The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-06-22

Iowa, stepped out Of his motor car at
the door over which was the simple
notice "Omce," and turning to the
driver OF the car said:
Take the car homo, Henry. Mr..
Rollop wants you to take her DOWN
town. Then come here at noon. II
Mrs. Rollop doesn't get through shop
ping by noon, she can come here with
you to get me-"
Yes, sir" said Henry. and he threw
in the clutch and the car rolled down
the street as noiselessiy as a shadow.
For moment Mr.. Rollop stood on the
doorstep looking up and down the
street, and then he entered his once.
The once was in a building separate
from the factory. The reason Mr.. Roll
Top looked UP and down the street was
because this was the third week of
the strike in the Rollop factory. Dur
ing the second week. when he had
brought the strike brea.kers from Chi
cago. there had been trouble-bricks
thrown. q head or two damaged. and
the usual strike annoyances. For two
days the Riverbank militia company
had been held in readiness. while the
sheriff's deputies COPIED with the strik-
ers. On the third day the strikers
seemed to acknowledge that mass force
wc3 unavailing. Since then all had
been quiet. and the only evidence Of
the continuance Of the strike had been
the pickets maintained in the street
before tho factory. No moro violence
had been attempted. but the pickets
walked to and fro. passing the repass-
ing the sheriff's men without a word.
This very calmness was getting on Mr..
Rollop's nerves. He dreaded what It
might portend.
Mr.. Rollop, when he entered his Of
flee, drew off his coat and hung it and
his hat on the hook he always used
for that purpose. He was q methodical
man. Beside the hook hung a small
mirror, and from the mirror hung
clean bristle hairbrush and a clean
black rubber comb with short teeth.
Mr.. Rollop looked in the mirror,
touched his hair ever SO lightly with
the brush ana drew the comb. two or
three times through the reddish side
burns. This fuffing them nicely. he
turned to his desk. His face, in spite
of all the washing to which he SUBJ
jected 1t, was reddish-almost brick
red in hue-and his nose was gener-
ously Dubbed. 1t was what one might
call a meaty nose and Mr.. Rollop was
what might be called meaty man.
His hair was blonde. and when he
flushed 1t was lighter in tone than his
face. He used immense quantities of
nicely scented soap every day. but in
spite of this the rounded crevices on
either side Of his nose were invariably
oily. He was a prominent member Of
his church, wore gold-rimmed eye
glasses with a gold chain, and neither
drank spirituous liquors. smoked to-
bacco or chewed gum. His wife liked
silk ruff1es. She had the first pair of
lorsnettes in Riverbank. and they were
solid gold.
Mr.. Roilop was q prominent citizen
and an exceedingly busy business man.
His wife was a prominent social fac
tor and, under her misapplied fun
merry. a sweet loving woman and wife.
There were three children, all charm
ing little things with meaty noses; and
Mrs. Rollop was a good mother. She
kept all her husbands love letters and
those she had written to him, In a
trunk in the attic. They filled the
trunk, and on rainy days Mrs Rollop
liked to sit beside the trunk and read
the love letters. Mr.. RoIIop paid, or
was said to pay, the girls in his fac
tory very low wage. but he gave his
church the best organ in Riverbank.
The worst that was ever said about
Mrs. Rollop was that she could never
keep cook over two weeks.
Mr.. Rolloo seated himself at his ma
hogany desk and. after CHANGING at his
fnger-nails. looked at his mail. He
drew from his vest pocket a beautiful
gold pencil that was attached to the
end of his thread-like gold watch
chain. and made notations on the let
ters that lay before him. using neat,
precise characters. a little more re-
fined than copybook Spencerian, but
quite as exact. The fifth piece Of mail
was a postcard, and when his eyes fell
on its his face flushed.
Miss Murgatroyd."
Eyes. Mr.. Rollop?"
Mr.. Rol1op turned the card over and
over. examining it with extreme care,
and then. holding It by one corner.
tapped on the edge Of his desk.
See II that man Gubb-Philo Gubb-
Is in the telephone book. If he is. tell
him want to see him Immediately:
II he is not, type a note and send
George with it. He has an office In
the Opera House Block"
Yes. Mr.. Rollop."
That's ALL
The card at which Mr. Rol1op had
stared was an ordinary United States
postcard. 1t was addressed to Mr..
Rollop in a hand evidently disguised.
On the reverse, without a signature
and without any explanation whatever,
were these words:
JUNE TENTH
Nothing more. But this was enough.
This date, standing alone on the ex-
| panse Of the card, had a sinister ap!
| pearance. Eight OF these cards al
| ready lay in the top risht-hand drawer
| Of Mr.. Rollop's desk. The first had
come the very day the violence OF the
strikers had ended and ore or fuyo
had arrived each day since. June
| tenth!
Mr.. Rollop. when he had received the
nth of the cards. had taken UP the
| matter with the postmaster. demand
ing that the writer of the cards be
hunted out and punished.
Or course. Mr.. Rollop." said the
postmaster, I'm only too glad to do
| what can for you. but, honestly, I