Adventure, August 1917 — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

28 for he realized a little of the contrast be- tween his own efforts and those of the other. “Pll have to say good night, too. I must start for the railroad at daylight.” “Leave!” cried Joan. “Only for a few days, just as long as it takes me to get there and return. I'll say good night to you people, and I hope to hear good news about the Indian question when I get back, Bancroft.” “Thank you,” was the somewhat listless reply. “I don’t know who’ll have it for you, though. Good night, and a quick journey.” Joan followed Wallace to the door. As he turned and took her hand she whispered: “Was it good news, Wallace?” “The best sort. I think it means the end, so far as my work is concerned. Good night, Joan. In a few days—and he was gone. The girl did not answer as she stood watching him hurry down to the lake. A sudden sense of loss had seized her, some- thing she could not explain, that she did not understand except that it was not caused by the absence of Wallace. It was something else, in another place, and it hurt more. CHAPTER VIII SEEING TOMORROW ALLACE SEARLES drove southward under a triple spur. Joan, success, the realization of his father’s dream, all were within his grasp, all about to be achieved. He was too human not to be the more conscious of his own success since it had interrupted the scene of Stanton Ban- croft’s defeat. This was not because he had ever looked upon the young missionary as his rival for Joan. He had accepted their relation as that of two comrades, almost as brother and sister. Nor was he a vain man, seeking through such situations to magnify his own importance and ability. But it would not have been possible for any of the group gathered about the mission dining table to have remained unaware of the sharp contrast between the two men, each trying to succeed in a difficult task. To Searles, who thought of Bancroft as the dreamer, the man who would delay progress for the welfare of a few Indians, the contrast was almost an answer. Adventure To the doer had come success. On this success he would climb to greater successes. And all of this he could bring to Joan. She should be shielded, protected and given the best. All the spoils of his endeavor he would share with her. And all of his endeavor should be an expression of his love for her. Even the power-site which he had under- taken for his father had become the first in a long chain of successes which he should place before her. It was one hundred miles to the railroad and by paddling from daylight to dark of the long days, and by carrying only the necessities, Wallace and Frank were able to reach the station the night of the second day. Wallace was not an expert with the paddle but to him the journey was a race. Frank’s purely professional view-point was made adequate to the strain by a promise of double pay if they completed the journey in two days. The capitalist, and representative of capital, who had come in answer to Wal- lace’s telegram, arrived on the night train and the next morning, with a second canoe and two canoemen, the return journey was begun. In camp at night and as they journeyed side by side through the day, Wallace and Daniel Madison discussed the project. The young engineer’s enthusiasm could not but have its effect. He stated frankly at the beginning that the site was almost too ideal to be true. They passed through the clay belt which Wallace had inspected on his way up to the falls, and as a consequence three days were required for the journey. But in those: three days Wallace knew that he had won half the battle. »He saw Madison make many notes in a little book. He was called upon to answer innumerable questions, questions which, he knew, meant a growing interest and, later, a dawning conviction. And Wallace’s work had been thorough. He knew the area of the clay beds, the depth of the clay at various points. He had worked out a possible route for a spur from the railroad which could be built at com- paratively small cost. He had gathered from the railroad’s own meteorological records the necessary data relative to the climate and the possibilities of year-around work. He had even mapped out, through a chain of small lakes with connecting bits of muskeg, a route for teams to haul the first CoOMmiclsoo C© 5}