The Dolores star., 1921-12-23
The
Wreckers
By
FRANCIS
LYNDE
oop,n.ht by Chas. scribncrs Sons
CHAPTER xVll-Continued.

hiking WIN ile ~ e'"e =" >' ~"
.omething. How far do you want your
train to run
.ob | don't know; anywhere the
,o,ion prods me-say to the west end
.rd hack, with as many stops as
sss At to make, and perhaps run
aver the branches"
\ sow the boss make a few figures
on a pad under his hand.
at would cost anybody else. rough
,r something like five hundred dol
lars On account OF your little joke
Ms going 10 cost you II cold thou
sand"
Mr. Van Britt took out his check
hook and a fountain pen and solemn
IL made out the check.
.Here you are" he said. fiipping the
.,act over 20 the boss desk. Now
,hell out that receipt. so that I'll have
| n TO show II anybody wants to know
how much you've gouged me. Since
,ou're making the accommodation cost
me dollar minute, how long have
rot TO waltz"
Mr.. Norcr0Ss said something that
ssunded like "d-n," scribbled a men,
wandum OF the thousand-dollar pay
,ent on a sheet of the scratch-pad
md handed II over. saying: 1.-The or
der for the car includes my cook and
porter, and something to eat; we'll
Ip hA Tn
uon and II the car is ditched and
vu sue for damages. we'll file a cross.
sll for hotel accommodations. Now
10 away and work of your little at
nck Of lunacy. I'm busy"
The c. S. & w. strike-as our wires
| told us-went into effect promptly on
The stroke OF noon. and q train from
be west, arriving late In the after
soon, brought Ripley.
The conditions all along the line
m almost revolutionary" was Rip
y's summlng-up of the situation.
Generally speaking, the public Is not
holding us responsible as yet. though
u course there are croakers who are
nying that 1t Is entirely 4 railroad
move, and predicting that We won't
10 anything to interfere with the new
rsft."
-Cantrell says the public sentiment
y altogether on the side Of the G. s.
W. strikers" the boss put Ia.
1T is; sngrily SO. There Is hot
hlk Of a boycott to be extended to
Uerythlng sold or handled by the
hatch syndicate. I hope there won't
h any effort made to introduce strike
breakers. In the present state Of af-
fhirs that would mean arson and riot
hg and bloody murder"
Il wired you because l wanted to
consult you once more about those
Hound leases, Ripley. Do you still
mink you can made them hold?"
IF Hatch breaks the conditions,
we'll give him the fight of his life,"
vas the confident rejoinder.
But that will mean a long contest
10 the courts. The Supreme court is a
null year behind Its docket, and the
eelay will inevitably multiply your
lsw 'croakers' by many thousands.
But that isn't the worst Of 1t. Hatch
nAs better hold on US than the laws
..ehy." And to this third member Of
ah stan Mr.. Norcross told the story
u the political trap into which Col
aaswood and the New York stock
Sooers had betrayed the railroad man
igement.
nlpiey comment was q little like
eomack's; less profane, perhaps. but
lso less hopeful,
'Good Lord!" he calculated. $50
ot b what Hatch has had up his
.eeve! l don't know how you feel
.uout 1t, but ! should say that 1t Is
W over but the shouting. II the Dun
- crowd had been deliberately try
Ssto wreck the property. they couldn't
s.e gone about It in any surer way"
mat is the way 1t looked to me.
.p'eS, at first; but I've had q chance
sleep on it-as you haven't. The
!an mat can't be spiked IN some way
s never yet been built. I have the
s. .u'es OF the eleven men who were
v,loed. Hatch was daring enough to
~. 'hem to me. Holding the an
.sots which they were foolish enough
give him. Hatch can make them
'eur to anything he pleases. But II
sould get those affidavits I'd 90 to
.'e men separately and make each
~, =. tell me how much he had been
~.u a, oy Bullock for his vote"
well, what then?"
-, men should make every mothers
,m. ru VI them come across with the full
,,no vul1 OF the bribe. on pain Of an
.p"sure which the dirtiest politician
M.. 's state couldn't afford to face.
,aa a would settle 1t. Hatch couldn't
uA w 'he Same game a second time"
M, we We're closing our desks to 20 to
Ms. t when Fred May came In to say
~ delegation of the payroll men
so,, outside and wanting to have a
In. @ with the big Boss" Mr.. Nor
W. stopped with his desk curtain
vi Drawn down.
% mat Is 1t, Fred?" he asked.