Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1921-04-08
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Ing old clothes like a mining pros
pector.
The big man was "Uncle John"
Chadwick, and If he was properly
astonished at seeing US turn up with
his lost engine. he didn't let it inter-
fere with our welcome. Mr.. Chadwick
seemed to know Mrs. Sheila; at any
rate, he shook hands with her and
called her by name. Then he grabbed
for the boss and fairly shouted at
him: "Well, well, Graham !-of all the
lucky things this side Of Mesopota-
mia Il! How the dev-how in thunder
did you manage to turn up here?" And
all that, you know.
The explanations, such as they were,
came later. AS matter of course.
the talk jumped first to the mysterious
hold-up and kidnapping and the reason
why. There had been no violence
the pistol shots had been merely
meant to scare the trainmen-and
there had been no attempt at robbery !;
for that matter, Mr.. Chadwick hadn't
: even seen the kidnapers, and hadn't
known what was going on until after
1t was all over.
Mr.. NOrcross told what we had seen,
and how we had come to be where we
were able to see it, but that didn't
help out much, either From any point
Of view 1t seemed perfectly foolish,
and the boss made mention of that.
II we hadn't happened to be there to
bring the engine back, the worst that
could have befallen Mr.. Chadwick and
the crew of the special would have
been few hours bother and sdelay.
In the course Of time the conductor
would have walked out and got to q
wire station somewhere, though It
might have taken him all night, and
then some, to get another engine.
Naturally, Mr.. Chadwick was red.
hot about it. on general principles.
guess he wasn't used to being kid
mapped.
II can't help thinking that It is con.
nected with what is due to happen
tomorrow morning, Graham" he said,
at the end of things. There are some
certain scoundrels in Portal City at
the present moment who wouldn't stop
at anything to gain their ends, and
am wondering now II Dawes wasn't
mixed up in It,"
"Who is Dawes?"
"Dawes is mining man in Portal
City, and before I'd been an hour in
town yesterday he hunted me up and
wanted me to 60 over to Strathcona
to look at some gold prospects he's
trying to finance. I said No at first,
because I was expecting you, and
thought you'd reach Portal City this
morning. When you didn't show up,
I knew had twelve hours n,ore on
my hands. and as Dawes was still
hanging on. had our trainmaster
give me special over to Strathcona,
on promise that I'd be brought back
early this evening, ahead of the
Flyer from the west-the train you
were on"
Mr.. Norcross nodded. "And the
promise wasn't kept"
mo promise Is ever kept on the
Pioneer Short Line" growled the big
magnate. And then. with a beauti-
full disregard for the mixed figures
Of speech: "Once in blue moon the
chapter Of accidents hits the bulls.
eye whack In the middle, Graham
When Hardshaw wired me from Port.
land, knew you couldn't reach Portal
| Cfty hofnpo chic ts,n NJ no
earliest. That was going to cut my
time pretty short, with the big gun
due to be fred tomorrow morning.
and you cut It still shorter by losing
twelve hours somewhere along the
road-they told me in the dis
patcher's Office that your train was
behind wreck somewhere up in
Oregon. But 1t has turned out all
right, in spite Of everything. You're
here, and we've got abe night before
u.s." Then suppose he nodded to-
ward me, for the boss said:
"Oh. Jimmie's all right; he knew
what had for dinner this evening,
and he'll know what I'm going to have
for breakfast tomorrow morning."
With the bride off, the big man
went ahead abruptly, cutting out all
the frills.
"You finished your building con.
tract on the Oregon Midland, Ora.
ham. and after the road was opened
for business you refused an offer of
the general managership. Would you
mind telling me why you did that"
"Not in the least. There is nothing
In it An operating head is now
nothing more than a score-keeper for
a national gambling game. The boss
gamblers around the railroad post in
the Stock exchange tell him what he
has to do and where he has to get
of. Stock gambling, under whatever
name 1t MISUNDERSTANDING values,
buying and selling margins, reorgan-
izations, with their huge rake-Offs for
the underwriters-is the incubus
which is crushing the life out Of the
nations industries. especially in the
railroad held. !. mnkes me wish I'd
never seen a raliroau tracn.