Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1921-07-28

bigger one from the yards. Also. the
wire service had turned out gang
Of linemen and half a dozen operators.
swell, men, let's have it" said Mr..
Norcross, not too sharply. my din
ner's getting cold"
"We'll not be keepin' you above the
hollow half Of minute. Mister Nor
cross" said the big. bearded freight
conductor who acted as spokesman.
"About this c. s. & w. strike that
went on today: we amt got no kick
comm with you, mr. with the COM
pany, Mister Norcross, bur 1t looks
like it's up to US to do somethin', and
we didn't want to do 1t without hlttin'
square out fro,s the shoulder. There
amt nobody knows yet what's gotn'
to be done, bit whatever 1t ls we
want you to know that it amt done
ag'nst you mr. the railroad company"
The boss had handled wage earners
too long not to be able to suspect
what was in the wind.
''You men don't want to let your
sympathies carry you too far"
he cautioned. "When you take up
another fellows quarrel you want to
be pretty sure that you're not going
to hit your friends in the scrap"
Hoskins grinned Understandings,
and guess the boss was little puz-
zled by the neds and winks that went
around among the silent members of
the delegation; at least. know was.
'That's all right" Hoskins Said. "Be-
in the big boss, you've got to talk
that way. But what I was amin to
say is that therell be tra.n-load r
two of strtke-breakers a-careerin along
here In a day r SO, and we amt fig
urin' on lettin' 'em get past Portal
City. If that far"
THAT'S up to you," said Mr.. Nor
cross brusquely. IF you start any
thing in the way Of riot"
Excuse me. There amt goin' to
be no riotin'. and no company prop
erry mashed up. Mr.. Van Britt. he"
1t was right here that an odd thing
happened. Con Corrigan. a big two
listed freight engineer standing direct
ly behind Hoskins. reached an arm
around the speakers neck and choked
ended in gasping chuckle. When the
garrottng arm was withdrawn the con-
ductor looked around sort of foolishly
and said: ''Tm thinking that's about all
we wanted to say, amt it. boys?" and
the deputation filed out as solemnly
as 1t had come in.
guess Mr.: Norcross wasn't left
wholly in the dark when the tramp
ing footballs Of the committee died
away In the corridor. That uninten-
ttonal mention of Mr.. Van Britt's name
looked as If 1t might open up some
more possibilities. though what they
were couldn't imagine, and I don't
believe the general manager could,
either.
After that, things rocked along pref
ty easy until after dinner. Instead Of
going right back to the office from
the club, Mr.. Norcross drifted into
the smoking-room and filed pipe.
Ill l1lC COuISe VI d lew minutes, Majors
Kendrick dropped in and pulled up
chair. I don't know what they talked
about. but after little while, when
the boss got up to go. I heard him
say something that gave the key to
the most of what had gone before, I
guess.
"Have you seen or heard anything
Of Collingwood since yesterday"
The good old major shook his head.
They're tellin' me that he's oveh in
his rooms at the Billiard, drinkin' him
self to death. If he wasn't altogether
past redemption, sub, he would have
had the decency to get out of town
befo' he turned loose all hollis that
way; he would, for fact, Graham"
At that. Mr., Norcross explained in
just few words why Collingwood
hadn't gone-why he couldn't go.
Whereupon the old Kentuckian looked
graver than ever.
CONTINUED Next Week.