The Dolores star., 1921-11-11

ooligingly looked 1, up 10.
Older register. 1t was Bulloas I
Bullock. u''oct I
1 suppose II was IN ,o
bed. 1t was late enough ~s ~ u
science. and nobody knew bsr.l
did the early-risinr ..as ..
opening habits of Mr.. CAN .,n'
cross. g. N. Just the Sam
had marked that Mr. % cam
room-key was st!ll in II, Sa.as' Saa
over to a corner of the lobS.
down determined to keep ~ y
open. II such a thing ~
possible, until our rorrse ~,
show up. 'e' y
fihaiiy my patience, Or x...
you care to call 1t, was
Just after the baggage ports, ,'sa ~
ished sing-songing his cali !.
night express westbound nv nm. ~
In on the run. u'aas
wheh he rushed over 10 III.
ana began TO talk fast Ia =,
clerk, wasn't very far h.s, W
He was telling the clerk ~ .a y.
grips down from the room ss, q
quick. While the boy wa, ON.
the grips. my man made M
shoot for the bar. and vhs, %
got sight OF him-from benin,
or the big onyx.plated plll,,, !.
bar-room coionnade-he was
nent liquor down his thro,, wv
were water and he on fro ,,.,,
That was about all there wa,
BY the time Colllnswood rot h,s
the clerks counter. tho boy us'
with the bags. Collingwood Ioo1s
sort OF nervously at The bic cIn's
paid his bill. And while hs
was getting his change. he rn,I
the pen out OF the counter ,,rs
and made out as IL he was sb,a..
n picture, or something. On IN.
register.
A half-minutc later he VA, ;,
When the taxi purred away H.
to the open register TO see vh,,
maniac had been drawing in /, n
he had done was completely IA
literate his signature. lie had sc,,,.
1t over until the past master !,
the handwriting experts that
lived couldn't have told what ,bs =
was.
1t was while We were eatBy h,
fast the next morning in the Bal
cafe-the boss and that We m
first news of the petrolite wrecI
story was red-hcndlincd in the NJ
ing Herald-the Hatch.owned tsr.
and besides being played up gooa
strong In the news columns, they
an editorial to back the frout,,
scream.
At two O'Clock in the morn
fast westbound freight had lst
track in PetrOlite Canyon and "A
they could get the flasman out
inyed eastbound passenger had \
iided with the ruins. There vsr
lives lost. but a number 0, "a,
Including the cnginciIan, the ID
clerks and the bargaCCman on Tie
senSer, were injured.
The editorial. commenting %
wire stuff, was sharply critical d
Short Line management. II hn
broadly that there had been DO 4
thing us discipline on the road d
MIR. Shaffer had left It; that the d
and file was running things Es
much as 1t pleasedi and with
there was n dig at general nana
who let old and t'me-tried dpd
ment heads go to make room tG1
rich and incompetent college frl1a
which was meant to be a slap At
Van Britt, our own and only
lionaire.
Unhappily, this fault-iindlns A
good bit to build on. In one way.
l have said. we were having opd
Ing troubles to beat the band
the rank and file apparently dolai
level best to help out In the
.'public-be-pleased" program, 1t sea
as IL we couldn't worry throu1
single week without smashing 81
thing.
Latterly, even the newspaper
were friendly to The Norcross man
ment were beginning TO commeal
the epidemic of disasters, and nol'
in the world but the boss poAq7
taking all the editors into Dis
fidence when they wanted 70
vestigate kept the rising s'olu
criticism somewhere within DoanA
Mr.. Norcross had read the
before he handed it over to me
afterward he hurried his breaSl's
little. When he reached the oiHce'
Van Britt was waiting for the QUO
"We've got 1t in the neck
MORE" he gritted flashing up DIS
copy of the Herald. "Dld you
that editOrial?"
"Never mind the newspaper
How bad is the trouble this ume'
Pretty bad. The frelshl u
tically a total loss; a good hai
Is in the river. kirgan says "
pick the freight engine up aus
build 1t; but the passenger HALLE
"a urecI: +"