The Flatonia Argus (Flatonia, Tex.), Vol. 45, No. 39, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 28, 1921 Page: 3 of 8
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Mks
ited Medi-
Unprece-
5old in Six
►r for It.
rug trade haa
proached the
lac,' the cele-
such remarks
As a matter
edicine is not
The Wreckers
By FRANCIS LYNDE
Ooprrlcht by Chari*. Scribner’* Son*
CHAPTER XV—Continued.
i —13—
“But you'said you had forgotten hsr
name!’’
"So I have1—her married name'.' And
what’s more, I mean to keep on for-
getting it.”
TherA was no mistake about the boss’
i frowu this time...
•*ti»pi -lie sald‘
pronounced H
of all time,
t men and wont-
alks of life, af-
lver and kidney
h of long stand-
Js of weak, thin,
n apparently on
, have testified
ully restored to
:, health and
Health.
ned faji;ly well,^
th Indigestion/
f breath, dizzy
imachs, coated
reath, cot^stlpa-
os.<5 of appetite,
and of terribly
ings, state that
sly a'f’ieved of
ptoms and re-
ipplness by thp
--------- ~ ■’,**
tiling druggists
iding
gs nnd pin*,
kntecd.
STON,TEXAS
el tjie sa
you shake
Into them
soriie'
Wild' oi wni’nihglj\
i “It will do well enough for the
present. I’d marry her., tomorrow, Gra-
ham, If she were free, and there were
no -other obstacles. Unhappily, there
are two—besides the siiihII legnl dif-
ficulty; she doesn’t care for my money
—having a little of her' own; and
she happens to be In love with (lie-
other fellow.”
I guess the boss was remerobprlug
what Mrs. Sheila had told him iii that
-<ioafitlaaca.before the lmek-puilur.. linn,
about Its being all off between, her nird
Collingwood, for he said: “I think you
are mistaken as to that lust.’’..
“No, I’n? nof mistaken. But that’s'
neither here .nor there. Nelfbctr you
noi I citfi send Crtfllngivnod To the
penitentiary—-that's » cinch. Where-
fore, I’m advising you to quit, walk,
out, Jump the Job?’-
At Vlint life boss took a fresh brace,
rlghilng-hls swlng-chni^ wltn -a.snap.
* ‘ You know very little about 'me,
Upton, if you Think I’m going to throw
un mv hands now, when the retil nlncli
has come.’ I have a scheme—If it
could only lie worked,,’But it can’t be
worked on a rising market. By some
trick or oilier, the Dunton pepjdy are
hoisting Hie stock ngnin. It went up
three.‘points yesterday.” V ■■
Mr, Yah -Britt grinned. “They're
discounting the effect of tliqj little'po-
litical deal—which will at least rope
your reform scheme down, If itjloesn’t
I do nnytlfltig else. What you need is
good, ohl-fasliioned cataclysm of
koine sort; IWnMhlSttktt would fair-
ly knock the tar out of I*. S. I,, secur-
es and send* them skittering down
ahoggan slide ip spite of anything
le Breckenrldge could do to stop
fc-m; flown to where they could lie
lely and profitably picked up by tbe
puiiUc. Unfortunately, those
m.lngs don’t happen outside of the
storybooks,If tliey did, if the earth-
quake should liappen along our way
Just now, I don’t know hut Ikl he dls-
.. atm
be shoe, tr*«b-
■w vigor. ’At
re tired, sore
t and dancing,
P-RASKtntbe-
bllM of tool
gap, with a bickering rasp in hvs voice.
“Did yon ' go lip against the gun I had
loaded'for1 j’ou?”
Mr. Norcross cut straight Tln’obgh to.
Hie' bottom of 'that little complica-
tion at a single stroke.
"What Mrs- Coillngwood said to me,
"or what I sal'd to ’ her, can have no
possible bearing upon, anything that
you may have to say to me'; or that
I can consent ,tf> listen to, Mr„ Colllug-
wood.” ’ T.
- The derelict sat up |n hi* chair.
