There was certainly but one reply to this.

"And ye won't see any, either. Gid Ward just bellowed once at that lawyer, and he ran away, ki-yi! ki-yi! You'll never hear any more railroad talk."

He expressed the public opinion, for even Seth, the guide, regretfully came to the conclusion that the tyrant of the West Branch had "backed down" the city men by his belligerent reception of their emissary.

But soon after the first of January the postmaster's daily paper brought some further news. The state legislature had a.s.sembled in biennial session that winter. In the course of its reports the newspaper stated that the "Po-quette Carry Railway Company," a corporation organized under the general law, had brought before the railroad commissioners a pet.i.tion for their approval of the project, and that a day was appointed for a hearing.

"The city men had the sand, after all," was his admiring comment. "They don't propose to start firing till they get all their legal ammunition ready, and that's why they've been waitin'. We're goin' to see warm times on the Spinnaker waters."

For that matter the daily newspaper brought to snow-heaped Sunkhaze intelligence of "warm times" at the hearing. The legal counsel and lobbyists who represented the puissant timber interests of the state protested against allowing this railroad corporation to acquire any rights across the wild lands.

It was pointed out that a dangerous precedent would be established; that forest fires would be sure to originate from the locomotive's sparks, and that the Poquette woods were the center of the great West Branch timber growth.

The counsel for the incorporators said that his clients realized this danger, and antic.i.p.ated that this objection, a potent one, would be made. They were willing to show their liberal intent by binding themselves to run their trains only in rainy or "lowery" weather, or when the ground was damp. In times of dangerous drought they would suspend operations.

"The Rainy-Day Railroad," as it was nicknamed immediately, excited considerable hilarity at the state-house and in the newspapers.

The matter was fought out with much animation. The counsel for the railway made much of the fact that these timber owners had fought the very reasonable state tax that had been imposed on their vast and valuable holdings. He drew attention to the needs of the sportsman cla.s.s, that was spending much money in the state each year, and declared that unless they were treated with some courtesy and generosity, they would go into New Brunswick.

But those deepest in the secrets of the very vigorous legislative fray knew that the timber-land owners feared more results than they advanced in their arguments against the charter.

For some years there had been rumors that extensive capital was ready to tap a certain big railway and afford a shorter cut to the sea. Such a cut-off would mean opening great tracts of woodland to the steam horse--and where the steam horse goes there go settlers. The timberland owners had found that settlers do not wait for clear t.i.tles, but squat and burn and plant until evicted, and eviction by course of law means expense and damage.

To be sure, the Poquette Carry line appeared on the surface to be so innocent that to allege against it the great whispered scheme seemed ridiculous. Therefore the counsel of the timber barons did not bring out in the committee-room hearings all they suspected, for fear that they would be laughed at.

So the Poquette Carry Road got what it asked for at last, the opposition daring to put forward only its slight pretexts. But the timber interests retired growling bitterly, and angrily apprehensive. They could not understand that big men are sometimes actuated by whims. Here they saw the controllers of the great P. K. & R. system behind this insignificant project in the north woods. They gave these shrewd railroad men no credit for ingenuousness. And the resolve that was thereupon made at secret conclave of the timber men to fight that first encroachment on their old-time domains and rights was a stern and a bitter resolve.

The knowledge of it would have mightily astonished--might have daunted effectually a certain young engineer who was just then learning from Manager Jerrard the details of his new commission.

In the end, late in March, Whittaker and Jerrard found themselves with a charter and a location approved by the state railroad commissioners, permitting them to build a six-mile railroad across Poquette Carry; to carry pa.s.sengers, baggage, express and freight, but with the limitation that when the state land-agent should think the condition of drought dangerous and should so notify the company, the road should cease to run any trains until rain wet down the woods.

The location was taken by right of eminent domain, and all the provisions of the law were complied with. No settlement for the damage caused to Colonel Ward through the loss of his land was possible, altho the railroad company made liberal offers, and he was finally left to pursue his remedy in the courts.

Up to this time Jerrard had kept his negotiations with young Parker a private matter between the two of them, even as he had kept some of the annoying legislative details away from his superior.

"What engineer can you send down there and handle the thing for us?"

asked President Whittaker, when Jerrard informed him that all the legal details had been settled. "I want some one who knows enough to get the line going in season for our August trip--and above all to keep still. I don't want to hear a word about it till I get out of a canoe at Poquette Carry next summer. Here we want to build a wheelbarrow road, and I have been having hard work to convince some of our bankers that I'm not planning a coup against the Canadian Pacific. Bosh!"

