Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1921-03-14


big swing chair, smoking when
broke in He looked as II he'd been
mixing it up good and plenty with Mr.,
Rufus Hatch--and enjoying it.
"We've got EN- going, jimmie he
chuckled and he said It without ask
ing me how had found Mrs. Sh"Ila,
or how she was looking, or anything.
I told him | had met Mr.. Hatch on
the stair going down
ale didn't say anything TO you, did
hey he asked.
"NOt word"
II had to pull that Sand Creek bust
ness on him, and I'm rather sorry"
h" went ON. "Ho and his people are
going To fight the new company to a
finish, and he merely came up here 10
tell me SO-aud TO add that | might
as well resign first as last, because,
In tn" end, he'd get my goat. When
| laughed at him he got abusive. He's
an ugly beg&ar. Jimmie"
That's what everybody says Of
him"
It's true. He aud his crowd have
plenty Of mOuey-stolen money, a
good deal Of it--Hnd they stand in
with every political boss and gangster
in the state, There is only one way 70
handI" such man, and that is with
out gloves told him We had the
II, e
ChndWck'S kidn0ping adventure. At
first he said | couldn't prove 1t. Then
he broke out curSing and let your
name slip. ! hadn't mentioned you at
all. and so he gave himself away. He
knows who YOU are. and he remem
hered that you had overheard his talk
with Hencllel in the hotel lobby
heard what b. was saying, but I
ditn't really sense it because my hend
was ram jam full Of p thing that WAS
50 pitiful that it had kept me swal-
lowing hard all the way back from
Major Hendricks. II was this way.
When | had iiggIcd the bell ont o. the
house II was MaiSie Ann who let me
in and took the box Of flowers and the
boss note. We sat In the dimly lighted
hail and talked for few Minutes
one thing she told me was that Mrs.
ShniIa had company and the name Of
tt was Mr.. Van Britt. That wasn't
strictly news because | had known
that Mr.. Van Britt was dividing time
pretty evenly with the boss in the
Major kendricll house visits That
wasn't anything TO he scared up about.
But NY chunky little girl didn't stop
at that,
II think We can let Mr., Van Britt
take care Of himself" she said. He
has known Cousin Sbeila for a long
time and guess they are only lust
good friends. Bat there is something
you ought tn know. Jimme-f0r Mr..
NOrcrOSs' sake He has been sending
lots Of flowers and things, and Cousin
Sheia has been taking them because
well. | guess its lust because size
doesn't know how not to take them"
Go on" said. but my mouth had
suddenly grown dry.
such things flowers. Won know
don't mean anything in New York, /
where we've been living. Men send
them to their women friends Just ~
they pass their cigar-caScs around
among their men friends. But I'm
afraid it's different with Mr.. Nor.
cross"
at is different" I said.
Then she told me the thing that
made me swell up and want to burst. |
at mustn't be different Jimmie, |
Cousin SheiIa's married YOU know"
81 know she has been married" +
corrected; and then she gave me the
surc-enough Knockout,
"She is married now, and her hus.
band is stll living"
For n little while couldn't do any
thing but cape Ike a chicken with
the pip. II was simply fierce knew, |
as we'll as | knew anything. that the
boss was gone on Mrs. Sheia; that
he had fallen in love. first with the
back of her neck and then with her
pretty face and then with all Of her
and that the one big reason why he
had let Mr.. Chadwick persuade him
to stay in Portal city was the fact
tIiat he had wanted to he near her and
to show her how he could make per. |
fectly good spoon out of tho spoiled |