The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1921-06-30

Z charge 0f thlusss And here vas tbs
boss practically ordering him out Of
the ofaee-telllng him thar bis room
was better than his company
The Iurtly man got out OF his chair
I putting like a steam-engine.
"Weil see about this l' he threat.
ened. you've been here three months
and you haven't done anything but
muddle things until the stock of the
company isn't worth much more than
the paper it's printed on II / can
I get a clear wire 70 New York. youll
have word from President Dunton to-
morrow morning telling you where you
get of
To this Mr.. Noreross made no reply
whatever. and the heavy footed gentle
man stumped out. saying things 10
himself that wouldn't look very well
In print When the hall door below
gave a big slam TO let us know that
he was still going. the boss looked
across at me With sour grin wrin-
Killing around his eyes.
"Now you know why made Gorcher
break all the rules Of the service get
ting here, Jimmie" he said. POS
session Is nine points Of the law. and
In this case IL was rather important
that Mr.. Dismuke shouldn't find the
outfit without a head and these Offices
Of ours unoccupied." He rose, stretched
his arms over his head like a tired
nd 20 ha frRff "a
kept TO wear when he went out TO
knock around I'm the shops and yard.
Lets go up to the hotel and see II
we can break into the cafe, Jimmie"
he finished up Later on, we'll wire
Mr. Chadwick; but that can walt. i
haven't had square meal in four
days"
With everybody supposIng he had
resigned and left the country. ] guess
there were all kinds OF a nine-minutes'
wonder in Portal City. and all along
the Short Line. when the word went
out that Mr.. Norcross was back on the
Job and running II pretty much the
same as II nothing had happened.
After supper. on the night Of his
return from the hide-out. he had sent
a long code message to Mr.. Chadwick.
and short one TO President Dunton
and though | didn't see the reply TO
either. / guess Mr.. Chadwick's an
swer, at least, was the right kind be-
cause our track renewing campaign
went into commission again with a
slam. and all the reform policies took
a sure-enough fresh start and began to
hump themselves. with Juneman work
ing the newspapers TO finish.
We heard nothing further from Mr..
Dismuke, the portly gentleman in the
tan spats. though he still stayed on at
the Bullard. We saw him occasional
ly at meal times. and twice he was
eating at the same table with Hatch
and Henckel. That placed him all
right for us, though / guess he didn't
need much placing.
| wondered a little at first that Mr..
Norcross didn't take the clue that
Branderby, the Mountalneer reporter,
had given us and tear loose on the
gang that had trapped him. He didn't;
or didn't seem to. From the first hour
of the first day he was up TO his neck
pushing things for the new company
formed for the purpose of putting Red
Tower out OF business, and he wouldn't
take a minutes time for anything else.
or course II says itself that Hatch
never made any more proposals about |
selling the Red Tower plants TO the
Storage 4 Warehouse people |
after the boss got back. That move
went Into the discard In a hurry. and |
the Consolidation outfit was busy get
ting into its fighting clothes. and try
ing 70 chock the wheels of the G. s. /
& w. with all sorts of legal obstacles.
Franchise contracts with the rail.
load were flashed up, and lnjunctlons
were prayed for. Ripley waded In.
and what little sleep he got for a week
Or two was in Pullman cars. snatched
while he was rushing around and try
ng TO keep his new clients. the c. S.
& w. folks. out of jail for contempt
)f court He did IT, Little and quiet
md smooth-spoken, he could put the
egai leather Into the biggest bullies
he other side could hire Luckily.
We were an Interstate corporation, and
when the local courts proved crooked,
Ripley would find some way TO Jerk
he case out OF them and put II up to
Iome Federal Judge.
Around home In Portal City things
we're just simmering. Between two
lays. as you might say. and right
Don after Mr.. Norcross got back, we
cQuired a new chum on the head
uarters force He was a young fei-
ow named Tarbell. who looked and
alked and acted Ike a cow-punch just
D from riding line. He was carried on
fr Van Britt's payroll as an -exira" or
relief telegraph operator; though We
ever heard OF his being sent out 10
elieye anybody.
I sized this new young man up.
ight away. for a special" Of some
and the proof that was right
afternoon when Ripley
s-rH a.sa ]