New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-07-01

to pull tn nuts out nv tn fire for
vel" he said. "Ye'd have us croak
this felly FIR ye, and thin ye'd stand
back and wash yer hands while some
poor divil whit to tn rope FIR 1t.
Where do we come in, is what I'd like
to known"
"You are already in," snapped
Hatch. you know what the big fell
low at the capital thinks about 1t,
and where youll stand in the coming
election If you don't put out this fire
that Norcross is kindllng. You're yell
low, Clanahan. That's all that is the
matter with you"
Tell me wan thing!" insisted the
~dlvekeeper, boring the chief CRATER
with his pln-pOint eyes. 'Do you stand
FIR ii if we do this thing up rightT"
Hatch's eyes fell, and Henckel's big
body twisted uneasily In the chair that
was grooming under his beer-barrel
weight. There was silence for a little
a and | could feel the cold sweat
starting out all over me. | hadn't
dreamed of stumbling upon anything
like this when | started out TO shadow
Kestler. They were actually plotting
TO murder the boss!
II was Hatch who broke the still
ness.
ITS up TO you, Clanahan. and you
know It," he declared. you've had
your tip from the big fellow. The
railroad people must be made to get
into the fight In the coming election,
and get in on the right side. If they
don't; and If Norcross stays and keeps
his fire burning, you fellows lose out"
Clanahan sat back In his chair and
showed his hands into his pockets.
"Ye'd stirring me as If | was a boyl'
he scoffed. ""Tis your W game firm
first to last. Dye think I'm not know
ing that? It's bread and butther and
tn big rake-off for you, and little We
care how tn election goes. Suppose
we'd croak this man in tn hot part
av tn p'litcal fight; what %happensi
Half tn newspapers in tn state d
play him up FIR a martyr to tn cause
av good governmint, and we'd all 90
to hell in n hand-basket!"
/ was cramped and sore and one of
my legs had gone TO sleep. but |
couldn't have moved IL I had wanted
to. My heart was skipping beats right
along while ] waited for Hatch's an
swer. When 1t came, the drumming
in my ears pretty nearly made me
lose IL.
'rClanahan." he began. as cold as an
icicle. 81 didn't get you down here to
argue with you. You've bungled this
thing once. and for that reason you've
got 1t to do over again. We haven't
asked you to 'croak' anybody, as you
put it. and we are not asking 1t now"
"'Tis id little you lack av asking
It," retorted the d~ivekeeper.
Listen" said Hatch, leaning for
ward with his hands on his knees.
Besides keeping cases on Norcross
here, we've been digging back into his
record a few lines. Every man has
his sore spot, If you can only find it,
Clanahan-just as you have yours.
What if / should tell you that Norcross
is wanted in another state-for a
crime? Before he came here he was
chief of construction on the Oregon
Midland. There was a right-of-way
fight back In the mountains-fifty
miles from the nearest sherif-with
the p. & s. +. Norcross armed his
~tracklayers. aud in the blufing there
re a man EiI1od4
Though it was a warm night, as /
have said, the cold chills began to
chase themselves up and down my
back. What Hatch said was perfectly
true. In the r~ight-of-way scrap be
Was talking about, there had been Q