The Ordway new era., 1921-07-15

raj, and the end of the down-hiil ran
had been sprung out TO make ue-
railing switch. which was held In posi-
ton by the insertion or one Vi ''s
fish-plates between the raii-weos.
we had hit the trap. going AT even VI
| dinory mountain-climblng speed. ti'ere
would have been nothing left TO te''
| the tale but heap of scrap at 'ie
bottom of the thousand-foot dump.
Under Mr.. Van Britt's directions the
engineer and fireman of the plot en-
pine brought tools and the break was
repaired.
While they were doing it the boss
stood aside with Mr.. Van Britt anu
| heard what was said. Mr.. Van Britt
began it by saying. I'VE don't need
any detectives this time. You are on
your way to Strathcona to put crimp
in the smelter squeeze-the last ol
the Red Tower monopoies-so Dawes
told me. He was probably foolish
enough to tell others, and the woro
was passed to scrag you before you
could get 10 1t. This trap was set TO
catch your special"
.Evidently," barked the boss; ana
then: How did you happen to be
here on that engine, UptonT
1--WE been ahead of you all the way
up from Portal City," was the calm
reply. ~ thought it might be sater
II you had pilot TO show you the
way. l guess l must have had
hunch."
The boss turned on him like flash.
"You had something more than
hunch: what was it-a wire?
Mr.. Van Britt gritted his teeth
little, but he told the truth.
"Yes; friend of ours tipped me
off-not about the broken track, OF
course but just in n general way.
The break was repaired and the
men were taking the tools back to
the engine. AS we turned to follow
them, Mr. Norcross said: Just one
more question, Upton. Did your wire
come from the capitalT
But at this Mr.. Van Britt seemed
TO forget that he was talking to his
general manager.
ITS none of your id business
where it came from" he snapped back;
and that ended 1t.
Notwithstanding the slow run and
the near-dlsaster on Slide mountain,
we had our meeting with the .Strath-
| coma mine owners the following morn
ing; and that much of the special train
| trip served its purpose, anyway. The
boss met the miners good bit more
than halfway. and gave them their
relief-and the Hatch-owned smelter
| its knock-out-by promising that our
traffic department would make an ore
tariff to the Independent smelter on
the other side of the range low enough
to protect the producers.
1t was nearly three o'clock in the
afternoon before we got away for the
return to Portal City.
We had seen nothing of Mr.. Van
Britt during the day. and until we
came to start out l thought maybe
he had gone back 10 Portal City on
the regular train. But at the station
saw the pilot engine just ahead of
us again, and though | couldn't be
quite sure, thought | caught glimpse
of our athletic little general superin-
tendent on the fireman's box.
The boss was pretty quiet all the
way on the run down the mountain
to Bauxite, and, for wonder, he
didn't pitch into the work at the desk.
/ could tell pretty well what he was
thinking about. For six months he
had been working like horse to pull
the Short Line out of the mudhole of
contempt and hostility into which a
more or less justly aroused public
enmity had dumped 1t; and now, Just
as he was beginning to get 1t up over
the edge, he had been plainly notified
that he was going 10 be killed If he
didn't let go.
Just as the way seemed to be OPEN
ing out to better things for the Short
Line, mis-set switch or bullet in
the dark would knock the entire hard
built reform experiment into a cooked
hat.
There was every reason, now, to
hope that the experiment was going
to be success, at least, at our end
| ~ - - ~ 'ouiu Go VII just lltIle
farther. Slowly but surely the new
policy was winning its way with the
public. Traffic was booming, and al.
most from the first the Interstate Com.
merce inspectors had let US alone, just
as the police will let a man alone
where there Is reason to believe that
he has taken a brace and is trying
his best to walk straight.
Also. for the drastic intrastate reg
ulations-the laws about headlights
and safety devices. and grade cross
ings. and full crews, and the making
of reports to this. that. and the other
state official; laws which, IL enforced
to the letter would have left the rail