The Ocala evening star., 1922-06-09

signs of anger, nor even Of surprise.
This isn't Winnipeg, Wnl," she
said, with little happy catch In her
voice.
The marvel Of their love transdg-
ured them In each others sight. They
were hardly aware Of Bowyer's depar-
ture. 1t was not until Molly realized
that there was the supper to prepare
that she became practical once more.
why must you go tomorrow" she
asked, wistfully. "a message could be
sent to Kitty"
"It's more than that, Molly" said
Wilton. IT'S the line itself-Joe's
work-that Is at stake, and I've got
to be at the shareholders meeting on
Monday morning. You see, it's this
way" he went on to explain
I'VE laid out our route to cross Big
Muskeg at this point, and miles have
been completed. But our surveyors
were either too optimistic or had been
bought by Bowyer. We found, when
1t was too late to change our plans,
that Big Muskeg was harder propo-
sition than anyone had suspected.
There's forty feet and more Of quick
mud where we believed bedrock to
exist a few feet down. The records
lied. And you can't lay a permanent
way upon mud.
"The shareholders are frightened,
and Phayre, of the Bank Of New
North Manitoba, who Is an influential
| one, and represents Bowyer, has had
the tip from him to make trouble.
Bowyer didn't want the line till the
transcontinental route was shifted
! northward. Now he does, partly be-
cause we shall ultimately link up with
1t and become q valuable property.
| And I think he suspects that there's
! something in our territory worth the
| developing.
1.-The plan is to refer the situation
to a commission Of engineers who, Of
course, would be largely in Bowyer's
: pay, and who would report that the
| present route is not feasible. That
would mean increasing our capital,
and the issue Of new stock would give
Bowyer and Phayre the controlling
interest. AS things stand, Joe con-
trolls the company, although he hasn't
actually majority Of the shares.
"Joe would take most chances, but
he wouldn't gamble with the fortunes
| of those who trusted him, even to
| fight Bowyer. He wanted to have rea.
sonable hopes that the line could be
| pushed through. He gave me his
power Of attorney to vote for him, In
case of accident. And I have 1t here
That's why must be at the meeting
Molly. Otherwise that motion for an
engineers commission goes through
And Bowyer told me that he means
to have the line. But Kitty'n fight
him. Joe made no mistake when he
took her for partner"
"She was as true as steel to Joe,
said Molly. kitty and Joe were very
good to me when I was in Winnipeg
last winter. But what do you thini
Mr.. Bowyer meant by his suggestion
about coal on your landsr'
"There is no COAL" said Wilton
''Molly, dear, I'll tell you what our Sc
the secrets mine now, and can tel
you. 1t isn't coal-ft's clay"
"Clay, Wilton?"
"Clay. It's more valuable than Goa
or gold. It's clay land that the whea
grows on, or rather in the rich topsoi
of loan, with the clay subson to sea
and preserve the rainfall, yet easil.
drained with little labor.
81 discovered it when I was pros
|
It's probably an extension Of the New
Ontario clay belt, and, IL 50, it run
for hundreds Of miles through thi
part of northern Manitoba. 1t mean
that the wheat area Of Canada vii
be increased by thousands Of squar
!, miles. 1t means homes and prosper
. ity for thousands who are now Strug
: Cling for a bare living In our cities.
THAT appealed to Joe. He was
, man, IL ever there was one. BE say
the money I'm n, and the value Of th
line, but he saw further than that. H
was looking ahead, years after he wa
, gone. He wanted to do good In hi
own way. He'd had hard time whe
he was a young man. And because pet
pie believed in Joe, though he dare
not tell them his secret, they lent hill
the capital, and took up his share:
That was Joes dream-and it's mine
Molly"
She listened breathiessly as he n
vealed his dream to her, and yet, pei
haps, womanlike, she was happy ratf
er in the revelation Of himself tina
: in the altruism of the dead man.
"That's what the Missatibi meant
1 joe" said Wilton. That's why W
mean to fight to keep it out Of Bow
{ yer's hands. Molly, dear, when
i realized that Joe was dead everythin
E seemed ended for the line. 1 couldn
see how we were going to carry o
. without him. It's only now-now ths
1 have found something as well as los
everything l can begin to pic
l. up my courage"
She laughed and put her face dow