The L'Anse sentinel., 1921-06-24

we had hit the trap. going at even or
dinary mountain-climbing speed, there
would have been nothing left to tell
the tale but heap of scrap at the
bottom Of the thousand-foot dump.
Under Mr.. Van Britt's directions the
engineer and fireman of the pilot en-
gine brought tools and the break was
repaired.
While they were doing II the boss
stood aside with Mr.. Van Britt, and
heard what was said. Mr.. Van Britt
began 1t by saying, "We don't need
any detectives this time. You are on
your way TO -Strathcona to put crimp
In the smelter squeeze-the last Of
the Red Tower monopolies-so Dawes
told me. He was probably foolish
enough to tell others, and the word
was passed to scrag you before you
could get to 1t. This trap was set to
catch your special"
Evidently" barked the boss; and
then: "How did you happen to be
here on that engine. Upton?"
"Tve been ahead of you all the way
up from Portal City," was the calm
reply. II thought 1t might be safer
If you had pilot to show you the
way. l guess l must have had a
hunch."
The boss turned on him like flash.
"You had something more than a
hunch: what was it-a wire" =.
Mr.. Van Britt gritted his teeth a
little, but he told the truth.
"Yes; a friend of ours tipped me
off-not about the broken track; of
course. but just in 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 capitalw
But at this Mr.. Van Britt seemed
to forget that he was talking to his
general manager.
"It's none Of your id business
where 1t came FROM" he snapped back
and that ended It.
the. near-disaster 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 I thought maybe
he had gone back to Portal City on
the regular train. But at the station
l 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
The boss was pretty quiet all the
way on the run down the mountain
| to Bauxlte, and, for wonder, III
didn't pitch into the work at the desk
I could tell pretty well what he wal
| thinking about. For six months HI
had been working like horse to pul
the Short Line out of the mudhole o
contempt and hostility into which
more or less justly aroused public
enmity had dumped 1t; and now, jus
as he was beginning to get II up ovel
| the edge, he had been plainly notified
that he was going 10 be killed IL ht
didn't let go.
Just as the way seemed to be open
ing out to better things for the Short
Line, a mis-set switch or bullet In
the dark would knock the entire hard
built reform experiment into cooked
hat.
There was every reason, now, tC
hope that the experiment was goinf
to be q success, at least, at our enc
Of It, II 1t could go on just a little
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, JUS
as the police will let a man alone
where there Is reason to believe tha
he has taken 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 othel
state official; laws which, II enforced
| to the letter would have left the rail-
road management with little to do bu
to pay the bills; for these something
better was to be substituted. We hat
Governor-elect Burrell's assurance foi
this. He had met the boss In the lobby
of the Bullard the day after the elec
| ton. and ] had heard him say:
"You have kept your promise, Nor
cross. For the first time In its his
tory, your railroad has let stat'
campaign take its course without bully
| ing, bribery, or underhanded corrup
tion. You'll get your reward. W.
Il -