The Ordway new era., 1921-06-03
The WreCkerS
BY
FRANCIS LYNDE
jopyrats, s,ca.ass snnar.se

ahead of nurSey. had to blink hard
two or three times before could real
ly make up my mind that the tip-toer
was Maise Ann. She looked as if she
might be the nurses understudy. She
had nifty little lace cap on her thick
mop of hair. and l guess her apron
was meant to be nursey too. only it
was frilled and tucked To fare-you-
well.
"You poor. poor boy,'' she cooed,
patting my pillow just like my grand
mother used TO when l was little
kid and had the mumps or the measles.
Are you still roaming around in the
Oregon woods?"
That brought my dream. or one of
them, back; the one about wandering
around in forest of Douglas fir and
having to jump and dodge to keep the
big trees from falling on me and
smashing me.
NO more woods for NINE" I said
sort of feebly. And then: 'Where
am II"
You are in bed in the spare room
at Cousin Basil's They wanted to
take you to the railroad hospital that
night, but when they telephoned up
here TO try to find Mr. Norcross,
Cousin Basil went right down and
brought you home with him in the am
bulance.'
"'That night you say?" 1 parroted.
1T was last night that the door fell
on me, wasn't it?"
II don't know anything about a door,
but the night that they found you all
burnt and crippled, lying at the foot
of your office stairs. was three days
ago. You have been out of your head
nearly all the time ever since"
Burnt and crippled? What hap
pened to me. Maisie ANN"
'Nobody knows; not even the doc
tors. We've been hoping that some
day you'd be able TO tell us. Can't
you tell me now. Jimmie?'
I told her all there was to tell.
mumbling around among the words
the best l could. Then she told me
how the headquarters watchman had
found me about midnight; with my
right hand scorched black and the
rest Of me apparently dead and ready
to be buried. The ambulance surgeon
had insisted, and was still insisting,
that l had been handling a live wire
but there were no wires at all In the
lower hall. and nothing stronger than
an incandescent light current In the
entire office building.
And you say I've been here hang
ing on by my eyelashes for three days?
What has been going on in all that
time, Maisie Ann? Hasn't anybody
been here to see me?"
She gave a little nod Everybody,
nearly. Mr.. Van Britt has been up
every day, and sometimes twice day.
He has been awfully anxious for you
to come alive"
But Mr.. Norcross?" queried
Hasn't he been up?"
She shook her head and turned her
face away, and she was looking
straight out of the window at the set
ting sun when she asked. when was
the last time you saw Mr.. Norcross,
Jimmie?"
I choked little over a big scare
that seemed to rush up out of the
made out to answer her question, tell
ing her how Mr. NOrcrOss had left the
Office maybe half an hour or so before
did, that night. going uptown with
Mr.. Ripley. Then l asked her why
she wanted to know.
Because nobody has seen him since
p little later that same night" she
said, saying it very softly and with
out turning her head. And then: "Mr
Van Britt found n letter from Mr..
Norcross on his desk the next morning.
1t was just a little typewriter note,
on Hotel Bullard letter sheet, say
ing that he had made up his mind
that the Pioneer Short Line wasn't
worth fighting for, and that he was
resigning and taking the midnight
train for the East"
sat straight up In bed; should
have had to do 1t if both arms had
been burnt to crisp clear to the
shoulders.
"Resigned?-gave up and ran away?
l don't believe that for single min
ute, Maisie Ami" l burst OUT.
She was shaking her head again,
still without turning her face so that
l could see it.
Tin afraid it's all true, Jimmie.
Eaere were two kilograms that came
to Mr.. Norcross the night he went
away; one from Mr.. Chadwick and the
other from Mr.. Dunton. I heard Mr..
Van Britt telling Cousin SheIla what |
the messages were. He'd seen the |
copies of them that they keep in the
telegraph Office"
1t was on my tongues end to say
that Mr.. NOrcross never had seen those
two kilograms. because had them In |
my pocket and was on my way to de-
liver them when I got shot; but didn't.
Instead, / said: "And you think that |