The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-12-24
THE WIRECKERS
BY FRANCIS LYNDE

o'clock Of . Sunday night and hang
around It's best hotel IL In. town
IL dead. th.rs won't be anybody
stirring around tho hotel nj that
hour. But Portal City seemed 10 be
good and alive Thsre werv lots OF
people knocking about ON the side
walks and drifting In and out Of the
lobby.
by and by. went down 10 shs
station and began to hunt fer the
Aiexa The yard crew had side
tracked IL on a spur down by the
freight house. and when ! had
stumbled over TO II tho negro porter
remembered me well enough to bet
mo in
The bos- and Mr. Chadwick WIRE
facing each other across the table.
which WINS All Uttered mp with papers
and maps and rcportA and they
and sat down a little 90 one side
had known well enough. when Mr..
Sorcross had turned the new offer
down. that Mr.. Chadwick wasn't 10,
Ing to let II 80 at that II seemed
that no hadn't: he had gur the boss
sufficiently interested 10 20 over the
papers with him. anyhow.
But just after ! broke In. Mr.. Nor.
crosa jumped up and began TO pace
his hands In his pockets.
No. I can't sec II. Uncle John"
he said. stiii sort OF stubborn and
determined you arc trying 60
make me believe that ought TO take
the biggest job that has ever been
set before the expert In any field.
70 demonstrate. on this rotten corpse
Of a railroad. the solution OF n prob
lem that has tho entire country
~. the winning OF success. and pub
leland industrial--approva for
carrier corporation which had con
tinuonriy and pcrdstently broken
every commandment In all the dcca-
logues-of business; Of fair-deai.
ing with It's employees; OF common
honesty with everybody
Mfr. Chadwick nodded That In
about the size OF IT," he said.
done" the boss went on. Perhaps
Il IL possible. for the right man.
But I'm not the right man. You
need somebody who can combine the
qualities OF a pretty brutal siugRer
with those OF fine-halred. all
thinEs-to ahsnen. diplomatic peace
maker oan do the smuggling: I've
proved II "A time or two IN the past
But I'm no good ut tho other end OF
tho game. When u comes 10
handling the fellow with n pun i've
either got to smash him or quit
At that Mr. Chadwick nodded
again and said. "That Ia one of the
reasons why have reached out and
picked you for the Job There win
be a good bit OF the smuggling needed.
ut first, and I guess you oan acquire
the other things an you go along.
can't your"
Not at this lnte day. Tn afraid.
People who know me best call me
n scrapper, and I've been sliving up
to my reputation. Yesterday, when
we we're held up behind the freight
wreck at Widner, got off TO ace
what we were In for. The conductor
% our train had spotted me from
seeing my pass. and / happened 20
hear him docketlnR me for the wreck.
ing boss. lie said I was known on
the Midland as Hsllnndrcpeat' Nor.
! crosse. that II WIS n habit with me
10 have man for breakfast every
morning.
II can add a little something TO
that" Mr.. Chadwick put In. duizsical
ly. "Lepaigc. your Oregon Midland
president. says you need hunnn iz
Ing. and wonders why you haven't
married some good woman who
would knock the rough corners off.
Why haven't you. Grahamr'
The boss gave short laugh.
TOO busy" he said Past that