Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 65: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE WAY OF to be torn from old associations and trans- planted in-a new environment. That is the immutable law of growth.” : “I didn’t ask Ransome to come here,” steadily declared Ballantine. ‘‘ I was here before *Gene Ransome ever thought of buildin’ the first shack up there. I ain’t goin’ to get out, an’ Ransome ain’t goin’ to come any closer to me!” “If you’d care to move your house or build a new one, I’d be glad to lend you one of our engineers, Mr, Ballantine,” suggested Cameron. “ Also, if you think you are en- titled to damages on account of our activi- ties so close to your property we’d be glad to take that matter up with you. We don’t want trouble.” ‘‘ Cameron, my house will never be moved! I won’t build a new one! I’ve got to keep tellin’ you that, it seems. No one is goin’ to build a lot of shacks along my line an’ blow smoke an’ bad odors into my face. That ought to settle it!” Cameron’s lips closed. He looked at the unyielding face of the man who stood be- - fore him; he glanced at Virginia and ob- served that she was regarding him with a shadowy smile in which there was much defiance. What Cameron didn’t know was that Vir- ginia was thinking once more that the light in Cameron’s eyes was strangely like that ~ which shone in Ballantine’s. In the fight which would now surely come Cameron would be as determined and unyielding as her uncle. She had to show him that her sympathies were with her uncle; she was too proud to let him see the dismay which had gripped her. “Well,” said Cameron gravely; ‘ that seems definite. I want you to Tememiber that I tried to patch things up.” “Vou mean you'll go ahead?” asked Ballantine. “Without a doubt,” answered Cameron, “We'll go ahead and show you where you are wrong. Our schedule is made up. Next week our telephone company will begin to operate. At the same time our engineers will arrive. ° “Inside of ten days Pll have an office opposite your house. Within sixty days we'll have a narrow gauge railroad running, THE BUFFALO. with a settlement down south a little where we will build bunk and mess houses for the men we employ. ‘‘ Inside of sixty days, also, we will begin to erect a power house to supply electric light to Ransome. At about the same time we'll begin to construct a dam in that gorge of granite. Later, we'll make arrangements to get the copper out of those hills.” ‘“‘ Copper!”’ exclaimed Ballantine. He was startled. ‘‘ Who told you there was copper back there?” “Smoke Cameron did the prospecting where he was in this section,” returned Cameron. Ballantine’s eyes were clouded. He was | now standing rigid, his jaws were set, there was a queer flare to his nostrils. “Smoke Cameron found copper back there?” he demanded. “* Plenty of it.” ‘An’ that’s what brought you here?’ went on Ballantine. “ Smoke findin’ cop- per here was what set you rarin’ at this section like a pack of wolves!” _ “That’s what directed our attention io Ransome,” admitted Cameron. i Ballantine’s eyes appeared to glow with a terribleeregret. A flash came into them, ex- pressing a sort of reminiscent vindictive- ness. “TI reckon it’ s my own fault!” he said, as if speaking to himself, “ Once Smoke Cam- eron an’ me was pretty close to a run-in. God knows why I didn’t kill him! now he’s brought this pack of hell-hounds down here!” Ballantine’s gaze foreshortened; he was again looking at Cameron, and his eyes were gleaming with little flecks of passion. “Where you goin’ to build your rail- road?” he questioned. “ Right along the edge of my property line,” said Cameron, “ It will reach from the main line to the end of the level.” _ “When you goin’ to build it?” asked Ballantine in a cold voice. “Tt will be completed within sixty days,” returned Cameron. He had told Ballantine that beiore. was aware of the terrible change that had eome over the man. stood he looked the same as he had that 1} 539 An’ - As Ballantine now _ eS) =—_GOomichoo (E@ ne