Emmons County record., 1921-06-30

Hornack. The Hendricks are my
friends. and have been as intimate
in their household as any outsider
could be. It's merely idle gossip. can
assure you"
"Nlaybe so." said Mr.. Hornack, sort
Of drawing in his horns when he saw
how positive the boss was about 1t.
"I'm not beyond admitting that the
young woman who told me Is little
inclined that way. But the story was
pretty circumstantial: 1t went so far
as to assert that 'Macrae' wasn't Mrs.
Sheila's married name at all. and to
say that her long stay with her West
ern cousins was-and still is-really a
flight from conditions that were too
humiliating to be borne"
II don't care what was said, or
who said It," the boss cut in brusquely.
TITS ridiculous to suppose that any
woman. and especially woman like
Sheila Macrae, would attempt to pass
herself off as widow when she wasn't
One."
II know" said the traffic manager,
temporlzlng little. "But on the
other hand, I've never heard the ma
jor, or any one else. say outright that
she was widow. 1t seems to be just
taken for granted. 1t stirred me up
bit on Van Britt's account. You
don't go anywhere to mix and mingle
socially. but it's the talk Of the town
that Upton Is in over his head in that
quarter"
shut my eyes and held my breath.
Mr.. Hornack hadn't the slightest idea
what thin ice he was skating over,
or how this easy mention Of Mr.. Van
Britt might be just like rubbing salt
into fresh cut. BY tllis time it was
growing dark. and we were running
into Portal City, and I was mighty
glad that 1t couldn't last much longer.
The boss didn't speak again until the
yard switches were clanking under
the car and then he said:
"Upton is well able to take care Of
himself, Hornack. and I don't think
we need worry about him." and then
over his shoulder to me: Jimmie, it's
time to wake up. We're pulling in.''
AS he always did on a return trip,
Mr.. NOrcrOss ran up to his Office to
see If there was anything pressing,
before he did anything else. May
was still at his desk, and in answer
to the boss question he shook his
head.
"No; nobody that couldn't wait" he
said, referring to the days callers.
"Mr. Hatch was up with couple of
men that didn't know, but he only
wanted to inquire If you would be
In the Office this evening after dinner.
I told him I'd find out when you came
and let him know by 'phone."
I thought, after all that had hap.
pened. Hatch certainly had his nerve
to want to come and make a talk
with the man his hired assassins were
trying to murder. But If Mr.. Norcross
took that view Of 1t, he didn't show
1t. On the contrary, he told Fred II
would be all right to telephone Hatch
that he was coming down after din
ner and the office would be. open, as
usual.
1 slipped out and went to Mr.. Van
Britt's office at the other end Of the
hall. Bobby Kelso was there, holding
the Office down, and asked him where
I could find Tarbell. Luckily, he was
able to tell me that |Tarbell was at
that moment down in the station res.
taurant, eating his supper; so down
! went and butted in with my story
of the Hatch call, and how it was to
be repeated little later on.
"I'll be there" said Tarbell; and
with that load off yny mind, mogged
off uptown to the club to get my own
dinner.
When I broke into the grill-room al
the railroad club, I found that Mr.. Nor
cross had beaten me to It by a few
minutes; that he had already ordered
his dinner at table with Major Ken
drick. suppose, by good rights. ]
ought to have gone off into corner
by myself, but saw that the boss haG
tipped chair at the end Of the table
| where usually sat, so I just went
ahead and took it.
Coming in late, that way, I didn'
get the first of the talk, but 1 took i
that the boss had been saying some
thing about his rare good luck in hav
ing the major for a table-mate tw,
days in succession.
"The honoh is mine, my deah boy
the genial old Kentuckian was tellin,
him as I sat down. II was by wa!
of picking up bit Of information
late this afternoon that I though
ought to be passed on to you withou
any great delay"
The boss looked up quickly. "Wha
is 1t, major?" he inquired. "Are 70,
going to tell me that something ney
has broken loose?"
II wish might be that he'pfull
definite-I do so, Graham. But cam
It's me'uhly bit Of street talk. They'r
telling It, oveh at the Commercis
club, that Hatch and John Marshall
you know him-that Sedgwick stoc
jobbeh who has been so active In thi
Citizens Storage 4 Warehouse bus
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