Charlevoix county herald., 1921-05-27

ne ndu SOHt DICK U Ioftui Oity oi
the regular train. But at the station
l saw the pilot engine just ahead OF
us again, and though i 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 Bauxlte, and, for wonder, he
didn't pitch into the work at the desk.
/ could tell pretty we'll 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
more or less justly aroused public
enmlty 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 70 be killed II 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 cooked
hat.
There was every reason, now, to
hope that the experiment was going
to be a success, at least, at our end
Of it, 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 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, 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 he substituted. We had
Governor-elect Burrell's assurance for
this. He had met the boss in the lobby
of the Billiard the day after the cleo
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 state
campaign take its course without bully
ing, bribery, or underhanded corrup-
ton. 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
it's needed. and for the carriers 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 VIII
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 he 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 II 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 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
be any real peace between the com
panies and the people at large.
It was at Bauxite Junction that we
picked up Mr.. Hornack. l was glad
when / saw him come In. l had just
been thinking that 1t wasn't healthy
for the boss to be grilling there at
the window so long alone, and l knew
Mr. Hornack would keep him talking
about something or other all the rest
of the way In.
For little while they talked bust
ness. BY and by the business talk
wound itself up and l heard Mr.. Hor-
mack say II saw Ripley going In on