"
"Anybody's land?"
"Yes."
"Crane and Keith, f'r instance?"
"Yes."
"Um!... Have to be right of way, or jest land for railroad yards, or to
build railroad buildin's on?"
"Any land _necessary_ to a railroad."
"Um!... Who says if it's necessary?"
"The courts."
"How'd you git at it?"
"Start what are called condemnation proceedings."
"All right, Johnnie, start me some."
"Against whom, and for what, Mr. Baines?"
"Against Crane and Keith, to git their land down at the G. and B. All
their mill yards, you know. Don't want the mill buildin'. They're
welcome to that. Jest their yards."
"But they can't run the mill without the log yard and the yard to pile
out their lumber."
"Be too bad, wouldn't it? Calc'late I'm a heap sorry for Crane and
Keith. Them fellers arouses my sympathy mighty frequent."
"But you're not a railroad, Mr. Baines."
"Yes I be, Johnnie. To-morrow I'll be layin' rails to prove it."
"But you own land right adjoining Crane and Keith's yards. Plenty of
it."
"Not plenty, Johnnie.... Not plenty. As long as Crane and Keith owns
_anything_ in this neighborhood I hain't got plenty of it.
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