"These timber-land owners started most of that foolishness," said Jerrard. "But speaking of a man, there's Rodney Parker."

"Never heard of him."

"He's been with the engineers two years on the Falls cut-off's new work.

I can't think of any one else who will suit us as well."

"'Tisn't going to take any very wonderful man to build this road," the president snapped, rather impatiently.

A smile crept into the wrinkles about Jerrard's shrewd eyes.

"Whittaker," said he, "there's a side to our railroad enterprise that neither you nor I appreciated at first. I've been getting some points from our counsel, who had a talk with Bevan. When we were up at the lake, you remember something that Rotre said about the timber-land owners not especially hankering for a railroad at the carry. Well, Bevan says the land there is owned by a man named Ward--Col, Gideon Ward, one of the big lumber operators of that section. From Bevan's account, Ward must be something like a cross between a bull moose and a Bengal tiger, Bevan went up to see him. He thought he could make a deal for the right of way, and thus would not be obliged to bother with condemnation proceedings and stir up talk and all that. Devan declares that getting a charter is one thing but the building of that road will be another."

"We've got the law--"

"Law gets very thin when you step over the line into an unorganized timber township. They tell me that old Ward comes pretty near making his own laws, and makes them with his fists or a club or else through his gang that they call 'The Gideonites' in that country."

"Your Parker, is he--"

"I've got him out in my room. I've been talking with him. Better have him step in here."

The president pushed his desk b.u.t.ton, and the messenger hastened on his errand.

"Parker," explained the traffic manager, "doesn't look any more savage than a house cat. But he's the man who went down into the camp of those Italians at the Fall's cut-off when they were having their bread squabble, and he backed the whole gang into the camp and made them sit down at the table. Of course, we hope we shall need only an engineer and not a warrior at Poquette, and we trust that Ward will be tractable and all that; but, Whittaker, if we're going to build that road, and are not to be backed down in such a way that we'll never dare to show our faces before the grinning natives at Sunkhaze then we need to send along a chap like--"

"Mr. Parker!" opportunely announced the boy, at the door.

Parker seemed tall and angular and rather awkward. The brown of out-of-doors was upon his skin. His eyelids dropped at the corners in rather a listless way, but the eyes beneath were gray and steady. He was young, not more than twenty-five, so Whittaker judged at his first sharp glance.

"Do you think you can build that road that Jerrard has been telling you about?" asked the president, briskly.

"I think so, sir." Parker spoke with a drawl.

"You understand what the plan is?"

"Mr. Jerrard has explained quite fully."

"Are you afraid of bears and owls?" The president spoke jocosely, but there was a significant tone in his voice.

"I don't think I should spend much time climbing trees," replied Parker, smiling.

"Do you understand that the man we send must take the whole undertaking on his own shoulders? Neither Mr. Jerrard nor myself cares to think about the matter, even." "I'll be glad to be instructed, sir." "You'll have instructions as to limit of construction cost per mile, authority to draw on us as you need money, and the road must be in operation by the middle of July. Now Jerrard speaks well of your qualifications. What do you think?" "I am ready to accept the commission, sir." "You'll have to get away at once, Parker," said Jerrard. "You must get construction material and supplies across Spinnaker before the ice breaks up. You can depend on the most of April for ice."

"I can start when you say the word." "We shall rush material. Suppose you start to-morrow morning?" "I'll start sir."

He left the room when he was informed that his instructions would await him that evening.

"Jerrard," said the president, gazing after the young man, "your friend isn't an especially _pretty_ frog but I'll bet he can jump more than once his length."

CHAPTER FOUR--IN WHICH THE DOUGHTY "SWAMP SWOGON" ASTONISHES SUNKHAZE SETTLEMENT

Two days afterward Parker ate his supper at the Sunkhaze tavern and spent the evening going over the schedule of material that was following him by freight, its progress over connecting lines hastened by all the "pull" inspired by the P. K. & R.'s bills of lading.

The next morning, even while the frosty sun was red behind the spruces, he had arranged with the station agent for side-track privileges, and then questioned that functionary regarding local conditions.

"I need twenty or more four-horse teams," said Parker. "What's the best way to advertise here?" "I reckon you can advertise and advertise,"

replied the station agent, "but that's all the good it'll do you.

Colonel Gid Ward has about every spare team in this county yardin' logs for him this winter."