Charlevoix county herald., 1921-06-03


known all along that you were only
blufiing and sparring to gain time.
We've nailed you to the cross. You
let this deal with Marshall and his
people stand as it's made, or Wen
show you up for what you are. That's
the plain English of it,"
"You mean that you will go to the
newspapers with this?" said the boss,
and It was no wonder that his voice
was a bit husky.
"Just that Well give you plenty
of time to think Ii over. The joint
deal with G. S. & w. goes into effect
tomorrow, and It's up to you to sit
tight in the boat and let us alone. If
you don't-if you butt In with the
ground-leases or i'm any other way
the story will go to the newspapers
and every sucker on the line Of The
p. 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 it 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, us
that all?"
The other two were out, now, and
Hatch turned to stick his ugly Jaw out
at the boss, and to say, just as II
hadn't been there TO look on ana near
him:
mo, by Jupiter-it isn't all In the
past six months you've made Gus
Henckel and me lose cold half-mil-
lion. Norcross. For less provocation
than that many a man In this neck
of woods has been sent back east In
the baggage-car, wearing a wooden
overcoat. You climb down, and do 1t
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,
I thought, and said to me-: Jim
ME. you 60 down and see If you can
ind taxi, and We'll drive out to
Major Hendricks. l promised him
I'd go out to the house, you remem-
ber."
When our taxi stopped at the ma
jor's gate, somebody was coming out
Just as were getting ready to go In.
The man had the visor of his big fiat
golf cap pulled down well over his
eyes. but l knew him just the same.
1t was CollingwOod
This looked like more trouble. What
was the presidents nephew doing
here? l wondered about that, and
also, If the boss had recognized Col
| lingwood. If he had, he made no
sign, and a moment later had pushed
the bell-push and Malsie Ann was
opening the door for us.
Both of you? oh, how NIGEL" she
said, with q 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
1 Jagged behind in the dimly lighted
hall while she was showing him into
the back parlor. l had dropped down
on the hall settee, in the end OF 1t
next to the coat-rack. and when Mrs.
| SheiIa came downstairs and went
through the hall, she didn't see me-.
A second later l heard the boss jump
up and say, "At last! 1t seems as
| If you had been gone year rather
than q fortnight" and then Maisie
Ann came lodging out and plunked
herself down on the settee beside me.
You needn't tell me that we had no
right to sit there listening; l know
| 1t well enough. On the other hand,
/ was just shirky enough to shift the
responsibility to Maisie Ann. She
didn't make any move to duck, so
l didn't.
"You came out to see Cousin BasilT'
Mrs. Sheila was saying to the boss.
| And then: "He had O telephone call
from the Billiard, and he asked me to
tell you to wait" After that, / guess
she sat down to help him wait for
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 hourY'
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 n new claw hold on him. now,
made possible by an unwarranted piece
of meddling on the part of the New
York people in the. political game.
1t 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 off the
eavesdropping That being the case,
I was simply Mortified when l found
that she was merely fixing il so that