The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-08-15
BY ROBERT STEAD
Author of "The Gov Punehsrs-"Ths Home
Neighbour" etc
copyrisht BY ROBERT STEAD
CHAPTER xll-Contlnued.
A Novel of the Foothills


CHAPTER xil-contlnued.
Is
The two friends discussed at great
length the details of the Big Idea, and
upon arrival in the West, Linder lost
no time In preparing blueprints and
charts descriptive Of the improve
ments to be made on the land and the
order in which the work was TO be
carried on Grant bought a tract suit
able TO his purpose, and the wheeis
of the machine were set in motion.
When this had been done Grant
turned to the working out of his own
individual experiment.
During the period in which these ar
rangements were being made 1t was
inevitable that Grant should have
heard more or less of Transley. lie
had not gone out of his way to seek
information of the contractor, but it
rather had been forced upon him.
TranSley's name was frequently heard
in the offices of the business men with
whom he had to do; 1t was mentioned
in local papers with the regularity pc
cuiar TO celebrities in comparatively
small centers. Transley, it appeared,
had become something of power IN
the land. Backed by old Y.D's capi-
tai, he had carried some rather daring
ventures through to success. de had
seized the panicky moments following
the outbreak of the war TO buy heavily
on the wheat and cattle markets, ana
increases in prices due TO the worlds
demand for food had made him one
of the wealthy men of the city. The
desire of many young farmers to enlist
had also afforded an opportunity to
acquire their holdings for small con-
siderations, and Transley had proved
his patriotism by facilitating the am
billions of as many men in this posi-
tion as came to his attention. The
fact that even before the war ended
the farms which he acquired in this
way were worth several times the
price he paid was only an incident In
the transactions.
But no word of Transley's domestic
affairs reached Grant, who told him
ested in them, but kept an alert ear
nevertheless 1t would seem that
Transley rather eclipsed his wife in
the public eye.
So Grant set about with the devel-
opment of his own farm, and kept his
mind occupied with it and with his
larger xperiment-except when 1t
went flirting with thoughts of Phyllis
Bruce. He had written to Murdoch
TO engage Phyllis at any price and
bring he West with him. She would
be needed in the new business. He
had intimated that the change would
be permanent, and that 1t might be
well to bring the family. -.
\ He selected a farm where ridge
of foothills overlooked broad valley
receding into the mountains. The
dealer had no idea of selling him this
particular piece of land; they were
bound for half section farther up the
slope when Grant stopped on the brow
of the hill TO feast his eyes on the
scene that lay before him. 1t burst
upon him with the uneXpectedness pc
culiar TO the foothill valleys; miles of
gently undulating plain, lying appar-
emily far below, but In reality rising
in a sharp ascent toward the snow
capped mountains looking down silent
ly through their gauze of blue-purple
afternoon mist. At distances which
even his trained eye would not at
tempt to compute lay little round
lakes like silver coins en- the surface
of the prairie; here and there were
dark green bluffs of spruce; to the
right a ribbon of river, blue-green
save where the rapids churned 1t
white, and along its edge fringe of
leafy cottonwoods; at vast intervals
square black plots of plowed land like
sections on a chessboard of the gods,
and farm buildings cut so clear In the
mountain atmosphere that the sense
of space was lost and they seemed
like child-houses just across the way.
Grant turned to his companion with
an animation on his face which almost
startled the prosaic dealer in real
estate.
Wonderful! Wonderful !" he ex-
claimed 1--WE don't need to go any
farther If you can sell me this
"Sure / can sell you this" said the
dealer, looking at him somewhat
queerly. ''That is, If you want 1t. |
thought you were looking for wheat
farm"
The mans total lack of apprecia-
ton irritated Grant unreasonably
"Wheat fills the belly" he retorted,
"but sunsets keep alive the soul. What
is the price%
Again the dealer gave him a queer
sidelong look, and made as though to
argue with him, then suddenly seemed
to change his purpose. Perhaps he
reflected that strange things happened
to the boys overseas.
"I'll get you the price in town." he
said You are sure it will suit?"
"Suit? No king in Christendom has
his palace on a site like this. I'd go
round the world for it."
you're the DOCTOR" said the dealer,
turning his car.
Grant completed the purchase. or
dered lumber for house and barn,
and engaged a carpenter to superin-