The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1921-06-16
BY
FRANCIS
LYNDE

pulllng the wool over MS eyes WIN
all this guff about Justice first and
the public be pleased You're no
fool, Norcross. You know they won't
lay II TO Dunton and the New Workers..
You've taken pains to advertise II far
and wide that you are running this
railroad on your own responsibility.
and the people are going to take you
at your word"
Dedmon, and the lawyer - who
hadn't spoken single word in all the
talk-were edging toward the door.
The boss didn't make any answer to
Hatch's wind-up except TO say. "Is
that all?"
The other two were out, now, and
Hatch turned to stick his ugly jaw out
at the boss, and TO say, just as II
hadn't been there TO look on and hear
him:
"No, by Jupiter-it isn't all! In the
past six months you've made Gus
Henckel and me lose cold half-mil-
lion, Norcross. For less provocatlon
than that, many man In this neck
of woods has been sent back east in
the baggage-car. wearing n wooden
overcnat. You climb down, and do it
while you can stay aliveW
For some time after the three men
went away the boss sat staring Mt the
slip of paper on the desk slide. At
last he got up, sort of tiredlike.
| thought, and said to me: Jim
mie, you go down and see II you can
find a taxi, and Wen drive out to
Major Hendricks. | promised him
I'd go out to the house, you remem-
ber"
When our taxi stopped at the ma
jor's gate, somebody was coming out
just as were getting ready TO go in.
The man had the visor of his big fat
golf cap pulled down well over his
eyes, but l knew him just the same.
II was Collingwood
This looked like more trouble. What
was the presidents nephew doing
here? wondered about that, and
also, IL the boss had recognized Col
lingwood. If he had, he made no
sign, and moment later l had pushed
the bell-push and AIaisie Ann was
opening the door for us.
Both OF you? oh. how nicer she
saIG with smile for the boss and a
queer little grimace for me. "Come
in. This is our evening for callers.
Cousin Basil is out, but he'll be back
pretty soon, and he left word for you
10 wait II you got here before he did"
That message was for the boss, and
l Jagged behind in the dlmly lighted
hall while she was showing him into
the back parlor. had dropped down
on the hall settee, in the end of IL
next to the coat-rack, and when Mrs.
| Sheila came downstairs and went
through the hall, she didn't see me.
A second later | heard the boss jump
up and say, "At last 1t seems as
If you had been gone a year rather
than a fortnight" and then Maise
Ann came lodging out and plunked
herself down ON the settee beside me.
You needn't tell me that we had no
right TO sit there listening; know
II well enough. On the other hand,
l was just shirky enough to shift the
responsibility TO Maisie Ann. She
didn't make any move to duck, SO
didn't.
"You came out TO see Cousin BasllT
Mrs. Sheila was saying TO the boss.
And then: "He had telephone call
from the Bullard, and he asked me to
tell you 10 wait" After that, ] guess
she sat down TO help him wait, for
pretty soon we heard her say: "Cousin
Basil has told me a little about the
new trouble: have you been having
another bad quarter of an hour?"
"The worst Of the lot" the boss said
gravely, and from that he went on
to tell her about the Hatch visit and
what had come of 1t; how the graft
ers had new claw hold on him. now.
made possible by an unwarranted piece
of meddling on the part of the New
York people in the political game.
1t was while he was talking about
this that Maisie Ann grabbed me by
the wrist and dragged me bodily into
the darkened front parlor, the door to
which was just on the other side OF
the coat rack. / thought she had
come to her right senses, at last. and
was making the shift TO break off the
eavesdropplng. That being the case,
l was simply Mortified when l found
that she was merely fixing 1t so that
we could both see and hear. The slid
ing doors between the two parlors
were cracked open about an inch. and
before ! realized what she was do
ing she had nnllpd mo down IN the
floor beside her, right in front OF that
crack.
IF you move or make noise, I'll
scream and theyll come in here and
find us both" she Kissed in my ear !;
and because didn't know. what selse
TO do with such kiddish little terma-
CANT, ! sat stlll. II was dastardly,
know; but what was i TO dor
When the boss finished telling her