“But you've got to keep hands off,
Just the same; at Kendrick's, and In
this other business, too. If you don't,
there Is'going to be blord on »the
moon! Get me?”
Tlie boss never batted an eye. “I’m
taking It for grunted that you are
you are, you must surely know that
^threats are about the poorest possible
weapons you can use Just now.”
’haven’t
“-iAfrcr Mr-Tim ttr+rr tunt gnne. The -frmve a dy’d mmjrTinTrrTTiifli -Td'cuSTT
hfliri put jn The remainder,'qf the day n few checks'fyr—for expenses, and
turn (ite^tuo’ney over to Bullock. Now
like'h: wifrkingmnn, sktpfflrvia'the noofi
luncheon as he- sometimes did when
the u oik delve jias extra heavy, Mean-,
while, ns * you'd > suppose,-rumor was
IOT-EASE
VWWW>^I
CAR PEST
Sweet Young ..
f a Too
nee.
: . ' ^ 1, •-<
Q* Oft!-not fib-,
pdde read her
ulder, but she
commenced to
ndeftook later
Sweet Young
1 moment out
•Bowed every
interest until
calmly wrote
ou the reas-/
•tigagemeut
t now beca
i me is rqga
rued hlg head
nd fidgeted la
the next sta-
ll the Swjeet
‘nrie. And as
Ten he Inter-
>IT because—”
Scratch,
you rlanted
to you,
chickens
Mfcrlpt.
also in town.
By noon It was well understood thnt
there had been a radical change' In
the management of C. S. & W„ nnd
thnt there was going to tie a general
. . , strike hi answer to tin* slashing cut In
wnges. 1 slipped uptown to got a
bite, and 1 heard some of the*talk.’
It was pretty "straight, tBpsi/of. It.-r
0. slvows’how useless it is to try
4*~ To nrfy HTtWiesT^^eereis', ’hflwa-'
days. ‘ ‘ * '
• . For example: the three men af m.v
m table In the Bullard grill-room—they
didn’t know me or Who I wnsf-knew
thnt n council of war find been called
In tlie railroad headquarters, and that
Ripley had been pulled In by wire
from I.esterburg, nnd that we weYe
pushing along hurriedly to provide
itornge room for tlie wheat shippers
case of a tie-up, nnd tlmt we were
arranging to distribute railroad com-
,'pany coni In case the tie-up should
bring on a fuel famine—knew all these
things nnd- talked about them.
They were facts, as far as they
went—these thlpgs. 'The hoss hadn’t
pen Idle during the forenoon, and he
irept tip the drive straight through to
quitting time. Word was brought In
during the afternoon by Tarhell thpt
the. Hatch people were wiring the
Kalians "City and Omaha employment
agencies and placing hurry orders for •
strike-breakers. The boss’ answer to
tills was a peremptory wire to our
passenger agents at both points to
mnke no rate concessions whntever, of
any kind, for the transportation of,
laborers under contract. ' It was a
- shrewd little knock. Labor of that
kind la mighty hard to move unless
It can get free transportation or a low
rate of fare, and 1 could see that Mr.
Norfross was hoping to keep the strike-
breakers away.
. When six o'clock came, the boas
asked May to stay and keep the office
open while I could go ddwn-stalrs and
get my dinner In the sjatlpn restaurant,
nnd lie went off up-town—to the Club,
I suppose. After I'd had my bite, I
let May go. Everything was moving
.all right, ?#l! «• anybody offulrt see.-
We had five extra'ftJel trains loading
at the company’s chutes at Coalville,
and the dispatcher was Instructed to
work them out on fhe line during the
night, distributing them to the towns
Jhat'bad--reported shortages. They
were not to be turned over to the ref-
ills r cohI yards; they were to be^lde-
trncked and held for emergencies.
Mr. Norcross came hack about eight
O’clock, nnd I give him my report of
how things were going on the line.
