The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1921-07-15


ping up, on a tumbling stock market,
Of the opportunity now presented 20
them Of owning-actually owning In
fee simple-their own railroad, the
buying TO be done quietly through Mr..
Chadwlck's brokers In Chicago and
New York.
There was some opposition and
IangIlng and see-sawing back and
forth, OF course, but the newspapers,
led by the Mountaineer. took hold, and
then, pretty soon, everybody took
hold after which the only trouble was
to keep peOple-our own rank and file
among them--from buying p. $. l..
Common so fast that the New York
ers would catch on and run the price
! up.
They didn't catch On-not until after
II was too late; and the minute Mr..
| Chadwick wired US from Chicago that
| we were safe, the strike went off, as
! you might say, between two minutes,
1 and Mr.. Norcross called meeting OF
| stockholders, the same to be held
bless your heart lin Portal City, the
thriving metropolis Of the region in
which, counting Mr. Chadwick in as
one Of MS, a good, solid voting major
ity Of the stock was now held. The
MOuntaineer printed the call, and 1t
spoke of the railroad as "Our railroad
company!
The meeting was held in due time,
and Mr.. Chadwick was there to pre-
side. He made a cracking good chair
man. and the way he dilated on the
fact that now the country-and the
emplOyees-had q railroad Of their
own, and that the whole nation would
be looking TO see how we would de-
monstrate the problem we had taken
over. actually brought cheers-think
of IT; cheers in a railroad stOckhold-
ers' meeting!
Following Mr.. Chadwick's talk there
was the usual routine business; re-
ports were read and 1t was shown that
the Short Line, Notwithstanding all the
stealings and mismanagements, was
still good going proposition at the
| price at which 1t had been bought In.
| A new board of directors was chosen,
and as soon as the new board got to-
gether, Mr.. Norcross went back to his
office in the headquarters, rot as gen
eral manager, this time-nOt on your
life but as the newly elected presi-
dent of Pioneer Short Line. And by
| the same token, the first official cir
| cular that came out--a copy of which
sent, tied up with blue ribbon, to
| Malsie Ann--read like this:
"To all Employees:
EFFECTIVE this day, Mr.. James F.
| Dodds is appointed assistant to the
president with headquarters in Portal
City.
90. Norcross, President"
That's all; all but little talk be-
tween the boss and Mr.. Upton Van
Britt that took place In our office on
the day after Mr.. Van Britt, still kick
ing about the hard work that the boss
was always piling upon him, had been
appointed general manager.
you've made the rifle, Graham
Just as I said you would" said our
own and only millionaire, after he had
got through abusing the fates that
wouldn't let him go back east and play
: with his coupon shears and his yachts
: and polo ponies. you're going to
! he the biggest man this side of the
mountains, some day; and the day isn't
so very far Off either"
It was Just here that the boss got
out Of his chair and walked to the
other end of the room. When he came
back 1t was to say:
"You think l have won out, Up
ton, and so does everybody else. |
suppose it looks that way to the man
in The street. But haven't, you know.
have lost the one thing for which
/ would gladly give all the business
success I have ever made or hope TO
| make"
Mr.. Van Britt's smile was more than
half grin.
"It isn't lost, Graham: it's only gone
before Can't you wait a decent lit
| tie while?"
"If l should wait all my life II
wouldn't be long enough, Upton" was
the reply. "What you said to me
that time when we first spoke of Col
lingwood-was true. You said she
loved the other man-and so she did"
This time Mr.. Van Britt's smile was
a whole grin.
al said it, and I'll say 1t again. She
didn't realize it or admit 1t, even to
herself, you know; she's too good and
clean-hearted for anything like that.
But could see it plainly enough, and
so could everybody else except the
two people most nearly concerned.
didn't mean HOWE Collingwood: you
were the other man. Graham"
At this the boss whirled short
around and tramped to the other end
of the room again, standing for quite
little while with one foot on the
low window-sill and making out like
he was looking down at the traffic
gathering along in Nevada avenue.
But I'll bet a quarter he never saw
| ,,,l,ooN yUhnx. ha 40 mo