The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1921-07-21

opening hubin u Nr Graham Nor
cross. q. " Just the same after
had marked fha, MIR Coillngwood's :
roafn-key vas stlil ia It's box. went
over 70 a corner o. the lobby and sat
{ doan. determined 70 keep nay eyes
0pen. II such a thing were humanity
possible. until our roundsr should
show up.
Finally my patience. or whatever
you care 70 call IL was rewarded
Just after the baggage porter had I'm
ished sing.songing his call for the
night express westbound. my man came
Ia on the run
when he rushed over 10 the counter
and began o. talk fast 20 the nighi
clerk, l wasn't very far behind him.
lie vas telling the clerk 10 get his
grips down from the room. adjeetiyely
quick. While the boy was gone for
the grips. my man made straight
shoot for the bar. and when ! next
got a sight OF him-from behind one
" the big nyx.plated pillars OF the
bHr-room colonnade-he was pouring
neat liquor down his throat as II II
we're water and he on fire inside
That was about all there was 10 II.
BY the time Collingwood got back TO
the clerks counter. the boy was down
with the bags. Collingwood looked up
sort OF neryously AT the big clock, and
paid his bill And while the clerk
was getting his change, he grabbed
the pen out OF the counter inkstand,
and made out as II he was shading in
picture, or something. on the open
register
A half-mlnute later he was gone.
When the taxi purred away turned
20 the open register 20 see what our
maniac had been drawing In H. What
he had done was completely TO OBJ
literHte his signature. He had scratched
II over until the past master Of all
the handwriting experts that ever
lived couldn't have told what the name
was.
II was while we were eating break
cafe-the boss and THAT we got our
FIRST news OF the Petrolite wreck. The
story was red-headlined In the Morn
ing Herald-the Hntch-owned paper
and besides being played up good and
strong IN the news columns, there was
an editorial 10 back the front-page
scream
AT two o'clock In the morning a
fast westbound freight had left the
rack Ia Petrolite Canyon, and before
they could get the flagman out, a de-
layed eastbound passenger had coll
llded with the ruins. There were no
lives lost but number OF people, !
including the cnglneman, the postal |
clerks and the baegageman on the as
senger. were injured
The editorial. commenting on the |
wire SUN, was sharply critical ~ the I
Short Line management Ii limited /
broadly that there had been no such |
thing as discipline on the road since /
Mr.. Shaffer had left II; that the rank
and file was running things pretty /
much as IL pleased; and with this
there was dig at general managers
who let old and tlme-tried depart
ment heads 20 20 make room for their
rich and incompetent college friends
which was meant 10 be a slap al Mr.,
Van Britt, our own and only mil
lionaire.
Unhappily, this fnult.hnding had a
good biz TO build on. IN one way As
! have said, we were having Operat-
Ing troubles 20 beat the band. With
the rank and file apparently doing Its
level best 20 help out In the new
public pleased" program. IL seemed
as II we couldn't worry through
single week without smashing some
thing.
were friendly 90 the Norcross manage
ment were beginning TO comment on
the epidemic OF disasters. and nothing
In the world but the boss policy OF
taking an the editors into his con.
hdence when they wanted 60 In
vestigate kept the rising storm of
somewhere within bounds,
Mfr Norcross had read the paper
before h. handed II over 10 me. and
lfterward he hurried his breakfast a
little When he reached the office Mr.
Van Britt was waiting for the chief
"We've got Il In the neck once
more" he gritted. flashing up his own
COPY u the Herald. Ibid you read
that editorialT
Never mind the newspaper talk.
How bad Is the trouble this timer
aPretty bad. The freight Is prae
,icully a total loss good half of i
Is IN the river kirgan says he car
pick the freight engine up and r.
build it: but the passenger machine IL
/ wreck"
How IA Il happenT'
Its like q good many ~ the 9th.
~ Nobody seems to know. Brock
lan pot the freight engine crew on
b. rack. and they say there va
mall boulder Ga the track-that L
oiled down the canyon slope just
head y them as they we're turning
urva They zfrurk n ant both ueH