I tell you Staggchase fought like a bull
tiger at the hearing, and those fellows must have put in a pot of
money. But we beat 'em. Then the fight came to get the report accepted
in the Senate. Everybody said that Tom Greenfield would settle the
thing with a big broadside in favor of his own town; and I'll own that
I was scared blue myself. But we haven't been cooking Tom Greenfield
all this time for nothing. I don't mind telling you that your help in
the matter was of the greatest value; and when Greenfield got up in the
Senate yesterday, and put in his best licks for the Wachusett route,
you'd have thought they'd been struck by a cyclone. We got a vote to
sustain that report that buries the Feltonville project out of sight;
and now there's no doubt that the Railroad Commissioners will give us
our certificate without any more trouble."
During this rather long and not wholly coherent speech, Fenton sat with
his eyes coldly fixed upon his visitor, without giving the slightest
sign of interest.
"I am glad," he said, in a manner as distant as he could make it, "that
your business is likely to succeed to your mind."
"Oh, it must succeed. The Commissioners only suspended operations till
the Legislature disposed of the question of special legislation. Now
they're all ready to give us what we want."
"And all this," Fenton said, "is of what interest to me?"
Irons flushed angrily.
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