A little later Mr. Cantrell dropped In,
and there was a quiet talk about the
situation, and what it was likely to
develop. The Mountaineer editor was
given all the facts,” except 'the one
big one about Hatch's death-grip on
us, and in tufn Mr. Cantrell promised
the help of his paper to,,the last ditch—
though, of course, he. had no Idea of
how deep that last ditch was going to
be. I had a lot of filing and Indexing
to do, nnd 1 kept at work while they
were talking, wondering all the time
if tlie boqs would venture to tell the
edltpr about the depth of that “last
ditch.” lie didn’t. I guess he thought
he wouldn’t until he had tQ.
It was pretty- ’nearly nine o’clock'
when tlie editor went aWay, and Mr.
Norcrovs ij^us Just sn-gjng to me that
he guessed 'we’d better knock off for
the night, when we botli heard a step
In May’s room'. A second later the
door was pushed open and a man
came, iu, making for tho-nearcat -ehnie-
and flb”’Iiig himself Into It u« if he’d
reached the limit. It was Colling-
wood. He was chewing on a dead
cigar and Ids face was like the face
of a corpse. _«But ho was .sober.
Naturally, I supposed he had come
lb make trouble wTtJi the boss on Mrs.
Sheila’s account, and I quietly edged
open the- drawer of my desk where
I kept Fred May’s ahtomatlc, so as
to be ready. He didn’t waste much
Jluie." . * _
"I saw you ns I was coming away
from Keiplrlck’s Inst nlglil" he he-
Sheila and thnt you cun’t turn u wheel
Without making It look as If yoU were
going after me on your own personal
account.”
There was silence for a little time.
It was an awful' muddle, with bloody
niyrder sticking out of.it on «very side.
J’Jsf . Irave come here with the
idea tXit I can force Hatch’* hand, yon
are very much misled,” said the hoss
at tlie close of tlie electric pause. And
then; “Ilns lie made it appear to you
- Htat he> w«s merely trylog to-help you
avenge your own fancied wrongs Y’
“He said-I, ought to get you;, that
no/ man who would make love to “a
married woman ought to be got.”
My chief was looking past the der-
elict and on*- through the darkened
M’lndow,. ’• * ..
“Yftu don’t know me, Mr. Colling-
wood, hut ..you do know your wife;
mill you know* that she is ’ as far
above suspicion as tlie angels. iu
keaverf. "Let that purt of tt go. Hatch
was merely .using you for his own
etuis. If he oou111 persuade ,you to
Hatch tells me thnt J was working
-with a spotter—tils spotter—-and Tlmt”
ig Clin send 'tne itjt for bribery.'' if’s
with the (noney, and I don’t want" to
know.” ~ -
*/
“But .von had orders to give It to
lilm when he required it.jlldn’t you?”
Mr. Norcross cut In.
"That's none of your-business- I
wajit you to choke this man Hutch off
of me!”
Tlif^ioss ills pa per-
JittlftC “1 "Tlnn'-t krtftw. q lig Reg ako«4»f -
‘Come to, me for help," he sal® '“Yud
have been liand-in-gtove with tlie.se
conspirators ever sitfee you came*out
here. ’ Two days ngo you knew_ thut
they had. set a trap for my special
train on the Strathcona branchi—a trap
tlmtwHK meant to kill me."------—-—
It wns a random shot, and I knew
that Mr. Norcross w^s Just-guessing
“Why Shouldn’t I Want to S«o You
Killed?”
at where It might laud when he fired
It. But It went home; oh, yhti bet tt
went hornet- , •
“D—n you!" gurgled the bounder,
half starting to his feet. “Why shouldn't
I want to see you killed? Haven't you
done- enough to me?”
. "no!11 the word was slammed at
him like a bullet. And then: “As 1
told you in the beginning, w*-won’t
go Into any phase of tt that Involve
Mr*. Collingwood. Get hack Into your,
own boat? Are you trying to tell me
now thnt Hatch la threatening you?"
“He’s played me for a come-on. He
says lie's got the whole business down
in- black and white, with affidavits,
and all that. He had the nerve to
tell me less than an hour ago that
he'd burn me alive if I didn't toe the
mark.” —
“What does he want you to do?”
“He wants me to stick around here
so that he can use me ugainst ,you.
