The Huttig news., 1916-06-03
CHAPTER XII
 Bedlam

It was between two and three o'clock in the afternoon of the day in which Mirapolis went placer mad when word came to the reclamation service headquarters that the power was cut off and that there were no longer men enough at the mixers and on the forms to keep the work going if the power should come on again.
 Handley, the new fourth assistant, brought the news. dropping heavily in to a chair and showing his hat to the back of his head to mop his scanned and sun-browned face.
 Why the devil didn't you fellows turn out?" he demanded savagely of Leshington, Alison and Grislow. who were lounging in the office and very pointedly waiting for the lightning to strike. "Gassman and I have done everything but commit cold-blooded murder to hold the men on the job. Where's the boss?"
 Nobody knew, and Grislow, at least, was visibly disturbed at the question. It was Anson who seemed to have the latest information about Brouillard
 "He came in about eleven o'clock, rummaged for minute or two in that drawer you've got your foot on, Grizzy, and then went out again. Anybody seen him sinee?"
 There was a silence to answer the query, and the hydrographer righted l bf Dhnsr nt, a,z1 1p opened drawer he had been utilizing l for a foot-rest He had a long mem ory for trifles, and at the mention of the drawer a disquieting picture had 1 flashed itself upon the mental screen. There were two figures in the picture. Brouillard and himself and Brouillard was tossing the little buokskin sack of gold nuggets into the drawer. where it had lain undisturhed ever since-un- til now.
 Moreover, Grislows news of Brouil lard, if he had seen fit to publish 1t, was later than Anson's. At one o'clock, or thereabout, the chief had come in- to the mapping room for a glance at the letters on his desk. One of the let
 
 had thrust into his pocket before go- ing out.
 Tt looks as if the chief had gone with the crowd, said Leshington when the silence had grown almost portent- ous, though that wouldn't be like him. Has anybody found out yet who touched off the gold-mounted sky rocket?"
 Grislow came out of his brown study with start. Levy won't tell who gave him those nuggets to put in his window. I tried him. All he will say is that the man who left the sample is perfectly reliable and that he die tated the exact wording of the placard that did the business.
 'i saw Harlan, of the Spotlight, half an hour ago." cut in Anson Hes plumb raving crazy, like everybody else, but there is something faintly resembling method in his madness He figures it that we government people are out of a job permanently; that with the discovery of these placers-
 
 rediscovery of them by the mob-Mir- apolis will jump to the front rank as gold camp, and the reclamation serv- ice will have to call halt on the Buck skin project"
 Leshington's long, plain-song face grew wooden. You say practically certain The question is: Will they F. box of Poodles Flor de near Havanas that it's some new kind of a flip-nap invented by J. Wesley and his boom CTS. What do you say?"
 Good Lord!" growled Handley. They didn't need any new stunts. They had the world by the ear, as it was"
 That's all right" returned Leshing- ton maybe they didn't. 1 heard thing or two over at Bongras' last night that set me guessing There was a piece of gossip coming up the pike about the railroad pulling out of the game, or, rather, that it had already pulled out"
 Once more silence fell upon the group in the mapping room, and this time it was Grislow who broke it.
 ''I suppose Harlsn Is getting ready to exploit the new sensation right?" he suggested, and Anson nodded.
 You can trust Harlan for that. He's got the valley wire subsidized. and he is waiting for the first man to