The Elk Mountain pilot., 1921-05-05


this that preparations had been made
beforehand. They wouldn't tell me
anything except that I was to be
locked up for few days"
You knew what that meant?"
Perfectly. My drop-out would be
made to look as II had jumped the
job, and Dunton would appoint a new
man. After that. could come back.
If wanted to. Whatever I might do
or try to do would cut no figure, and
no explanation | could make would be
believed had most obligingly dug
my own official grave. and there could
he no resurrection"
What then?" pressed Ripley. keenly
interested. as anybody could see.
when they took the clothes-line
from my arms there was another
scrap. 1t didn't do any good. They
got the door shut on me and got
1t locked. After that, for four solid
days, Ripley, ! was made to realize
how little II takes to hold man.
had my pocket-knife, but couldn't
whittle my way out The floor punch
cons were spiked down, and couldn't
dig out. They had taken all my
matches. and couldn't burn the place.
l tried the stick-rubbing. and all those
things you read about: they're fakes;
Icouldn't get even the smell OF smoke"
"The chimney?"
There wasn't any. They had heated
the place. when 1t was commIssary,
with stove, and the pipe hole through
the ceiling had piece of sheet iron
nailed over It. And I couldn't get to
the roof at all. They had me-"
Ripley nodded and said, snappy-
like: well, we've got them now-any
time you give the word. Tarbell has a
pinch on one Of the Clanahan men and
railroad every one of those fellows
who carried you off,
"And the men higher up?' queried
the boss.
mo; not yet
"Then we'll drop 1t right where it is.
I don't want the hired tools; no one
of them. unless you can get the devil
that crippled Jimmie Dodds here"
They went on. talking about my
burn-up. Listening in, / learned for
the first time just how 1t had been
done. Tarbell, through his hold upon
the welshing Clanahan striker. had
got the details at secondhand A lead
had been taken from power wire
at the corner of the street and hooked
over the outer dOor-knob. And inside
/ had been given a sheet of copper to
stand on for a good ground" the
copper itself being wired to water
pipe running up through the hall. Tar
bell had afterward proved up on all
this. it seemed finding the Insulated
wire and the copper sheet with its
connections hidden in small rubbish
closet under the hall stair. jnst where
fellow in hurry might chuck them.
"Tarbell is striking success" Mr..
Norcross put in. along at the end Of
things Wen keep him on with us,
Ripley"
Past this there was little more
talk about the C. s. & w. deal. and
about what the Hatch crowd would be
likely 20 try next; and when II was
finished, and Ripley was reaching for
his hat. the boss said. ''There Is no
change in the orders: we've got 'em
going now, and we'll keep 'em going.
Drive it. Ripley: drive it for every
ounce there is in you. Never mind the
election talk or the stock quotations
This railroad is going to be honest. If
1t never earns another net dollar.
Well win!"
Its beginning to look little that
way, now the lawyer admitted, with
his hand on the door knob. Just the
same, Norcross, there is safety IN mum,
bers, and our numbers are precisely
one; one man"-holding up single
finger. "As before, the pyramid Is
standing on its head-and you are the
head. For Gods sake, be careful !"
1t was late in the afternoon when
Ripley made his visit, and pretty soon
after he went away the boss. and
closed up our end of the shop and
left May pecking away at his type
writer on lot OF routine stuff.
don't know what made me do it, but
as l was passing -Fred's desk on the
way out. stringing along behind the
boss, 1 stopped and jerked open one
of the drawers. 1 knew beforehand
what was in the drawer, and pointed
to it-a new .3S automatic. Fred
nodded, and slipped the gun into
my left-hand pocket, wondering as
did it, if l could make out to hit the
broad side of a barn, shooting with
that hand, If l had to.
A half-minute later had caught up
with Mr.. Norcross, and together we
left the building and went up TO the
Bullard for dinner.