La Plata 127 



odd jobs, drifted into the harbor and struck up an 

 acquaintance with the young man. After a while the 

 Captain approached him, saying : ' You are not making 

 enough money on your line. Do you wish to know how 

 you could make it pay you handsomely?' The 

 Captain found a ready listener. "The thing is simple. 

 Wreck it! Beginning up there in the country, take up 

 the rails, and bring them down to the port. I will load 

 them and sell them in New Orleans as junk. We can 

 get about $100,000 for the stuff. I will accept one 

 half as my share; you can have the other.' Under 

 pretense that the old rails were to be immediately 

 replaced by new metal, the thing was done, slyly, 

 quickly. When the storm broke, the Captain was 

 across seas, and the nephew was in Paris. Both are 

 dead now, and so is the President. Railways have 

 frequently been stolen in the United States, but the 

 thieves generally leave the rails upon the ground. 



