Page:Ralph on the Railroad.djvu/668

100 his arm, and sent me to Dover here to telegraph to you, sir," explained Van to the railroad president.

Mr. Grant was so glad and excited he could not sit still.

"Take me to him at once!" he cried. "My dear lad, you have brought happy news to me."

"I don't know about going to see him," said Van. "It is over twenty miles away in the woods."

"Allow me to explain, Mr. Grant," said Adair. "Between here and Wilmer is a wild, wooded stretch of land known as The Barrens."

"I know of it," nodded Mr. Grant. "The Great Northern once surveyed two miles into the section, but abandoned the route as impracticable. There are only about twenty houses in the district, and the difficulties of clearing and grading were discouraging."

"Well," said Adair, "it appears that a man named Farwell Gibson secured a charter to build a short line through The Barrens from Wilmer across the desolate tract to connect with the Midland Central."

"I heard of that, too," nodded the railroad president."

"This Gibson is an odd genius. He has been working for two years on his scheme, terming