This promise had been made at the time in good faith, but it was no condition of the sale.

If, afterwards, owing to the rise in the value of real estate, the road found it impossible to carry out the original idea, surely they were masters of their own property! The people of Auburndale thought differently and, goaded on by the local newspapers, had begun action in the courts to restrain the road from diverting the land from its alleged original purpose.
They had succeeded in getting the injunction, but the road had fought it tooth and nail, and finally carried it to the Supreme Court, where Judge Rossmore, after reserving his opinion, had finally sustained the injunction and decided against the railroad.
That was the situation, and he would now like to hear from the members of the board.
Mr.Grimsby rose.

Self-confident and noisily loquacious, as most men of his class are in simple conversation, he was plainly intimidated at speaking before such a crowd.

He did not know where to look nor what to do with his hands, and he shuffled uneasily on his feet, while streams of nervous perspiration ran down his fat face, which he mopped repeatedly with a big coloured handkerchief.
At last, taking courage, he began: "Mr.Chairman, for the past ten years this road has made bigger earnings in proportion to its carrying capacity than any other railroad in the United States.

We have had fewer accidents, less injury to rolling stock, less litigation and bigger dividends.