--Comp. G.M."

Jones steadied himself by resting an elbow on the top of the Manager's
desk. The chief engineer was writing in a little note-book.

"Now, Mr. Jones--ah, your cigar's out!--how much is this ten acres to
cost us?--a thousand dollars, I believe you told Mr. Rong."

"Yes, I did tell him that; but if this is straight and no jolly, it
ain't goin' to cost you a cent."

"Well, that's a _great_ deal better than most towns treat us," said the
Manager. "Now, Mr. Jones, you will have to excuse me; I have some
business with the President. Don't fail to look in on me when you come
to town; and rest assured that the Santa Fe will leave nothing undone
that might help your enterprise."

With a hearty handshake the Manager, usually a little frigid and remote,
passed out, leaving Mr. Jones to the tender mercies of the chief
engineer.

Up to this point there is nothing unusual in this story. The remarkable
part is the fact that the building of a side track in an open plain
turned out to be good business. In a year's time there was a neat
station and more sidings. The town boomed with a rapidity that amazed
even the boomers. To be sure, it had its relapses; but still, if you
look from the window as the California Limited crashes by, you will see
a pretty little town when you reach the point on the time-table called

"Garden City."

THE IRON HORSE AND THE TROLLEY

I

Two prospectors had three claims in a new camp in British Columbia, but
they had not the $7.50 to pay for having them recorded. They told their
story to Colonel Topping, author of "The Yellowstone Park," and the
Colonel advanced the necessary amount. In time the prospectors returned
$5.00 of the loan, and gave the Colonel one of the claims for the
balance, but more for his kindness to them; for they reckoned it a bully
good prospect. Because they considered it the best claim in the camp,
they called it Le Roi. Subsequently the Colonel sold this "King," that
had cost him $2.50, for $30,000.00.

The new owners of Le Roi stocked the claim; and for the following two or
three years, when a man owed a debt that he was unwilling to pay, he
paid it in Le Roi stock. If he felt like backing a doubtful horse, he
put up a handful of mining stock to punish the winner. There is in the
history of this interesting mine a story of a man swapping a lot of Le
Roi stock for a burro. The former owner of the donkey took the stock and
the man it came from i