The Road-Builders

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1905 edition. ... CHAPTER VI THE ROAD TO TOTAL WRECK "How's my pony?" said Young Van. "You haven't told me." "I shot him." "Not yours too? Didn't I see you riding Texas this morning? I -- I'm a little hazy about what I have and haven't seen these days." "Yes; Texas pulled through. He's hitched on just behind us." The wagon train, with every barrel full, was drawing slowly toward Mr. Carhart's camp. Young Van and Carhart were riding on the leading wagon, and the former was gazing off dejectedly to the horizon, where he could see a few moving black specks and the gray-yellow line of the grade. "I don't know what you'll think of me, Mr. Carhart," he said, 138 after a time. "I don't seem to be good for much when it comes to real work." "Better forget about it, Gus," the chief replied. "I'm going to. This isn't railroad building." The long line of wagons wound into camp, and Carhart made it his first business to get his assistant undressed and comfortably settled on his cot. It would be a day or so before the young man would be able to resume his work. Then Carhart stepped out, walked part way down the knoll, and looked about him, and became conscious of an unusual stir about the job. Peering out through dusty spectacles, he saw that a party of strangers were coming up the slope toward him. At the head walked Old Van, in boiled shirt and city clothes, with a tall man in frock coat and top hat whom Carhart recognized as Vicepresident Chambers. After them came a party of ladies and one or two young men to whom Tiffany was explaining the methods of construction. It seemed that Mr. Chambers had thought it worth while to adopt Tiffany's suggestion that the vast quantities of dry bones in the desert be gathered up and shipped eastward to be ground up into...