The Bienville Democrat. [volume] (Arcadia, Bienville Parish, La.) 1912-1980, 1921-04-28


At this she smiled and said, ut
would be rather presumptuous for me
to try where Mr.. Norcross and Mr..
Chadwick failed, wouldn't it? But
maybe | can give you just wee little
hint. You saw the two men who went
over to the auto and smoked while
they were waiting for the other two
to come back? If | am not mistaken,
| have seen them many times before.
and they are very we'll known here in
Portal City. One of them, the smaller
one with the derby hat and the short
Overcoat, was either Mr. Rufus Hatch
or his double; and the other, the
heavy-set one, might have been Mr..
Gustave Henckel, Mr.. Hatch's partner
in the Red Tower company"
This didn't help out much, but you
can bet that made a note Of the two
names.
"You are going back to Mr.. Chad
wick's carp she asked, when she was
telling me gOOd-by and thanking me
for coming up to the hotel with them.
I told her | was, and then she came
around to the kidnapping business
again of her own accord.
"You may give Mr.. Norcross the
hint I gave you, if you WISH" she
said; "only you must be good boy,
Jimmie, and not drag me into it"
Il see" l nodded; "Tll tell the
boss, when | get good chance, and
you can bet your last dollar he won't
tangle you up in it-he isn't put to-
gether that way"
"Well, then, goodnight" she smiled,
giving me her hand. And with that
she sort of edged the little girl into
the elevator before we could get a
chance to shake hands, and | heard
her tell the boy to take them up to
the meZZanine landing.
BY and by, l went down to the sta
ton and began to hunt for the .AleXa.
The boss and Mr.. Chadwick were
facing each other across the table,
which was all Uttered up with papers
and maps and reports, and they hard
ly noticed me when | blew in and
sat down little to one side.
Just after | broke in, Mr.. NorcrOss
jumped up and began to pace back
and forth before the table, with his
hands in his pockets.
"No, l can't see it, Uncle John"
he said, still sort Of stubborn and de-
termined. "You are trying to make
me believe that l ought to take the
biggest job that has ever been set be-
fore the expert in any field; to dem
onstrate, on this rotten corpse of a
railroad, the solution of a problem
that has the entire country guessing
at the present time; namely, the win
ming sOf success, and public-and in.
dustrial-approval for a carrier cor.
poration which had continuously and
persistently broken every command
ment in all the decalOgues of bust.
ness; of fair-dealing with it's en-
ployees; Of common honesty with
everybody"
Mr. Chadwick nodded. THAT is about
the size of it." he said.
II wouldn't say that it can't be
done," the boss went on. perhaps
it is possible, for the right man. But
I'm not the right man. You need some.
body who can combine the qualities
of a pretty brutal slugger with those
of a tine-haired, NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.,
diplomatic peacemaker. l can do the
smuggling; I've proved it a time or two
in the past. But I'm no good at the
other end of the game When it comes
to handling the fellow with a pull
I've either got to smash him or quit
| am too heavy-handed for this job
of yours. And as for the other thing
the industrial side Of il: that's a large
order; a whaling big order. I'm not
even prepared to say, otf-hand, that
it's the right thing to do"
Right or wrong, it's a thing that
Is coming. Graham" was the sober
reply. IF we don't meet it half
way-well, the time will come when
we of the hiring.and-fring side won't
be given any option in the matter
You may call it UtOpian if you please
and add that I'm growing old and
losing my grip. But that doesn't OBJ
literate the fact that the days Of the
present master-and-man relations IL
the industries are numbered.
well let it rest until morning and
give you chance to sleep on 1t. You
have spoken only Of the difficulties
and the responsibilities, Graham; but
there Is another side to It. IN a way
it's an opportunity, carrying with /,
the promise Of the biggest kind Of q
reward"