V
SHANLEY'S LUCK
Generally speaking, Carleton, the super, was a pretty good judge of human nature, and he wasn't in the habit of making many breaks when it came to sizing up a man—not many. He did sometimes, but not often. However
Shanley came out from the East, third class, colonist coach, billed through to Bubble Creek, B. C. Not that Shanley had any relatives or friends there, nor, for that matter, any particular reason for wanting to go there—it was simply a question of how far his money would go in yards of pink-colored paper, about two and one-half inches wide, stamped, printed, countersigned, and signed again to obviate any possible misunderstanding that might arise touching the company's liability for baggage, the act of God, dangers foreseen and unforeseen, personal effects or resultant personal defects whether due to negligence or not—it was all one. The colonist ticket was a bill of lading, and the "goods" went through "O. R.," owner's risk.
This possibly may not be strictly legal, but it is strictly safe—for the company. Furthermore, the directors didn't have to sit up very late at night to figure out that if they got the colonists' money first there would be none left for legal advice in case of
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