The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-12-29
Erening Story
Two and a Bridge.
Ell ANDERSON MILLER.


The primal command to Adam to
! earn his bread by the sweat of his
brow was certainly being applied lit
| orally in his own case, thought Robert
j owen gloomily, as he regarded the
moist lump that represented what had
been, a few hours ago, fresh and
spotless handkerchief. The train was
/ moving leisurely thru a district in
western Pennsylvania where there was
not tree, as far as he could see thru
the grimy windows, that was more
| than ten feet high.
| The sun beat down on the country,
and from the gray-green earth reflect
| ed heat waves leaped back, quivering
and distcrting the, view Owen, tho
clad as lightly as possible, was literal
| ly sweltering.
He thought regretfully of the cool
| quiet of the club lounge which he had
| left twenty hours before; the shaded
veranda the icy shower baths, the in
MIGRATING chill of the swimming pool.
And he had let the chief talk him
into making this trip on the off chance
of getting the contract for putting up
q bridge over some forsaken river or
other in the wilds of the state, off the
| main line.
He groaned as he thought that he
/ would probably be marooned up there
for the better part of a week, inter-
viewing county commissioners and
highway experts in little boxlike Of
| fees that smell of dust and were
abominably hot.
| He mopped his brow again, more
| from force of habit than with any ex-
pectation of mitigating his discomfort,
and glanced out of the window at the
! station which the train was at that
moment languidly leaving. Phillips
VILE" said the gilt letters. Only two
more stops to Spring Valley-that, at
| least, was a comfort.
He would see the head of the state
| highway department that afternoon
| and try to be comfortable during the
night, at least. He wondered what
Spring Valley was like. For the TWEEN
tieth time that day he drew the letter
from the highway department from
his pocket and read it, from the cour-
teous opening to the "Yours truly, J.
HARRISON. Conn.,
1t was q nice letter and 81 Harbi-
SON. had a nice signature-that at
a smoky old fogy-he was sure of
that. q. Spring Valley!" roared
the conductor, and Owen leaped to his
feet and hurried from the train,
clutching his rolls of blueprints and
| his suitcase.
Spring Valley was not prepos-
sessing to the eye. At the station were
| three dilapidated looking vehicles
drawn by somnolent horses and
manned by dusky Jehus who babb1ed
increasingly the merits of the hotels
they represented.
Owen took the least Objectionable of
| these and was transported in due time
| to the Mansion House. His first opin-
! ion of the Mansion House was that it
wasn't. The usual desk and clerk;
the usual languid bellboy; the usual
| crawling elevator; the usual room
! with the usual golden oak furniture.
| and the usual prospect of the usual
! travesty of a meal at o'clock. He
inquired the way to the state highway
! commissioners office and departed
| His inquiry for Mr.. HARRISON was
greeted with a grin by the boy who
| took his card, and presently he was
showns into a room that belied his
| preconceived ideas. It was spotlessly
clean and had the air of having but
recently been gone over-an air con-
spicuously> lacking in most of the Of
fices owen had visited in his time. A
girl was seated at a desk. writing
Mr.. Owen?"
"Yes-to see Mr. HARRISON about
that bridge" Harrison had taste in
secretaries, he thought. But her next
words took him off his feet.
81 am Miss HARRISON" the young
lady replied calmly. Wont you sit
down ?"
"The-the highway commissioner?
"Of counsel" WithNa little laugh.
II was elected last fall. You
want to see me about the Bell river
| bridy e. What is it exactly you Want?''
| Owen recovered from his astonish-
ment and told her. But there were
many details to go into. and It was
half-past five before he knew it.
| Look here" said Miss HARRISON,
directly, 1--WE have a lot to talk about.
Suppose you come up to the house
| after dinner and Wen get on with the
work. live at is Cherry street-it's
easy to find. About eight--good after
\ noon!"
! Owen repaired to Is Cherry street
at the time suggested. 1t was a cool
| looking house with a cool-looking YER
anda and lot of cool-looking chairs;
and Miss HARRISON was there to meet
him in cool-looking frock; and he
met her mother, who was nice old
| lady, evidently very proud Of her
daughter; and for many hours the
two of them set up and discussud esti-
mates and time clauses and bonuses
and penalties and such things; and at
IL o'clock Owen went back to the no.
tel tired but at peace with the world.
He was sure that he would be able to
put the contract thru in fine syle: and
he had lost his fear of the conferences
| in the hot. smoky offices. y Spring
Valley didn't seem such a bad place
after all.
! For the rest OF the week he was
very busy putting the final details
into shape, and he left for New York
on Saturday with the contract in his
pocket, after a very pleasant evening
spent in calling unofficially on J. Has-
bison, highway commissioner. His
chief congratulated him.
Il suppose you're glad to be back
from that hole in the ground he said
/ 'Well-to tell you the truth, chief
I was hoping you'd let me go up
| there again. I'd like to see the work
started, at least-and 1 know the
ground, and-and-" he finished
| lamely.
The chief looked at him for mo-
ment thru half-shut eyes, then
! laughed. "Al right Bob he