Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1921-06-30
By
FRANCIS
LYNDE

you don't--if you butt In will, the
ground-leases or in any other way
the story will go to the newspapers
and every sucker on the line Of the
r. s. l.. will know how you've been
pulling the wool over his eyes with
all this CUFF about Justice first and
the public be pleased You're no
fool, Norcross. You know they won't
lay 1t to Dunton and the New Workers..
You've taken pains to advertise 1t far
and wide that you are running this
RAILROAD on your own responsibility.
and the people are going to take you
at your word"
Dedmon. and the lawyer who
hadn't spoken single word in all the
talk-were edging toward the door.
The boss didn't make any answer to
Hatch's wind-up except to say, "Is
that all?"
The other two were out now, and
Hatch turned to stick his ugly jaw cut
at the boss, and to say. Just as IL !
hadn't been there to look on and hear
him:
mo, by JupIter-it isn't oil! In the
past six months you've made Gus
Henckel and me lose cold half:mil-
lion, Norcross. For q less prov0cation
than that, many man In this neck
of woods has been sent back east in
the bnggage-car, wearing wooden
overcOut. You climb down. and do IL
while you can stay alive!"
For some time after the three men
went away the boss sat staring at the
slip of paper on the desk slide. At
last he got up, sort Of tiredlike,
l thought. and said to me: Jim
mie. you go down and see IL you can
find a taxi. and we'll drive out to
Major Hendricks. promised him
I'd go out to the house. you remem-
ber"
When our TAXI STOPPED Mt the ma
jor's gate. somebody Was coming out
just as were getting ready to go in.
The man had the visor Ut his big fiat
golf cap pulled down well over Ills
eyes, but knew him Just the same.
1t was Collingwood!
This looked like more trouble. What
was the presidents nephew doing
here? wondered about that, and
also. II the boss had recognized COL
lingwo0d. II 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 you? oh, how nice !" she
said, with smile for the boss and
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 wait If you got here before he did,.
That message was for the boss, and
Jagged behind In the dinly lighted
hall while she was showing him into
the back parlor. had dropped down
on the hall settee, in the end Of IL
J 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 aud say, ''At Inst! 1t seems as
II you had been gone year rather
than fortnight" and then Maisie
Ann came dodging out and plunked
herself down on the settee beside me.
You needn't tell me that we had no
right to sit there listening; know
1t we'll enough. On the other hand.
I was just shirky enough to shift the
responsibility to Maisie Ann. Size
didn't make any move to duck, 20
didn't.
\ "You came out to see Cousin Basllf'
Mrs. Sl,eila was saying to the boss
And then: "He had telephone call
from the Billiard. and he asked me to
tell you to watt" After that, guess
pretty soon we heard her say: cousin
Basil has told me q little about the
new trouble: have you been having
another bad quarter of an llour?"
1.-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 It.; how the graft
ers had new claw hold on him, now.
made possible by an unwarranted piece
Of meddling on tile part Of the New
} York people In the political game.
It 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. thought she had
come to her right senses, at last. and
was making the shift to break of the
eavesdropping. That being the case.
was simply horrified when found
that she was merely fixing It 80 that
we could both see and hear. The slid.
J ing doors between the two parlors
were cracked open about an inch. and
before realized what she was do
ing she had pulled me down on the
floor beside her. right in front Of that
crack.
III yen move or make noise. III
] scream and they'll come IN here and
find US both!" she Missed In my ear;
and because didn't know what else
J to do with such Q kiddish little terma.