And they are not
missing very many bets, either. Oh, Gray's all right; he's square
enough and willing enough to stand by his word. But he can't do
everything. It takes time to get matters up to him, and it takes time
for him to adjust them. And right now he's in San Francisco attending
a railroad conference, and he'll be there fifteen days, I suppose.
What sort of service do you suppose we get in the mean time? You get
that idea out of your head that Swinnerton isn't doing anything
actively to retard us. He's doing everything he can think of, and I
told you at the jump that the man has brains."
As well as a man could understand it without actually going over the
ground, Conniston learned that afternoon all that Bat Truxton's
assistant could tell him. He learned, roughly, of course, how much had
been done already, what remained to be done first, what could be
allowed to wait until more men came to swell the forces now at work,
what chief natural difficulties and obstacles lay across the path of
the great venture.
Little Tommy Garton's enthusiasm was so keen a thing, so spontaneous,
so whole-souled, that long before time came for the noon meal
Conniston felt his own blood pounding and clamoring for action.
Swiftly he was granted the first true glimpse which had ever come to
him of the real nature of work. Such work as he was now about to
engage in was so infused with the elements of hazard, of risk, of
uncertainty, of opposition, that it was shot through with a deep,
stern fascination.
Pages:
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193