contract, as he had, on the conting-
ency of partnership if he made good;
besides he was serving his own per-
sonal Interest," very big interest
with little Nora, when he said shortly,
as Rounds knew he would:
I'm sticking, of course, Mr..
Rounds" and went on his way halt
around the world to make good be-
fore he asked for the girl he wanted
A week of exasperated effort in the
distant Burmese seaport-a week Of
precious time he could i'll afford tC
lose-acauainted in rounding up re-
luctant native laborers and riveters
to rustic their equipment inland, and
fill out his crew of workmen, served
to swamp his distrust in Stone IL
more immediate worries, chief among
them being the necessity of taking Oil
an Eurasian, as interpreter for his
Burmese after he had failed to un
earth a native who could fill the post.
tits Hobsons choice Halpern told
his assistants. 81 can't waste any
more time. But I'm slated for troubte
with him; that drop of white blood
knocks the native stand-up fight out
of them, and they hate white man
because the black blood keeps thel1
bringing, so they lay for him in the
dark. Keep an eye on him Stone
Stone eyes him abliquely, with the
smoldering thought that if Haipern
failed he might still get his chance
with Pretty Nora, in spite of her EN-
Dhatic "No" she had sent him OF
with Halpern, the chief he was ex
pected to back loyalty in this far-ofi
wilderness, being as he shrewdly sur
missed, the one who stood between
him and the girl, he wouldn't grieve
if the gigantic enterprise that had
already set the Burmese valley re-
sonding to the clangor of steel and
the blows of hammer on her hot meta
came to naught, in spite of Rounds
vital dependence on it's success. MOI
if it meant his rivals undoing.
Halpern was bending every energy
to the work, driving his men as they
put the tangle of beams and rods, ci
trusses and braces together, with the
traveller, the huge derrick, dillgentl,
swinging it's long arm over them, as
tirelessly as he had concentrated on
the estimates that had given him the
thickness of every bolt, the exact ell
feet of wind and vibration, of the ex
pansion Of heat and cold on every rod
till he knew just where to use a rigid
steel and where a steel so flexible