The L'Anse sentinel., 1922-08-18

~ opeHeu Her smut lluS, anu tne eyeb
that smiled into Wilton's did not show
signs of anger, nor even of surprise.
"This isn't Winnipeg. WILL" she
said, with a little happy catch In her
voice.
The marvel Of their love transfig-
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.
"We 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 few feet down. The records
lied. And you can't lay 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
northwar6 Now he does, partly be-
cause we shall ultimately link up with
1t and become valuable property.
And think he suspects that there's
something in our territory worth the
developing.
"The plan is to refer the situation
to 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 have it 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'll 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 l was In Winnipeg
last winter. But what do you think
Mr.. Bowyer meant by his suggestion
about coal on your lands?"
"There Is no COAL" said Wilton.
"Molly, dear I'll tell you what our Sc
cret is. was pledged to Joe-but
the secrets mine now, and I can tell
you. 1t isn't coal-it's clay"
"Clay, 'WiltonY
"Clay. It's more valuable than coal
or gold. It's clay land that the wheat
grows on, or rather in the rich topsoil
Of loan, with the clay subsoil to seal
and preserve the rainfall, yet easily
drained with little labor.
IL discovered 1t when / was pros
pecting up this way four years ago.
It's probably an extension of the New
Ontario clay belt, and, If so, 1t runs
for hundreds of miles through this
part of northern Manitoba. 1t means
that the wheat area Of Canada will
be increased by thousands Of square
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 a
man, If ever there was one. He saw
the money in 1t, and the value Of the
line, but he saw further than that. He
was looking ahead, years after he was
gone. He wanted to do good In his
own way. He'd had hard time when
he wasNa young man. And because peo-
pie believed In Joe, though he dared
not tell them his secret. they lent him
the capital, and took mp his shares.
That was Joe's dream-and It's mine,
Molly"
She listened breathlessly as he re-
vealed his dream to her. and yet, per-
haps, womanlike, she was happy rath-
er in the revelation of himself than
In the altruism of the dead man.
That's what the Missatibi meant to
Joe,' said Wilton, "That's why we
mean to fight to keep 1t out of Bow
yer's hands. Molly, dear, when I
realized that Joe was dead everything
seemed ended for the line. l couldn't
see how we were going to carry on
without him. It's only now-now that
1 have found something as well as lost
everything-that l can begin to pick
up my courage"
She laughed and put her face down