The Elk Mountain pilot., 1921-05-26


had been working like horse to pull
contempt and hostility into which
more or less justly aroused public
enmity had dumped it; and now. just
as he was beginning to get it up over
the edge, he had been plainly notified
that he was going 10 be killed IL he
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 a cooked
hat
There was every reason, now, to
hope that the experiment was going
to be a success, at least. at our end
of 1t, If it could go on just 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, just
as the police will let man alone
where there is reason to believe that
he has taken a brace and is trying
Ills DeSI 10 Wdlk StIufSnt.
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, If enforced
to the letter would have left the rail-
road management with little to do but
to pay the bills; for these something
better was to Be substituted. We had
Governor-elect Burrelps assurance for
this. He had met the boss In the lobby
of the Bullard the day after the cleo
ton. and I had heard him say:
You have kept your promise, Nor
cross. For the first time in its his
tory, your railroad has let a state
campaign take its course without bully
Ing, bribery, or underhanded corrup-
tion. You'll get your reward. We
are going to have new laws, and a
Railroad Commission with authority
to act both ways-for the people when
they need 1t. If you can show that
the present laws are unjust to your
earning powers. you'll get relief and
the people of this commonwealth will
cheerfully pay the bills"
Past all this, though. and even past
the murderous Vaccinations of the
disappointed grafters, there was the
old sore: the original barrier that no
amount of internal reform could break
down. There could be no permanent
prosperity for the Short Line while its
majority stock was controlled by men
who cared absolutely nothing for the
property as a working factor in the
life and activities of the region 1t
served.
That was the way Mrs. Sheila had
put 1t to the boss, one evening along
in the summer when they were sit
ting out on the Hendricks porch, and
had butted in. as usual, with bunch
Of kilograms that didn't matter. She
had said that the experiment couldn't
be a success unless the conditions
could be changed in some way; that
SO long as the railroads were owned
or controlled by men of the Mr.. Dun
ton sort and used as counters in the
money-making game. there would never
he any real peace between the COM
panies and the people at large.
1t was at Bauxite Junction that we
picked up Mr.. Hornack. was glad
when I saw him come in. had Just
been thinking that it wasn't healthy
for the boss to be grilling there at
the window so long alone. and knew
Mr.. Hornack would keep him talking
about something or other all the rest
Of the way in.
For little while they talked busi-
ness. By and by the business talk
wound itself up and heard Mr.. Hor-
mack say: II saw Ripley going In on