The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-01-25
CHAPTER III
Silk.

SILK.
Around this time, within a week of
his dinner with Jennie Macarthur,
Joe got into q quarrel-not serious,
except as all business Quarrels are
serious-with Gregory Corbett.
Gregory had undertaken, for Cor
bett & Co., the building of the ma
chinery for Joe and his engineers had
made many changes. Joe had been
out of town and when he returned in
May he stormed around and finally
threatened In letter to Corbett, to
build a shop and do the work himself.
His object In all this-for Joe even
In his tantrums usually had one-was
merely to raise the temperature to the
steaming- point. His real indictment,
unstated, was that the Riverdale peo-
pie had been f1ddling with the job in
perfunctory way. He wanted to get
everybody mad enough so that things
would begin to hum and the lost time
could be made up. And 1t was really
rush job by now, for 1t had got well
into May, and the harvest that II was
so necessary to be ready for was not
many weeks away.
He was therefore seriously discon-
certed to receive, in the course of a
few days. coldly polite letter from
Gregory stating that Corbett & Co.
would be very glad to relinquish the
contract. All work upon it had, by
Gregory's orders, been stopped Joe's
iT1y hol nd DIV rv-
delivery to any messenger he might
send, and he was welcome to execute
them where and how he pleased
Ones own words don't make pleas
ant diet for anybody, but for Joe to
crawl down and apologize was almost
impossible. So he appealed to John
Williamson as a peacemaker. Will
hanson had been fishing, and for the
first fifteen minutes Joe could do moth
ing but listen to the bankers summary
of his piscatorial triumph.
Well-and what was the row with
Gregory all about, anyway?
Joe couldn't complain of his manner
of dealing with the business, once he
had brought his mind around TO It.
1t was likely he'd already heard Cor
belts version of the affair, and had
come to his own conclusion-probably
that Joe had made a id fool of
himself.
Il take 1t. then. you never had any
idea OF taking the Job away from Cor
bett & Co.. and never meant Greg to
think you had. And that all you want
now is to have them go ahead the way
they started"
Joe agreed. That was about It.
'Oh, Corbett's all right" the banker
said. "I'll see him today-was going
TO, anyhow, on another matter-and
I'll straighten things out"
The banker had stayed In his chair.
and now, for a minute before he an
swered, he drummed thoughtfully with
his fingers upon the desk. Look here.
Greer" he said at last. 1--WE known
Gregory Corbett long time-always,
you may say. knew his grandfather.
think you've got the idea that he's
a pompous ass. At least that he's act
ed that way about this Well. he
isn't. You've got him wrong. He's a
id able fellow. / was just think
fng. Have you ever done any trap
shooting? Clay pigeons, you know.
He and / shoot few frames almost
every Sunday morning. We both get
up early, and he comes over and has
breakfast with me, and then we go
out TO the traps and see what sort of
an eye we've got. Put quarter a
bird on 1t just to make 1t amusing
Why don't you drive up next Sunday
and join us?'
1t was touch and go, for mat.
ter of seconds, whether Joe wouldn't
tell him TO go to HI and take his clay
pigeons with him. Was it worth any
real mans while, trying to work in
harness with Judging, trifling lot like
that? With their pretended sports,
catching Stalled fish, shooting clay
birds! Pretended gambling TO keep
them amused Twenty-Five cents 8
bird-to millionaires And having to
be coddled into good temper before
they'd attend to what was their own
hlsiness
II was. Joe decided afterwards, a
matter of pure chance that tipped the
beam. He had, instinctively, turned
dw;ly from the banker in that first mo-
nent Of evaporation, and what came
under his eye was framed chalk
,'g;le. NJ Hanging alone on the wall. q
esif'r"it by Helleu of young girl. Joe