Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1921-04-15

| mum t-Outsiut Oh tne Oue tHiuB
I couldn't talk about-and told him
SO, and at this he let me see a little
more Of what was going on In his
own mind.
J you're one Of US, In q way, jim
mic, and can talk freely to you.
Mrs. Macrae insists that there has
been foul play Of some sort. You say
you weren't present when Hatch called
on Norcross at the office that night r
"No; / came In just after Hatch
went away"
| "Did Norcross say anything to make
you think there had been q fghtT
HE told me that Hatch was abusive
and had made threats-in a business
way"
I'm a business way7 What do you
mean by thatT
| l quoted the boss own words. as
nearly as could recall them.
$50 Hatch did make a threat, thenf
Can you add anything more?"
I could. but I didn't want to. Mr..
| Van Britt didn't know anything about
the Sand Greek siding hold-up, or
supposed he didn't, and didn't want
to be the first one to tell him. Besides,
the whole business was beside the
mark. Maisie Ann knew, and knew,
that the boss. strong and unbreakable
as he was in other ways. had simply
thrown up his hands and quit because
somebody had told him that Mrs.
Sheila had husband living. So /
just said
Nothing that would help out" and
after he had talked little while
longer our only millionaire went down
stairs again.
It's so funny how things change
around for person just ~ giving
them time to sort of shake down into
place and fit themselves together.
After while the chin edge Of the
wedge that Mrs Sheila had been try
ing to drive into me began to take
hold, just little. in spite Of what
knew-or thought l knew. Was Ii
barely possible, after all, that there
had been foul play Of some sort?
| In the first place. something had
been done to me by somebody it was
a sure thing that hadn't crippled and
half-killed myself all by my lonesome.
Then they had said that the boss
stayed up with Mr.. Ripley that night
until after ten o'clock, and had then
gone up to 60 to bed. That being the
case, how could anybody have got to
him between that time and the leav-
ing time of the midnight Fast Mail to
tell him about Mrs. Sheila?
Anyway it was stacked up, it made
three-cornered puzzle, needing some
body to tackle 1t right away; and
with the notion that, sick or no sick,
was going to turn out early In the
morning and get busy.
| Twas well enough to get up the next
morning, and when / phoned to Mr..
Van Britt he sent his car out to the
majors to take me down to the office.
Just before / left the house, Mrs.
Sheila waylaid me, and after telling
me that l must be careful and not
take cold in the burnt hand, she put
in another word about the boss dis
appearance.
II want you to remember what l
said last night, Jimmie, and not let
the others talk you over into the be-
lief that Mr.. Norcross has gone away
because he was either discouraged or
afraid. He wouldn't do that: you
know 1t, and I know It, We are his
friends, you and I, and we must stand
by him and defend him when he isn't
here to defend himself"
1t did me good to hear her talk
that way. had been sort Of getting
ready to dislike her fer letting the
boss get In so deep and not telling
him straight out that she was mar
ried woman and he mustn't; but
when l saw that she was trying to be
just as loyal to him as was, II pulled
me over to her side again.
Though the boss disappearance was
now four days old, things were still
in a sort of daze down at the rail-
road Offices. Mr.. Van Britt. being the
general superintendent and nett In
command, had moved over into the
boss office, and Free May was doing
his shorthand work. They wouldn't
let me do anything much-I couldn't
do much with my right arm In q
sling-so I had a chance to hang
around and size up the situation. II
you want to know how 1t sized up.
you can take II from me that 1t was
pretty bad People oil along the line
were bombarding Mr.. Van Britt with
letters and kilograms wanting to know
what was going to be done, and what
the change in management was go
ing to mean for the public, and all
that. You see, Mr.. Norcross had laid
out a mighty attractive program In
the little time he had been at the
wheel, and now II looked as IL 1t was
all going to be dumped into the ditch.
Mr.. Van Britt saw and talked with
everybody, and when he could wedge
off a minute or two of privacy, he'd
go into the third room of the suite
and thresh II out with Juneman, or
Billoughby, or Mr.. Ripley. From these
private talks 1 found out that there
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