Creek Bridge.

"Every one is talking about it yet," Dicksie was saying. "If I had
lost my best friend I couldn't have felt worse; you know, my father
built it. I rode over there the day of the fire, and down into the
creek, so I could look up where it stood. I never realized before how
high and how long it was; and when I remembered how proud father
always was of his work there--Cousin Lance has often told me--I sat
down right on the ground and cried. Really, the ruins were the most
pathetic thing you ever saw, Marion, with great clouds of smoke
rolling up from the canyon that day; the place looked so lonely when I
rode away that every time I turned to look back my eyes filled with
tears. Poor daddy! I am almost glad he didn't live to see it. How
times have changed in railroading, haven't they? Mr. Sinclair was over
just the other night, and he said if they kept using this new coal in
the engines they would burn up everything on the division. Do you
know, I have been waiting in town three or four hours now for Cousin
Lance? I feel almost like a tramp. He is coming from the West with the
stock train. It was due here hours ago, but they never seem to know
when anything is to get here the way things are run on the railroad
now. I want to give Cousin Lance some mail before he goes through."

"The passenger trains crossed the creek over the switchbacks hours
ago, and they say the emergency grades are first-rate," said Marion
Sinclair, on the defensive. "The stock trains must have followed right
along. Your cousin is sure to be here pretty soon. Probably Mr.
McCloud will know which train he is on, and Mr. Lee telephoned that
Mr. McCloud would be over here at three o'clock for his dinner. He
ought to be here now."

"Oh, dear, then I must go!"

"But he can probably tell you just when your cousin will be in."

"I wouldn't meet him for worlds!"

"You wouldn't? Why, Mr. McCloud is delightful."

"Oh, not for worlds, Marion! You know he is discharging all the best
of the older men, the men that have made the road everything it is,
and of course we can't help sympathizing with them over our way. For
my part, I think it is terrible, after a man has given all of his life
to building up a railroad, that he should be thrown out to starve in
that way by new managers, Marion."

McCloud felt himself shrinking within his weary clothes. Resentment
seemed to have died. He felt too exhausted to undertake controversy,
even if it were