The Ordway new era., 1921-08-12
The
Weckers
By
FRANCIS
LYNDE
Copyright By chas. scriSners sons
CHAPTER xvil-continued.

"Oh don't know; anywhere the
notion prods me-say TO the west end
and back. with as many stops as l
over the branches
saw the boss make few figures
on a pad under his hand
1T would cost anybody else. rough
iy, something like five hundred dol
lars. On account of your little joke
It's going to cost you Il cold thou
sand"
Mr. Van Britt took out his check
book and fountain pen and solemn
Iy made. out the check.
Here you are" he said, dipping the
check over to the boss desk. Now
shell out that receipt, 50 that I'll have
1T to show If anybody wants 10 know
how much you've gouged me. Since
you're making the accommodation cost
me a dollar a minute, how long have
1 eat to waltz"
AIr. NorcroSS said something that
sounded like "d-n," scribbled a men,
oraudum of the thOusand-dOllar pay
meat on n sheet OF the Scratch-pad
and handed 1t over saying: The or
der for the car includes my cook and
porter and something to eat; we'll
throw these in with the tranSporta-
tion. and II the car is ditched and
you sue for damages. Wen file cross
bill for hotel accommodations. Now
go away and work off your little at
tack of iunacy. I'm busy
The c. S. & w. strike-as our wires
told us-went into effect promptly on
the stroke OF noon. and train from
the west. arriving late in the after
noon. brought Ripley.
THE conditions all along the line
are almost revolutionary" was Rip
leys summins-up OF the situation.
-'Generally speaking. the public is not
holding Us responsible as Yet. though
of course there are eroakers who are
saying that it is entirely a railroad
move. and predicting that We won't
do anything to interfere with the new
graft"
"CantrelI says the public sentiment
Is altogether on the side of the c. 5.
& W. strikers" the boss put in
at is; angrily so. There IS hot
talk of a boycott 10 be extended TO
everything sold or handled by the
Hatch syndicate I hope there won't
be any effort made TO introduce strike
breakers. In the present state Of af-
fairs that would mean arson and riot.
ing and bloody murder"
II wired you because wanted 10
consult you once more about those
ground leases, Ripley. Do you still
think you can made them holdf"
IF Hatch breaks the conditions
weIl give him the fight OF his life"
was the confident rejoinder.
But that will mean long contest
In the courts. The Supreme court is
full year behind It's docket. and the
delay will inevitably multiply your
few 'croakers' by many thousands
But that Isn't the worst of it. Hatch
has better hold on US than the laws
delay" And to this third member of
his staff Mr. Norcross told the story
of the political trap into which Col
Iingwood and the New York stock
Johbers had betrayed the railroad man
sgement.
Ripley comment was a little Ike
FIornaek's: less profane, perhaps, but
also less hopeful.
Good Lord," he calculated. so
that Ia what Hatch has had up his
sleeve, l don't know how you feel
about 1t. but / should say that it is
al, over but the shouting. If the Dun
ton crowd had been deliberately try
ing to wreck the property, they couldn't
have gone about it in any surer way"
THAT is the way 1t looked to me.
Ripley. at first. but I've had chance
to sleep on it-as you haven't The
gun that can't be spiked in some way
has never yet been built. l have the
names OF the eleven men who were
bribed. Hatch was daring enough to
give them to me. Holding the affi-
davits which they were foolish enough
to give him. Hatch can make them
swear to anything he pleases. But II
could get those afiidavits I'd go to
these men separately and make each
bne tell me how much he had been
paid by Bullock for his vote
"Weil. what theD?"
-'Then ! should make every mothers
eon OF them come across with the full
amount Of the bribe. on pain Of an
exposure which the dirtiest politician
In this state couldn't afford to face.
That would settle It. Hatch couldn't
work the same game a second time"
We were closing our desks to 20 to
Sdinnee when Fred May came In to say
: that delegation OF the payroll men
IRas outside and wanting to have .
tpord with the .Big Boss" Mr.. Nor
cross stopped with his desk curtain
enlf drawn down.
what h II. Fredfs he asked.
r doa't :. know.~ mid the Pitts
5ssqnse. z elssid en- Il . srievanes .