Transcriber's note: Unusual and inconsistent spelling is as printed.
RAILROAD BUILDING
AND OTHER STORIES
FROM
THE PANSY
[ISABELLA ALDEN]
BOSTON
D. LOTHROP COMPANY
FRANKLIN AND HAWLEY STREETS
COPYRIGHT, 1888
BY
D. LOTHROP COMPANY
CONTENTS
CHAPTER II. LAYING THE FOUNDATION
CHAPTER III. MORE ABOUT LEAVES
CHAPTER IV. THE DIFFERENT ORGANS
RAILROAD BUILDING.
"COME, boys," said Will to the others, "I'm tired of this humdrum play.Let's get up something new and big."
"Agreed," came from the others; "but what shall it be, Will?"
"A railroad," was the prompt reply.
And they all shouted, "A railroad! Hurrah, boys! That's just grand.We'll do it. But who knows how?"
"I do," came from Will. "Father's an engineer, and you see I hear himtalk to mother about it every day."
"Your father an engineer!" exclaimed several. "Don't Mike Rilley andTim Sullivan run all the engines?"
And Will answered with a loud "Ha, ha, ha! Run engines! ha, ha, ha!"and his sides shook with laughter. "Compare my father to Mike and Tim!My father builds railroads."
And they all said "Oh!"
"But what's the first thing, Will, to build a road? A spade and hoe, orwhat?"
"Money; ten hundred thousand dollars, and just as much more as you canget. Father says you can do anything with money; but all the money inthe world couldn't have saved little sister Rose from dying." At that alarge tear came to Will's eye and the boys all looked at him in silence.
Then he wiped his eyes and went on, "Come, boys, say how much you'llgive to the new railroad."
Thereupon Will smoothed off a spot in the sand and wrote his name, andopposite he put, "The right of way and no charge for engineering."
"And what's 'the right of way?'" they asked.
"You can't build roads in the air. You must have ground, and when youget it, you've 'The right of way.' See? I'll get that from father, downin the orchard, along the trout brook."
"Good for you, Will," they all shouted.
"Here, Rob, you sign for the ties; Alec, for the rails, and Jim forthe rolling stock; Dan must build the depot. Come up, now, and signlike men of enterprise. Be liberal and prompt, and we'll have thecars running by the first of June, and declare a dividend—of fun atleast—every day."
All this speech from Will. And each one wrote his name under Will's,sayi