He knows how you’re mixed un with
kill me off out of the way, it would
in* merely that much gained ‘In the
business fight.’ Vou haven’t done it
tlute far, and now he la uslug jro.ur
(Tij?<'R*raslilng excursion as a club with
which he proposes to brain the entire
railroad management, your -uncle in-
•cluded, if we interfere with his plans.’’
Coliiifgwood scowled up at- the cell-
ing, shifting the dead cigar from one
corner of his mouth to the other.
“So that’s tlie way of It, Is it?" he
commented: “He was working for his
own pocket ail the time, and'Uncte
Ilreck stands pat and slips him'the
ace he was needing to make Ids hand
a winner. Between you and me, Nor-
cross, I believe Hills d—d- piker needs*
killing* a feW times, htmeelf.’’-
The.boss sat back in ids swing cliafr
nnd I cchiTiI JusMniaglne'tlint lie was
trying to get some sort of proper angle
‘on this young fejlow who, iu addition
to* i\ls other seuumlrellsms. big and
Macrav
“I Hiought
maybe -you'd turn up
W*ff
tfiat was 'ever born ^was.either all.
angef or all diytil, and he wa§ hunting
for the jreileisnliig 'streak In-this one.
.. :VYhcn .y;uu^.uK)kcd. rigiit. hard At The.j.CcUUigwn.od Uad.juiit vncidcil-
haggard face you could see aometlllng
to niake you tliliik that pertm’ps, away
hack yonder iiefore tlie spoiling be-
gan, tliere used to he a man ; never a
Stroiffruran,' I guess, but one that might
linve been generous and free-hearted;
maybe. I got. a fleeting-little glimpse
.or Unit bncfc-numtiPr man when titr
turned suddenly nnd said:
"One night a few weeks ago when
» ineriK (Mtfc ii(» I or im«-
nniftoTT me yriti were onr af
nTi'e'Ren-
%dr4ck place with;'Sheila. He nindfi me
believe thnt I ought to go out tlnfl’e
ami kill you, and l started To do It.
Do you know why I didn't do It?"
“No," said the,f;hief, mighty quietly.
“Well, I'll tell you. One night last
'sp'rTrij: up at tne Bullard you Shimmed
me one in tlie fnce and dragged me off
to my room to keep me from making
n bigger ass of myself than I’d al-
ready nnvde. I haven,’„t forgotten that.
In all these crooked years, nobody else
has even takeii the trouble to chuck
me decently, out of sight and give me
a ehahee to brace. ■ Drunk as I was.
I remembered It that .night when I
was- climbing up to a window In the
rhnjor’s house and trying to get a shot
at you."
Mr. Norcross shook his head, moiv
than half sympathetically. I thought.
“Let that part of It go and tell me
about this other .trouble," he said.
"How badly are you tangled up in
this political business?"
' “I’ve given it to you straight on. the
bribing proposition. Uncle Breck used
rti/* ns a money carrier because—well,
maybe 11 was because he couldn’t
trnst Bullock- I didn't know definitely
what Bullock was doing with, IKe
checks l eashed for .him, though 1 snp-
posed, of course. It wns something that
wouldn’t stand daylight. II was only
a side Issue with me. I was coming
out here anyway. I knew Sheila had
made up her mind—God knows she’s
had cause enough; but I had a crazy
notion that I’d like,to he on the.some
side of the earth with her again for
just a little while Then this—’’ he
trnTTPd off In a babble of maledictions
poured out upon the man who had
trapped hiiu and "used hln^
The bos»jiB!alS!hteocd himself.In his
j-halr, but he,still wns speaking gently
When he said:.
' “You’are not asking my advlqe, and
{ don’t owe you anything, personally.
Ur. Collingwood. But I’ll say^t you.
•«‘hat 1 Riljfht say to a better man In
like clrcnmstancea. You have done all
theJiartn yon can. hot, ■*** I aee It.
there doesn't seem to he any need of
your staying here to suffer the con-
sequences. Why don’t you go back to
New York, taking your wife with you,
if she will get’
Cot (logwood's smile waa a mere
teeth-haring grimace.
