Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1921-11-10

~ ~ AEAA& - $50 -
past six months you've made Gu
Henckel and me lose a cold half-mil
lion, N~orcross. For q less pr0vocatior
than that, many a man In this necl
OF woods has been sent back east II
the baggage-car. wearing a wooder
overcoat. You climb down, and do |
while you can stay alive ]"
For some time after the three mer
went way the boss sat staring at the
slip of paper on the desk slide. Al
last he got up, sort OF. tiredlike'
| thought, and said to me: Jim
mie. you go down and see II you can
find a taxi, and wen drive out to
Major Hendricks. | promised him
I'd 90 out TO the house, you remem-
ber."
When our taxi stopped at the ma
joris gate, somebody was coming out
just as were getting ready to go in.
The man had the visor of his big fiat
golf cap pulled down well over his
eyes. but | knew him just the same.
II was Collingwoodi
This looked like more trouble. What
was the presidents nephew doing
here? wondered about that. and
also, II the boss had recognized Col
ilngwood. IL he had, he made no
sign, and a moment later / had pushed
the bell-push and Maisie Ann was
opening the door for us.
Both Of your oh. how NIGEL" she
said. with a smile for the boss and a
queer little grimace for me-. Come
in. This is our evening for callers.
Cousin Basil is out, but he'll be back
pretty soon, and he left word for you
TO walt II you got here before he did.
That message was for the boss, and
/ Jagged behind in the dtHniy lighted
hall while she was showing him into
the hack parlor. l had dropped down
on the hall settee, In the end of 1t
next to the coat-rack. and when Mrs.
Sheila came downstairs and went
through the hall. she didn't see me.
A second later / heard the boss jump
up and say, AT last 1t seems as
II you had been gone a year rather
illtH Il lUllniEiRf anu AA1h AA1AFA~
ann came lodging out and pfunked
herself down on~the .settee beside me.
You needn't tell me that we had no
right to sit there listening; | know
It well enough on the other hand,
| was just shirky enough to shift the
responsibility 10 Maisie Ann. She
didn't make any move TO duck, so
I didn't.
"You came out to see Cousin Basil2.',
Mrs. Siieila was saying TO the boss
And then3"He had a telephone call
from the Billiard, and he asked me to
tell you TO wait" After that. | guess
she sat down 10 help him wait, for
pretty o we heard her say cousin
Basil has told me a little about the
new trouble: have you been having
another bad quarter OF an hour?"
'The worst of the lot the boss said
.gravely, and from that he went on
TO tell her about the Hatch visit and
what had come of IL; how the graft
ers had a new claw hold on him. now,
possible by an unwarranted piece
Of meddling on the part of the New
York people In the political game.
II was while he was talking about
This that Maisie Ann grabbed me by
the wrist and dragged me bodily into
the darkened front parlor, the door to
which was just on the other side OF
the coat rack. l thought she had
to her right senses. at last. and
was making the shift to break OF the
eavesdropping. That being the case,
I was simply Mortified when | found
that she was merely fixing II so that
could both see and hear. The slid
Ing doors between the w parlors
cracked open about IN inch, and
I realized what she was do
ing she had pulled me down ON the
floor beside her, right In front of that
'Tf you move or make a noise. TIL
scream and they'll come Ia here and
Ind us both 20 she Kissed In my ear;
md because I didn't know what else
o do with such a klddish little terma-
rant, l sat stlll. 1t was dastardly, /
xnow but what was to dor
When the BOSS finished telling her
about the Hatch talk. Mrs. Sheila
You mean that MFR. Dunton
his associates sent somebody GU
lere to influence the eIectlonf"
"Yes: that is 1t, precisely. But how
lid you KNOW
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