“That’s rather a costly experiment,” mused the great man.
“But it will pay, for you will have the entire travel on the lake, with the exception of the three towns on the railroad. The through travel pays the bills, and you can have all that. Those old boats make only ten miles an hour, and it takes them three hours, including stops, to come from Hitaca to Centreport. The Ucayga would make the distance in two. Your line can leave the head of the lake an hour later than the old line, and get to Ucayga in three hours and a half, while it will take the old line four hours and a quarter.”
“You are right, Wolf!” exclaimed the colonel. “I’ll build another boat at once, and call her the Hitaca. Let me see you to-night, when you get in, and we will talk it over again.”
The Ucayga was approaching the railroad wharf. The Lightning Express train was just coming in sight, at least ten minutes behind time. When my boat touched the wharf it was just eight minutes of four.
CHAPTER XV.
A DECIDED VICTORY.
The up-lake boat had arrived at Centreport rather later than usual. Certainly the Ucayga had left her wharf a full ten minutes behind her ordinary time. The steamer had had even a less favorable chance than before, and, under her former management, she must have been fifteen or twenty minutes behind time. I had saved at least five minutes of the stay at Ruoara, and ten more by going through the Horse-Shoe Channel.
The two trains which met at Ucayga were due at five minutes of four. They were seldom more than five minutes behind time, and as they were both obliged to make connections, they could not wait many minutes for either boat or cars. “On Time,” therefore, meant something; and it was an inexpressible pleasure to me that I had complied with the conditions. Boat stock would go up after this feat had been performed a few times, especially if the Lightning Express was, as on the present occasion, ten minutes late.
The steamer from Hitaca had arrived at Centreport at about half-past two. She had left for Middleport as soon as she could take in and discharge her freight; but she must have been five minutes late for the express train. Lewis Holgate had probably wasted five minutes more. When the Ucayga was made fast at the wharf, the train had just reached the ferry on the other side of the river—the outlet of the lake. The trains east and west were on time, and by four o’clock all the passengers who were going in them were in their seats. The ferry-boat had not yet started. The conductors stamped their feet, and looked at their watches every half-minute. To wait for the Lightning Express passengers would add ten minutes more to the time to be made up in running about twenty-five miles.
As the boat on the other side did not start, the conductors decided not to wait any longer. The bells rang, and the two trains puffed, and snorted, and went on their way. I have no doubt there were many hard words used by the people on board of the ferry-boat, as they saw these trains start. If Major Toppleton was on board, I had no doubt he used some big words, for he was not above the infirmity of doing so when irritated.
Steamer stock went up, and railroad stock went down. In a fair competition, we had beaten the Lightning Express. I was satisfied that this calamity to the railroad, under the circumstances, would cost Lewis Holgate his situation; for the major, and even Tommy, would be indignant at the result. I was confident that what we had done this time could always be done, for we had made our quick time against a strong head-wind.