"Shekel made her wedding Journey
with me once, when she was Just
eighteen. The next time she rides
with me it will be at my funeral. Oh.
I’ve earned It,, and I'm not kicking.
Am) about this other thing:. 1 can't
duck. You know what Hatch Is hold-
ink'-my fur, lie told me (imt* a little
while ago thnt If-1'ateppeil aboard of
a, train, I’d' be arrested before the
train could Poll out.1*
It was a liundsome little precaution
on the part of the chief of the graft-
ers. If a fight should he precipitated—
If the boss .should try to checkmate
the C. S.- A \V. gobble—the arrest and
Indictment of President .Dijntoh's
nephew would serve bully good nnd
well as n drama«cj|jj.,nt.,jjtle piHy
to keep the newspapers from prlnt-
lng tun much about the -<»tUer -Ibiug. ,
“If you really want to go, I think
It can be arranged In some way, In-
spite of Hatch and his bluffing/’ Mr".
Norcrogs put In qd'letly. "Ho ‘ far as
our railroad .troubles are concerned It
will uelther hel|> npr hinder for you
to stay-on. Here, now,'*
As'lf the helpful sugge^jon had been
a lighted match to fire a hidden mine
of rage, Col I logwood'sprang to lit A feet
with his'dull eyes ablaze. -f v
by Ooipf’ he swqre. “I’m go-
ing to make him come across with
those affidavit papers.first! XPU "alt
right here; Norcross. You Hilnlc nu
all cur, but I’ll sh«,ny you. The^e Isn’t
much left of me hut hound dog. hut
even n-hound dog will bite tf you kick
him Tfnrd enough. Lend me a gUn,
if you've got one and I’ll-“
“Hold on—none of that!” the boss
■broke Iu sternly, Jumping out of his
chnlr. t.ojjpforcq the command. But
befdfe he could makefile grabbing
movp the corridor door slammed noisily
and the. madman was gone.y
. CHAPTER XVI
The Deserter *
Mr. Nor.cro’ss chased ’out and tried
to overtake CoUihgwpOd, going as far
as the fqot ofTlie stairs; I went, too,
hut got only far -enough to meet the
hoss coming up again. There was
nothing doing. The station policeman
hud seen tlie crazy rounder jump into
a fjixl a'pj go spinning off vgi-toiyn.,.
good deep lueath of fr»*e air ami shake
my fist at your blamed old cow-track
of, a railroad and tell It to go uwbo
devil. You shouldn't deny me a little
pleasure like that.”
It was getting under the hose' skin'
at last. "1 cun’t believe that you
really want to resign," lie broke out,
sort of hopelessly. “It's aimpty pre-
posterous!"
“Full it down out of tlie future a’nd
put it In tlie present, and you've £<>t
It.”-sold Mr. Vap Britt. “I have re-
signed. 1 wrote It out on a piere of
pa|H-r am) dropped ft into your mall
box as I came through the outer office.
It’s signed, sealed, and delivered. You'll
give me n testimonial, Sr something of
that sort, ’To Whom It MayH’oneern,'
won’t you? I've been obedient' and
faithful and honest and efficient, aiql
all tliut, haven't 1?”
"I'd like to know where you got your
liquor','Tfiton. Tljat Is the mvsj.char-
liable construction 1 cqu put upon all
lhis. - Why, man alive! you're quitting
tt whs all about. Mut itie wt.-.'e ir.ir*
a as now mo, horribly ninddleil that a
II:We mystery more or less <ax any-
body's |>art couldn't niAky nincb *t»r-
fer»‘iiih»* and that waa the thought I
took to bed with me a HtMe Inter after
we reachml our rooms in tbo reVroad
club. I
CHAPTER XVII
Tbs Beginning of tha End
ifowever much the Hatch people
may have named to avoid publicity
regarding fhe change of ownership
and policies In the Storage A Ware-
house reorganisation, th# prompt an-
nouncement of a”general strike of the
employees was enough to make every
uewspHper In the slate alt up and take
notice.
We IihiI the Mountaineer at-the
breakfast-table In (he club grill-room
Oft the morning., id th# daji when th*
strike wns advertised to go Into effect.
