The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1919-03-07
G. EeoessM1eezL caMNhy,

could see that MacLean was achlnS tc
get out of the room. Ogilvie had Wis
IDLY withered. A blight seemed to fall
on him as his white, blue-veined f1D'
gers made a bluff among his papers.
"Thank YOU" Rickard nodded al
MacLean, who burst into the outer Of
fee.
"It's the new general manager from
Tucsort-Rickard's his name" His
whisper ran around the walls of the
room, where other arrivals were tilt
ing their chairs. "The new general
manager! Ogilvie woozled for moth
ing. You should have seen his face!
"Did anyone know that he was COM
ing" Silent, the tanned giant, spoke.
"That's Marshall all over" said
Wooster, bright-eyed and wiry, re-
moving his pipe. "He likes to move In
a mysterious way his wonders to per-
form. (Used to sing that when I was
a kidD No announcement. Simply,
Enter Rickard.'"
"More like this" said Silent. exit
Hardin. Enter Ogilvie. Enter Rick
ard"
"And exit Ogilvie," cried MacLean.
"It's a-d-d shame" burst out
Wooster. No one asked him what he
meant. Every man in the room was
thinking Of Hardin, whose shadow this
reclamation work was.
whats Rickard DOING" asked the
infantile Hercules at the checkerboard.
The force called him Pete, which was
a short cut to Frederick Augustus
Bodefeldt.
"Taking Ogilvie's measure"-this
from MacLean. ..
"Then he's doing something else by
this time. That wouldn't take him five
minutes unless he's a gull" snapped
Wooster, who hated Ogilvie as rat
does q snake.
The door opened and Rickard came
in. Almost simultaneously the outer
door opened to admit Hardin. Who
would introduce the new general man.
ager to the dismissed one? The
thought flashed from MacLean to ST.
lent, to the telegraph operator. .Bode-
feldt doubled over the checkerboard,
pretending not to see them. Confu-
sion, embarrassment was on every
face. Nobody spoke. Hardin was
coming closer.
"Hello, Hardin"
"Hello, Richard"
1t appeared friendly enough to the
surprised Office. Both men were glad
that it was over.
mice Offices" remarked Hardin, his
legs outspread, his hands in his pock-
cts.
"Ogilvie is satisfied with them"
The men rather overdid the laugh.
"Finding the dust pretty tough?" in
quired Hardin.
IT spent a month in San Francisco
last summer!" was the rejoinder
''This is a haven, though, from the
street. Thought I'd loaf for today"
Was Hardin game to do the right
thing, introduce him as the new chief
to his subordinates? Nothing, it de-
veloped, was further from his inten-
tion. Hardin, his legs outstretched,
kept before his face the bland, i'm
penetrable smile Of the oriental. It
was clearly not Richards move. The
checker players fidgeted. Richards
silence was interrogative. Hardin
still smiled.
The outer door opened.
The newcomer, evidently q favorite,
walked into a noisy welcome, the
''boys'" embarrassment OVERRIDING it.
He was Of middle height, slender-a
Mexican with Castilian. ancestry writ
ten in his high-bred features, his grace
and his straight, dark hair"
"Good morning, Estrada" said Har-
din with the same meaningless smile.
"Good morning, gentlemen" The
Mexican's greeting paused at Rickard.
'Mr. Estrada, Mr.. Richard"
Everyone in the Office saw Hardin
snub his other opportunity. He had
UCt1 oSSu W SNCiSohC uSSp uuEl,
his raw wound. When he had
stepped down, under cover Of resig-
nation, he had saved his face by tell
ing everyone that a rupture with
Maitland, one Of the directors of the
reorganized company, had made it
impossible for them to serve together,
and that Maitland's wealth and i'm
portance 20 the company demanded his
own sacrifice. Two months before
Richards appearance Maitland had
been discovered dead in his bath in {
Los Angeles hotel. Though no ont
had been witless enough to speak o.
their hope to Hardin, he knew tha'
all his force was daily expecting nj!
reinstatement. Richards entrance
was another stab to their chief.
"The son Of the general2" The new
manager held out his hand. genera
Estrada, friend Of Mexican liberty
founder Of steamship companies anc
father Of the Imperial valley?"
"That makes me brother Of the