de. Unluckily in the excitement a tinder box had been
forgotten, and when it came time to start, the spark to light the fires
had to be obtained from a reading glass borrowed from one of the
spectators. This, of course, caused some delay. But once the fires were
blazing and steam up, the engines puffed away to the delight of those
looking on."

"I am glad Stephenson was the winner," put in Doris.

"Yes," agreed her father. "He had worked hard and deserved success. It
would not have seemed fair for some one else to have stolen the fruit of
his toil and brain. Yet notwithstanding this, his path to fame was not
entirely smooth. Few persons win out without surmounting obstacles and
Stephenson certainly had his share. Not only was he forced to fight
continual opposition, but the opening of the Manchester and Liverpool
road, which one might naturally have supposed would be a day of great
triumph, was, in spite of its success, attended by a series of
catastrophes. It was on September 15, 1830, that the ceremonies took
place, and long before the hour set for the gaily decorated trains to
pass the route was lined with excited spectators. The cities of
Liverpool and Manchester also were thronged with those eager to see the
engines start or reach their destination. There were, however, mingled
with the crowd many persons who were opposed to the new venture."

"Opposed to it?" Steve repeated with surprise.

"Yes. It seems odd, doesn't it?"

"But why didn't they want a railroad?" persisted the boy. "I thought
that was the very thing they were all demanding."

"You must not forget the condition of affairs at the time," said his
father. "Remember the advent of steam machinery had deprived many of the
cotton spinners of their jobs and in consequence they felt bitterly
toward all steam inventions. Then in addition there were the stagecoach
drivers who foresaw that if the railroads supplanted coaches they would
no longer be needed. Moreover innkeepers were afraid that a termination
of stage travel would lessen their trade."

"Each man had his own axe to grind, eh?" smiled Steve.

"I'm afraid so," his father answered. "Human nature is very selfish, and
then as now men who worked for the general welfare regardless of their
own petty preferences were rare. To the side of the enemies of the
infant invention flocked every one with a grievance. The gentry argued
that the installation of locomotives would frighten the game out of the
c