There wus .,a news story, with big
yiie In (he thick of the toughest fight
the grafters have put up!"
"Yes, rktrow; hut a man's got only
one lifedP five, qnd I’ve always had
a sneaking sympathy for the high pri-
vate In the front rank who didn’t want
to stand up and get himself stmt full
■vt holes. I’m running, and If you
should ask me why; I’d tell you whnt
the retreating soldier told Stonewall
Jackson ; he said he wns running only_
hern use ho couldn’t fly,".... Once mor-
Uwt (mss,grow alluutly. thoughtful___Uut
of the digging mentnl Inquiry -he
brought tills:
“Has this vuddep notion of yours
Htiytlring <0 dq willc Sliella Macrae,
Upton?"
"Fledge you my word again. I met
Sheila on tjhe.stcpet today an*-
If
rill
liomlline- In red Ink. r(VlH' alk6
editorial, t’antrell didn’t say anyfhlng
»K«inst (tie rallrnaib enmpany. Ihs
comments were those of an idiaerver
who wlsluil lo he straight-forward and
fair *to all concerned, but Ida edl-,
torlal did not spare the silly local
stockhnhlors^whone svvap|>Ing and toll-
ing had made the coup possible. »
Cantrell, himself, niihl-eye<l and look-
ing ns If he'd got out of lied about
three hours too early, drifted Into the
grill-room .afiiTldSE a sear atMEiBpBH
before v?e were through. • ‘ -*
"1 wanted to he docent about It,
Norcross.” he sajd, forestalling nny-.
thing that Uie bo.-sr might he going to
say about * Hfp editorial In the Moun-
taineer. "I’m trying, Jo tuolevo that
the .men higher up In yogr rallronti
councils 'ljuven’t, fathered this Hatch
scheme ’Of Consolidation—which Is
mure than some of the other pencil-■
pushers III -do for you, t’m afraid.
Hianks To your publicity m< asuref,
everylnely believes that you still hold
the whliulmnd .over tho combination
with your ground leases. I’m not ask-
Ing wind you propose to do; I am
merely taking H f«»r granted that yon
Bare going to stick t" your |>ollcy, and
"hoping that you will come und tell me
about It when you are ready to talk."
"I shall do Just thnt," th*e boss prom-
ised;.and I guess he wouti) have been
glint,to let the matter" drop at this,
-only t’antrell wouldn’t.*
"I lost three good hours’ sleep this
morning nit (lie chance «*f catching you
here at table." the editor Went on.
"A . little whisper leakeil In over fbe
wires last Qlght. or, rather, early this
milrtilng, that set nie to thinking. Yon
lin\M-nT been having any trouble With
ymir own employees.lutely, have you,'
i N'OrerossT'
|' "Not a hit In the world. Why?"
"There Is some little excHetuenl,
with tin- public taking a hand In It.
There were indignation meetings held
|last -night ' Iri a nunitter of the towns
AVKHe- we-were-beHt-enh Me. Vprt' BriTT
half "Blown lit from* Ills room lit -rac
foot^of the hall and w;e found hliri
lounging comfprlahly iff the chair that
SE5
oors.all open,” wus tlie-way lie started
out. Then; "Sit down,- Graham; 1
want to talk'a few lines.’*
Mr. Norcross took Ids own chair and
twirled It to face, tjie general super-
intendent. “Sify’ ft," he commanded'
Mr. • Y’nn -Britt liobkcd his thumbs
In his armholes. Mm' ” '
- ••I’ve*Just. beeb flgurmg n. hit oft»tfl^.
geid’ r'atTFLiQdoliT'Ttlir jiuve a .decently'
.'■mrWii npf-ra'ftTitbBbol fit here, wfi'nt
wlfli Ferkltis and Brajit and Conway
handling the three divisions as self-
contained units. You don’t need a
general superintendent nny more than
a monkey needs two ti(lls."
......"WTint are ydii drtving at?" wns
the curt 'demand.
“Well, suppose we say retri-nchment,
for one thing. As I size It up, ypu
might Just as well he saving my salary.
