The Elk Mountain pilot., 1921-05-26

majors wife, and the husky lIttle-gir
cousin. They've been visiting at the
capital, so they told me-. and l expect
the major will be mighty glad to see
them back"
snid, If he said anything at all, but
If 1 had been stone deaf / think l
should have heard the thing that Mr..
Hornack said when he went on.
II heard something the other day
in Portal City that seems pretty hard
to believe, Norcross. 1t was at one
of Mrs. Stagford's evoaings,' and
was sitting out dance with certain
young woman who shall be nameless.
We were speaking of the Hendricks,
and she gave me rather broad hint
that Mrs. Macrae isn't a widow at
all; that her husband is still living"
My heavens! 1 had figured out
thousand ways in which the boss might
get wised up to the dreadful truth,
but never anything like this; to have
1t dropped on him that way out of
clear sky
For minute or two he didn't say
anything, but when he did speak, 1
saw that the truth wasn't going to
take hold.
THAT is gossip, pure and simple,
Hornack. The Hendricks are my
friends, and have been as intimate
In their household as any outsider
could be. It's merely idle gossip, can
assure you"
Maybe So" said Mr.. Hornack, sort
Of drawing In his horns when he saw
how positive the boss was about it.
I'm not beyond admitting that the
young woman who told me is little
inclined that way. But the story was
pretty circumstantial it went so far
as to assert that 'Macrae' wasn't Mrs.
Sheila's married name at all, and to
say that her long stay with her West
ern cousins was-and still is-really
flight from conditions that were too
humiliating to be borne"
II don't care what was said, or
who said it," the boss cut in brusquely
ITS ridiculous to suppose that any
woman. and especially woman like
Sheila Macrae, would attempt to pass
herself off as widow when she wasn't
one."
II know" said the traffic manager,
temporizing a little. But on the
other hand, I've never heard the ma
jor, or any one else, say outright that
she was widow. 1t seems to be just
taken for granted. 1t stirred me up
bit on Van Britt's account You
dnnsf uxrb kn v,,f- ax.I r,fv,n 4,
socially, but it's the talk of the town
that Upton is in over his head in that
quarter"
l shut my eyes and held my breath.
Mr.. Hornack hadn't the slightest idea
what thin ice he was skating over,
or how this easy mention Of Mr. Van
Britt might be just like rubbing salt
into fresh cut. By this time 1t was
growing dark, and we were running
into Portal City, and was mighty
glad that 1t couldn't last much longer.
The boss didn't speak again until the
yard switches were clanking under
the car. and then he said:
upton is well able to take care of
himself. Hornack. and I don't think
we need worry about him." and then
over his shoulder to me: Jimmie, it's
time to wake up. We're pulling in"
As he always did on a return trip,
Mr.. Norcross ran up to his office to
see If there was anything pressing
before he did anything else. May
was still at his desk, and In answer
to the boss question he shook his
head.
mo; nobody that couldn't wait" he
said. referring to the days callers.
'Mr. Hatch was up with n couple of
men that l didn't know, but he only
wanted to inquire If you would be
In the Office this evening after dinner
told him I'd find out when you came
and let him know by phone"
thought, after all that had hap
pened. Hatch certainly had his nerve
to want to come and make talk
with the man his hired assassins were
trying to murder. But If Mr.. Norcross
took that view of 1t, he didn't show
1t. On the contrary, he told Fred 1t
would be all right to telephone Hatch |;
that he was coming down after din
ner and the office would be open, as
usual.
slipped out and went to Mr.. Van
Britt's office at the other end Of the
hall. Bobby Kelso was there, holding
the Office down, and 1 asked him where
could find Tarbell. Luckily, he was
able to tell me that Tarbell was at
that moment down in the station res
taurant. eating his supper; so down
l went and butted in with my story
Of the Hatch call, and how 1t was to
be repeated little later on.
''Ill be there" said Tarbell; and
with that load of my mind, mogged
of uptown to the club to get my own
dinner.
When I broke into the grill-room at
the railroad club, I found that Mr.. Nor
cross had beaten me TO 1t by a few
minutes; that he had already ordered
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