"The light began to dawn yesterday, my dear
little enemy, following an interesting half-hour which I put in with
His Honour the Mayor. Acting upon suspicion only, I told Poundstone I
was prepared to send him to the rock-pile if he didn't behave himself
in the matter of my permanent franchise for the N.C.O.--and the oily
old invertebrate wept and promised me anything if I wouldn't disgrace
him. So I promised I wouldn't do anything until the franchise matter
should be definitely settled--after which I returned to my office, to
find awaiting me there no less a person than the right-of-way man for
the Northwestern Pacific. He was a perfectly delightful young fellow,
and he had a proposition to unfold. It seems the Northwestern Pacific
has decided to build up from Willits, and all that powwow and
publicity of Buck Ogilvy's about the N.C.O. was in all probability
the very thing that spurred them to action. They figured the C.M. &
St.P. was back of the N.C.O.--that it was to be the first link of a
chain of coast roads to be connected ultimately with the terminus of
the C.M. & St.P. on Gray's Harbour, Washington, and if the N.C.O.
should be built, it meant that a rival road would get the edge on
them in the matter of every stick of Humboldt and Del Norte redwood--
and they'd be left holding the sack.
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