It would buy a good many new cross-
ties in the course of a year,"
"That’s all bunk, and you kiyow tt."
snapped the boss. "The organization
ns It stands husq't a single stick of
dead wood In It. You know very well
that a railroad the size of the Short
Line can’t run without an Individual
head of the operating department."
Mr. VA9 Britt .laughed a little at
that.
"If you should get some one of these
new efficiency experts out hero he
would prolmhl.v tell you that you could
cut your staff right In two In the
ntddler”-s-!—•. - '
I could see thnt the boss was get-
ting mighty nearly Impatient.
"You are merely turning Imndsprlygs
around the edges-©f -the- thing you he ve
come to srty, Upton;’’ he barked out.
"Tome Iff the potnr can’t yon? What mqre go.jd
have you got up your sleeve?"
"Nothing that I could moke you
understand’ In a month of Sundays.
I’m sore on my Job and I want to
quit.” -
“Nonsense! You don’t mean thnt?”
“Yes, I do. I'm tired of wearing
the brass collar of a soulless corpora
tlon. What's the use. anyway? I found
a bunch o( dividend checks from ray
(tank at home In tlHcmall (onlay, and
what good does the* money do me?
I can’t spend ft out here; can't,ev.e.n
tip the servants at' the hotel without
everlastingly denlorallzlng them; I'm
like th# f1ttle<boy who wanted to go
out In the garden and eat worms." ...
The boss waa frowning thoughtfully.
“You're not giving me a show, Up-
ton," he protested. “Can’t you blow,
the froth off and let me see what’s
In the bottom of the stetn?"
“Fledge you my word. It's all froth.
Graham. I want to climb up pn the
mera behind the shoot and take a
Tfitfck Ctmch of Tete
■-------— grams ~f or-’ffi-sri smi s's tow.——
Ised her that I wouldn’t so muj'h
as t Ip iffy Imt to her wliHc Oolllngwimd
Is -ui (bis aide of the Missouri rivet."
' “BnTTf ■yoTquTt,"effst y.nir-"
■sail', woil’L^IuuX'.
■ 1111 I I Ml — liMliittliilll
'Maybe, after a while! For tlie .timer
belng/Fd like to loaf on you for. « ' -
we»-k or so and wutyh Hie wheels' go
around without my 'having to prml
them, it’s running In my mind'that
Jills. Ill-Wiwl lljc Si- (if (lie C. S. A W.
business is-gtdug. lo stir tip m
prt-Uy s.litniiy. mni 1 h«4 a.
tlpo Unit i’d, like to stick imdunit (Stiff
look oil—-mS aq Ipnocent IH'stamler."
“ “Tire.....tnimci'TTt hystandcr- -nsunlir
i-og-rue-ys-iv-o^sMssesi* +n* nmint —
wiiik-s, tqid insscrrtng thntjiubtlc fieefl-
ment would he w ith the JD. S. A “W.
employees If they are forced to carry
..uul Jitflr . tluraul, u( Jiitlklug at. nooa ,^
today. Tile whisper that I spoke q\f
■ItrHtrllOee fpmiVst jnlgllt1 Eg- 1 ■■
tend to Hu- ra I Iron it employera.”.
There’s^ nothing In It,” suid the’boee ]
decisively. “1 suppose you mean In
.the way of a sympathetic strike, and •
that Is entirely improbable. I Imagine
very f*w of the C. S, A W. eaipluyoee
twtrrrm to any of the labor oirtraw?’
-y 'J<h%fii iiii-Ulfi. jraJtroEd would hit
ynfl pretty hard Just ngw, wouldn’t i-
Iff?" Cantrell asked.
^gets^yiliot 111 the leg/**tlie boss flppeil
out, with, the brltth-st kind of humor.
And then: "I suppose 1 shall have’m
let you do what you want to—-nnd let
you pick your own time for giving me
'the renl reason. Bnt you're crippling'
me most savagcly„ I'ptrffr--nTTit nt a
time when I am least able to stand It."
Mr. Van Britt got up uni! edged his
way toward the door.
