The Ordway new era., 1921-08-12

=. ptiN htSAAnS - bAN NsAA-
ing for then"
-Send them in." was the curt COM
mand. and a minute later the inner
office was about three-fourths filled
up with a shunling crowd OF 2. S. L.
men.
The chief looked the crowd over.
| There was bunch of train and engine
men. a squad from the shops. and a
bigger one from the yards Also, the
wire service had turned out a gang
of linemen and half n dozen operators.
"well, men. lets have H." said Mr..
Norcross, not TOO sharply. My din
ner's getting cold"
Wen not be keepin' You above the
hollow half OF minute Mister Nor
cross" said the big. bearded freight
conductor who acted as spokesman.
About this c. 5. X W. strike that
went on today: we amt got no kick
comm with You, mr. with the com
pany, Mister NorcrcSS. but 1t looks
like its up To us TO do somethln', and
we didn't want 10 do it without hittin'
square out from the shoulder. There
amt nobody knows Yet What's soin'
TO be done. but whatever il is, we
want you TO know that il amt done
ag'inSt you mr. the railroad company"
The boss had handled wage earners
too long not 10 be able to suspect
what was in the wind.
You men don't want TO let your
sympathies carry you too far.
he cautioned. when you take up
another fellows quarrel you want TO
be pretty sure that you're not going
to hit your friends in the scrap"
HoSkins grinned understandings,
and l guess the boss was little puz-
zled by the mods and winks that went
around among the silent members Of
the delegation; at least, know l was.
That's all right" HoSkins said. Be
in the his boss. you've got TO talk
that way But what I was aimin' 20
say Is that the-e1l he a trainload r
two of strike -break akerS a-careerin' along
here in a day r so. and We amt fs-
u-in' on letua EN- get past Portal
City, If tina. far
That's up 10 you" said Mr.. Nor
cross bruSquely. IF you start sny-
thing in the way OF riot"
Excuse me. There amt soin' 20
be no rlOJin', and no company prop
erty mashed up. Mr.. Van Britt. he"
1t was right here that an odd thing
happened Coz Corrisan. a big two
fisted freight engineer standing direct
ly behind HoskinS. reached an arm
around the speakers neck and choked
him so suddenly that Hoskins' sentence
ended In a gaSpins chuckle. When the
garrotinS arm was withdrawn the con-
duetor looked around sort OF fOolishly
and said: I'm thinking that's about all
we wanted 10 say, ain't it, boys:" and
the deputation filed out as solemniy
as 1t had come in.
guess Mr. Norcross wasn't left
wholly in the dark when the tramp
ing footballs of the committee died
away il the corridor. That uuinten-
tiOnal mention Of Alr Van Brict's name
looked as If it might open up some
more possibilities though what they
were I couldn't Imagine. and I don't
believe the general manager could.
either.
After that. things rocked along preJ-
~ easy until after dinner. Instead Of
the club. Mr. NorcroSs drifted into
the smokiug-room and filled 4 pipe
In the course Of few minutes. Major
Kendrick dropped in and pulled up a
chair. I don't know what they talked
about. but after little while when
the boss got up to go. heard him
say something that gave the key to
the most OF what had gone before, l
guess.
Have yOu seen or heard anything
OF Collingwood since yesterday
The good old major shook his head.
They're tellin' me that he's oyeh in
his rooms at the Bullard. drinkin' him
self TO death II he wasn't altogether
past redemption. sub. he world have
had the decency to get out OF town
befo' lie turned loose all hoIts that
way; he would. fo- a fact. Graham"
AT that. Mr. Norcross explained in
just few words why Collingwood
hadn't gone-why he couldn't 90.
Whereupon the old Kentuckian looked
graver than ever
THAT thah spells trouble. Graham.
Hatch is simply invitin' the unde'-
takeh. Howie isn't what you'd call a
dangerous man, but he is totally ir-
responsible. even when he's sobeh."
"we ought 70 get him away from
here" was the boss decision. He
is an added menace while he stays
didn't hear what the major said
TO that. because little Rags. Mr. Per-
kins' office boy, had just come in with
a note which he was asking me to
give to Mr.. Norcross. did It; and
after the note had been glanced at. the
chief said, kind of bitterly. TO the
major:
.'You can never fall so far that rou