The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1921-06-03

In Portal Clty thut seSh" fN'
TO believe, Norcross. II was at one
of Mrs. Stagford's evenings ana l
was sitting out dance with a certain
Young woman who shall be nameiess'
We we're speaking Of the kendricks'
and she gave me rather broad hiht
that Mrs. Macrae isn't n WIDOW NJ
all: that her husband is still living
NY heavens / had figured out a
thousand ways in which the boss might
get wised up to the dreadful truth'
but never anything like this; TO nave
It dropped on him that way out OF
clear sky!
For a minute or two he didn't say
anything, but when he did speak
saw that the truth wasn't going 10
take hold.
"That is gossip, pure and simple
Hornack. The Hendricks are my
friends. and I have been as Intimate
IN their household as any outsider
could be. It's merely idle gossip can
assure you"
"Maybe So" said Mr. HOrnack, SORT
of drawing in his horns when he saw
how positive the boss was about IT,
"I'm not beyond admitting that the
Young woman who told me is little
inclined that way. But the story was
pretty circumstantial: it went so far
rs TO assert that 'Macrae' wasn't Mrs.
| Sheilas married name at all, and TO
say that her long stay with her west
ern cousins was-and still is-really a
fight from conditions that were too
humiliating to be borne"
81 don't care what was said, or
who said it." the boss cut in brusquely.
'Tt's ridiculous to suppose that any
woman, and especially a woman like
SheiIa Macrae, would attempt to pass
herself off as a widow when she wasn't
one"
81 know" said the traffic manager,
temporizing a little. "But on the
other hand I've never heard the ma
jor. or any one else, say outright that
she was q widow. It seems to be just
taken for granted 1t stirred me up
n bit ON Van BIRTHS account. You
don't go anywhere to mix and mingle
socially, but it's the talk of the town
that Upton Is in over his head in that
quarter"
I shut my eyes and held my breath.
EIr. HOrnack hadn't the slightest idea
what thin ice he was skating over,
or how this easy mention Of Mr.. Van
Britt might be just like rubbing salt
into fresh cut BY this time it was
growing dark, and we were running
into Portal City, and I was mighty
glad that 1t couldn't last much longer
The boss didn't speak again until the
yard switches were cIanking under
the car, and then he said:
Upton is well able to take care Of
himself, HOrnack, and I don't think
we need worry about him." and then
over his shoulder to me: Jimmie, it's
time to wake up We're pulling in"
| AS lie always did on a return trip,
| Mr.. Norcross ran up to his office to
see If there was anything pressing,
before he did anything else. May
was still at his desk, and in answer
to the boss question he shook his
head.
4 mo; nobody that couldn't wait" he
( said, referring to the days callers.
"Mr Hatch was up with couple Of
men that didn't know, but he only
/ wanted to inquire if you would be
in the office this evening after dinner.
I told him I'd find out when you came,
and let him know by phone"
4 I thought, after oil that had hap
pened, Hatch certainly had his nerve
to want to come and make talk
with the man his hired assassins were
| trying to murder. But if Mr.. Norcross
took that view of it, he didn't show
it. On the contrary, he told Fred it
would be all right to telephone Hatch !;
that he was coming down after din
ner and the office would be open, as
| usual.
l slipped out and went to Mr.. Van
BIRTHS Office at the other end of the
hall. Bobby Kelso was there, holding
the Office down, and asked him where
I could find Tarbell. Luckily, he was
| able to tell me that Tarbell was at
that moment down in the station res
taurant, eating his supper; so down
went and butted in with my story
Of the Hatch call, and how 1t was to
| be repeated a little later on.
"I'Il be there" said Tarbell; and
with that load off my mind, mogged
Off uptown to the club to get my own
dinner.
When Ibroke into the grill-1Oom at
the railroad club, I found that Mr.. Nor
cross had beaten me to it by a few
minutes; that he had already ordered
his dinner at table with Major Ken
drick. ! suppose, by good rights. I
ought to have gone off into a corner
by myself, but saw that the boss had
tipped chair at the end Of the table
where / usually sat, so 1 just went
ahead and took 1t.
Coming in late, that way, didn't
get the first of the talk, but I took If
that the boss had been saying some
thing about his rare good luck in hav
ing the major for a table-mate two
days in succession.