’It’s a good reason, Graham; and
some time—say when we are walking
through tlie pearly gates of the New
Jerusahmi together—maybe I’ll ‘ tel|
you about It. If 1. were really a good
scrapper. I'd slay and help you fighj
It out with Hatch; hut you know the
old saying—capital Is always coward-
ly; and my present credit at tlie Fcr*al
City National Js pretty well up to a
quarter of a million, thanks to the
dividends I deposited' today. Good-
night. I'll see you In'the morning -*lf
by thnt time you haven’t decided'to
cut me cold."
I kept right busy over the. Indexes
after Mr. Van Britt went away, Just
to give the hoss a little chance to catch
up with himself. He sure was catch-
ing it hot pml heavy on all sides.
All we.tifieded Jifiw was for 1‘resldent _
imnto" to come smashing In with one Axul ^\ ."^ave to ratt-
mnr* good JO., fine tt worn* fce .11 Vfiet
over bnt tlie obsequies, the monunu>nt
anil the epitaph. At least, that la'the
\vay U Ipoked to me.
It was akmg about ten o'clock when
the boss closed Ida desk with a batig
and sahl we’d belter saw It off for the
night. I walked up-town with hlyn
and' us ,we were passing the Bullard
he, turned In to ask the night clerk
If Coillngwood was In his room. Tlie
answer was nix; that the young New
Yorker hadn’t been seen since dinner.
On the way out-we saw Mr. Van
Britt at the telegraph alcove. He was
handing in a thick hunch of telegrams
for transmission, and he rather polnt-
Uilly turned the *heaf fuee,fio\ui ufiou
the marble slab .when we-came,along,
as much as lo say “lt*a none of your
business what I’m 4®*ng.’*
It struck me as sort of curious that
he ahoifrd have so much wire corre-
spondence when he claimed to be tak-
ing a rest, and why he wns so careful
net te let na get a glimpse of what
Hr. Norcross -dodged the question. ..
“We’re not going to have a strike,”
he averred; and since we had finished
our breakfast, he made a business ex-
cuse and we slid out.
When we ranched the office we found
Mr, Van Britt on hugd, reading she
morning paper.
“You don't get around as early aa
you might.” 'vu" ,h* *Btl* millionaire’s
coinn...... w hen the boss walked in and
*,H*ned up Ids desk. *Tve .been wait-
ing neurly a half-hour for you to show
up. Seen the papers?” - _
Tl.ie boss nodded. * " ” -
“I don’t mean the strike buslnesfi;
I mean the market quotations."
“No; I didn’t look at them."
“They are Interesting. - P. 8.
Common Went up another three polnta
yesterday. It closed at 38 Jnd a frac-
tion. You know wt»t .that mean*.
Graham. It meant that Uncle Breck-
enrldge and his crowd are already
Joyfully discounting your coming resig-
nation. Homebody has given them a
wire tip that you are as good aa down
and out. and unless a miracle of some
sort can he pulled off. I guess the tip
Is a straight one. Strong a*'be Is,
Chadwick can’t .carry you a I One."
“Drop it,'“snapped the bom Irritably.
me that you have _______
fool letter you wrote me last night F*
“Not In a million years," returned the
escaped captive airily. “I am here
this morning as a paying patron of
• he Pioneer Short Line. I want to,
hire a special train to go—well, any*~
where 1 please on your Jerkwater ralU
roud. The F-lght-FIfteen will do, with
Buck Chandler to run It."'
“Pshaw I take your own car.and any
?few you please. We are not selling .
transportation to you:”
-hYes, ypu are; I’m going to pay for
that train, and what’s more. 1 waqt
yonr written receipt for the money. I
need It In my business. Then.
Cbmuller should happen to get.
dump me Into the ditch somewli
I caii sue you for damages.”
(TO BB CONTINUED.)
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Hurr, Henry. The Flatonia Argus (Flatonia, Tex.), Vol. 45, No. 39, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 28, 1921, newspaper, July 28, 1921; Flatonia, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth989439/m1/3/: accessed July 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Fayette Public Library, Museum and Archives.