The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1921-07-21

ms our loss aud damage account
for the past month Is somethins
frightful !"
1T is said the boss graSely. And
then Upton. were not altogether a.
bright as We might be. Has Il neyei
occurred 10 you that we are hayinl
too much bad luck TO warrant Us In
charging II all up 70 the chapter OF
aecldentsf'
Mr Van Britt blew his cheeks out
until the stubby, cropped mustaehe
bristled Ike porcupine quills.
$50 you've been getting your point.
er. too. have your he threw in,
Mr. Norcross didn't answer the ques.
ton directly.
"Put Tarbell on the Job, and II be
needs help. LEI him pick his own men, >
he directed "We want to know why
that boulder tumbled down ahead OF
Number Seventeen. and ! want to see
Tarbell's report on IT, Keep at II
night and day, Upton. The infection
Is getting into the rank and iile and
It's spreading like sickness. If IL
becomes psychological. we shall have
all the trouble we need"
II know" nodded the superinten-
dent Il went through Siege OF that
kind on the Great Southwestern. one
winter II was horrible. Men who
had been running trains year In and
year out. and never knowing that they
had any nerves, went to pieces II
you'd snap your fingers at them"
That's IT," said the boss, "We
don't want TO fall into that ditch.
Things are quite bad enough. as they
are"
This ended II for the time. The
Petrolite Canyon wreck was picked
up. the track was cleared, and once
more our trains were moving on time.
But anybody could see that the entire
Short Line had a case OF nerves"
kirgun, krgan the cold.blooded,
showed II one afternoon when ! went
over TO his office 10 return a bunch OF
blue-prints sent In for the boss APP
proval. The big master-mechanic had
roundrhouse foreman ION the carpet
and was marrying him like the dickens
for letting an engine go out with one
OF her truck safety chains hanging
loose.
Ever since we had gone together on
the rescue run 10 Timber Mountain,
Mart and | had been sort of ehummy,
aud after the foreman had gone away
with his foot In his hand, joshed
Klrgan little about the way he had
hammered the round-house man.
bad medicine" I told him. "It's
worrying the bosses, too What's do
ing II, Martf"
Maybe you can tell" he growled.
Its a hoodoo-that's whht II Is.
Seven engines In the shops in the last
nine days, and three more that haven't
been flshed out-a the ditch yet ! Wish
Mr. Van Britt d fire the whole jumpy
outfit -
II didn't seem as though firing was
needed so much as dose OF nerve
tonic Of some sort. Tarbell was work.
ing hard on the problem, quietly. and
without making any talk about Il. and
Klrgnn was giving him all the men he
asked for from the shops qulck-witted
fellows who were up In all the me
details. and who made bet
Ter spotters than outsiders would be
cause they knew the road and the
ropes. But Il was no use saw
some OF Tarbell's reports. and they |
lidn't show any crookedness. II
seemed to be just bad luck--one land
'lide after another OF II.
Meanwhile, New York had walked up
lgain. President Dunton had been or |
he job somewhere. | guess, but now
he was back. and the things he wired /
o the boss were enough to make your
lair stand on end. | looked every day
o see Mr.. Norcross pitch the whole
into the fire and quit
old
He'd never taken anything like Mr.
)unton's abuse from anybody before.
nd he couldn't seem 10 get hardened
o H. But he was loyal to Mr. Chad
wick and. Of course. he knew that
Ir. Dunton's hot wires were meant
o nag him into reslgning. Then there
vas Mrs. Sheila. ! sort o. suspected
he was holding him up 10 the rack.
very day and every minute Of the
lay.
II was one evening after be hao
.een out to the majors for just
title while. and had come back 20 the
aice. that he. sent for Mr.. Van Britt.
mo was also 'warxing late. There was
Hood on the moon, and saw Il In the
ray the boss Jaw was working
Upton" he beEan. as short as pie
rust. have you thought Of any way 10
reak this wreck hoodoo yetT'
Mr.. Van Britt sat down and crosse0
Is solid little legs
IL bad. I shouldn't be losing sleep
I the rate of Eve or six hours
light" be rasped
There's one thing that We haven't
-iei the boss shot back. We've
81. advertising q as bad luek. keep
= our own suspicious 20 ourselves
af iegt,ag the men believe ahat they ,
-