Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-06-02
THE GRAFTERS
Copyright. 1904. BY The Bobbs-Msrrill Company
FRANCIS EYN e
CHAPTER XXVII-CoNTINUEp.

When Kent reached the night
editors den on the third floor Of the
Argus building he found Hildreth i'm
mersed chin-deep in sea Of work
But he quickly extricated himself and
cleared q chair for his visitor.
Praise be-" he calculated. II was
beginning to get anxious. Large
things are happening, and you didn't
turn up. I've had Manville wiring all
over town for you."
What are some Of the large
things?" asked Kent, lighting his first
cigar since dinner.
well, for one: do you know that
your people are on the verge Of the
much -talked-of striker"
"Yes; knew it this morning. That
was what wanted you to suppress in
the evening edition"
II suppressed it all right; | didn't
know it-day and date, mean. They
kept it beautifully quiet. But that
isn't all. Something Is happening at
the capitol. l was over at the club
a little while ago, and Hendricks was
there. Somebody sent in note, and
he positively ran to get out. When |
came back, sent Rogers over to
Cassattis to see If he could find you.
There was a junto dinner confaL on;
Meigs, Senator Crowley, three or four
OF the ring aldermen and half dozen
wa-ward politicians. Rogers has a
nose for news, and when he had
'phoned ne you weren't there, he hung
around on the edges"
Good men you have, Hildreth.
What did the unimpeachable Rogers
see?"
He saw on a large scale just what
/ had seen on a small one; somebody
pup-passed a note in, and when 1t had
gone the round of the dinner-table
those fellows tumbled over each other
trying to get away"
'Is that all?" Kent inquired.
mo. Apart from his nose, Rogers
Is gifted with horse sense. When the
dinner crowd boarded an uptown car,
our man paid fare to the same con-
ductor. He wired me from the Hotel
Brunswick a few minutes ago. There
Is some sort Of a caucus going on in
Hendricks Office in the capitol, and
mum-messengers are flying in all di-
rections."
And you wanted me to come and
tell you all the why's and wherefores?"
Kent suggested.
81 told the chief I'd bet bub-blind
horse to a broken-down mule you
could do it II anybody could"
"All right; listen: something worse
than an hour ago the governor, his pri-
vate secretary. Guilford. Hawk and
Halkett started out on special train
to go to CASTOR"
What for?" interrupted the editor.
ITO meet Judge MacFarlane. MIR.
Semple Falkland, and the Overland Of
ficials. You can guess what was to be
done?"
Sure. Your railroad was to be sold
out, lock, stock and barrel; or leased
to the Overland for SO years-which
amounts to the same thing.
Precisely. Well, by some unac-
countable mishap the receivers spe-
cial was switched over to the Western
Division at yard limits, and the engi-
neer seems to think he has orders to
proceed westward. At all events, that
is what he Is doing. And the funny
part of 1t is that he can't stop to find
out his blunder. The fast mail is right
behind him, with the receivers order
to smash anything that gets in its way;
SO you see"
THAT will do" said the night editor
I'VE don't print fairy stories in the
Argus"
None the less, you are going to
print this one tomorrow morning. just
as I'm telling it to you," Kent asserted
confidently. And when you get the
epilogue you will say that 1t makes my
little preface wearisome by contrast"
The light was slowly dawning in the
editorial mind.
MY heaven!" he exclaimed. Kent
you're good for 20 years, at the very
lul-least!"
Am I? 1t occurs to me that the
prosecuting attorney in the case will
have a hard time proving anything
Doesn't 1t look that way to you? AT
the worst, it is only an unhappy mis-
understanding of orders. And If the
end should happen to justify the
means"
Hildreth shook his head gravely.
You don't understand, David. II
you could be sure Of fair-minded
Judge and an unbiased jury-you and
those who are implicated with you:
but you'll get neither in this machine
ridden state"
I'VE are going to have both, after
you have filled your two columns-by
the way, you are still saving those two
columns for me, aren't you?-in to-
morrow mornings Argus. Or rather
I'm hoping there will be no need fol
either judge or jury"
The night editor shook his heaC
again, and once more he said, M,
heaven" adding: What could yol
possibly hope to accomplish? You'll
get the receiver and his big boss ou
Of the state for few minutes, or pos
sibly for a few hours, If your STRIKE
makes them hunt up another railroad
to return on. But what will 1t amour
to? Getting rid of the receive
doesn't annul the decree of th'
court"
Kent fell back on his secretive habt
yet once again.
81 don't care to anticipate the eli
max, Hildreth. BY one o'clock one o
two things will have happened: you'll
nat O r,,irn thnt will make Ynur haCl