The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1924-10-08
a Novel Of the Foothills

stesd<rs"-"Nsishbors." etc.
ce,vrishe By ROBERT STEAD
CHAPTER xII-contInued.
-15-
The two friends discussed at grea
length the details Of the Big Idea, ant
upon arrival in the West, Under los
NO time in preparing blueprints ant
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 tract suit
able to his purpose, and the wheels
When this h.I Leen Gone Grant
turned to the working out of his own
individual experiment.
During the period in which these ar
engagements were being made 1t was
inevitable that Grant should have
heard more or less of Transley. He
had not gone out of his way to seek
information of the contractor, but 1t
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
culiar to celebrities In comparatively
small centers. Transley, it appeared,
had become something of a power in
the land. Backed by old Y.D.'s capt.
tai, he had carried some rather daring
ventures through to success. He had
uof1nd M fn1lnuinO
the outbreak of the war to buy heavily
on the wheat and cattle markets, and
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-
sideratioEs, and Transley had proved
his patriotism by facilitating the am
billions of as many men In this posi-
ton 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
self that he had ceased to be inter
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 1t and with his
larger experiment-except when 1t
went flirting with thoughts Of Phyllis
Bruce. He had written to Murdoch
to engage Phyllis at any price and
bring her 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
we'll to bring the family.
He selected a farm where a ridge
Of foothills overlooked a 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 sharp ascent toward the snow
capped mountains looking down silent
" through their gauze of blue-purple
afternoon mist. At distances which
even his trained eye would not at
empt to compute lay little round
axes like silver coins on the surface
# the prairie; here and there were
lark green bluffs Of spruce; to the
light q ribbon of river, blue-green
ave where the rapids churned 1t
White, and along its edge a fringe of
eafy cottonwoods at vast intervals
quare black plots Of plowed land like
ections on a chessboard Of the gods,
nd farm buildings cut so clear In the
fountain atmosphere that the sense
f space was lost and they seemed
Ike child-houses just across the way.
Grant turned to his companion with
n animation on his face which almost
tartled the prosaic dealer in real
state.
"Wonderfuli Wonderful !" he ex-
laimed. 1--WE don't need to go any
arther If you can sell me this"
"Sura / can sell you this" said the
ealer, looking at him somewhat
ueerly. THAT Is, If you want 1t. I
bought you were looking for wheat {
arm."
The mans total lack Of apprecia- !
on irritated Grant unreasonably.
Wheat fills the belly" he retorted, {
,ut sunsets keep alive the soul. What /
the price?"
Again the dealer gave him a queer
delong look, and made as though to I
que with him, then suddenly seemed
change his purpose. Perhaps he
Elected that strange things happened
the boys overseas. q
"Tll get you the price in t~11.,- he a
i'd. you are sure 1t will suit?"
"Suif? No king in Christendom has +