The Monroe journal. [volume] (Monroe, N.C.) 189?-1965, 1921-05-10
COPYRIGHT 55z;dT3 XIE2:fsEX
CHAPTER !
A, Sand Creek SIDING

lieNe much In the things calico
"hunches." But there are exceptions
10 all rules. and we certainly mcov-
cred the biggest one Of the lot--the
boss and 1.-THE night We left Port
land and the good old Pacific cuaSl.
II was this way. We had finished
the construction work on the Oregon
Midland: and were on our way to the
train, when had one Of those queer
little prsmonitory chills you hear 50
much about and knew just AS well as
could he that We We're never going
10 pull through TO Chicago without get
ting JOLT OF some sort. The reason
If you'll call il reason-was that,
just before We came to the railroad
station, the boss walked calmly under
a ladder standing In front Of new
building: and besides that, II was the
thirteenth day Of the month, Fri
day, and raining like the very mis-
chief
Just to sort OF toll us along. may.
be, the fates didn't begin on us that
night. They waited until the next
day, and then proceeded TO shove us
in behind a freight-traln wreck nj
Widner, Idaho, where we lost twelve
hours. II looked as II that didn't
amount to much. because we weren't
due anywhere at any particular time.
The boss was on his way home for
little visit with his folks In Illinois,
and beyond that he was going 10 meet
bunch of Engllshmen In Montreal.
and maybe let them make him general
manager OF one Of the Canadian rail.
roads.
So Mr.. Norcross was In no special
hurry. and neither was l. | had been
confidential clerk and shorthand man
for the boss on the Midland construc.
tion, and he was taking me along part
ly because he knows cracking good
stenographer when he sees one. but
mostly because ! was dead anxious 10
go anywhere he was going.
But. II II hadn't been for that
twelve-hour layout we would have
caught the Saturday night train on
the Pioneer Short Line. instead OF the
train Sunday morning. and there
would have been no meeting with
Mrs. Sheila and Maisle Ann; M tele-
gram from Mr.. Chadwick, because II
wouldn't have found us: no hold-up
at Sand Creek siding In short, nothing
would have happened that did hap
pen.
II was on Sunday that the jolt be-
gan to get ready 10 land on us. Right
soon after breakfast. with the help Of
a little Pullman berth table and me
and my typewriter Mr.. NorcroSs
turned our section into business office.
saying that now we had good quiet
day, we'd clean up the million or so
been letting 20 while we were tuSsling
for the Midland rlght.of-way through
the Oregon mountains.
From where he sat debating 10 me
the boss was facing forward and now
and then an absent sort Of look came
into his eyes while he was talking of
his letters. and II puzzled me because
II wasn't like him. One OF the times
after he had given me full grist OF
letters and had gone of to smoke
while typed few thousand lines
IN fsh i do,
q discovery. There were two people
10 Section Five just ahead Of MS,
young woman and girl OF maybe M.
teen or SO. aud the Pullman was the
oid-fashioned kind. with low seat.
backs. put II up that In those alb
sent-eyed intervals Mr.. Norcross had
been studying the back OF the young
womans neck. was measurably sure
II wasn't the little girls.
Along In the forenoon made an ex-
cuse TO 90 and get drink Of water
out Of the forward cooler, and on the
way back ! took n good square look
at our neighbors In Number Five. The
young woman was pretty enough to
start stopped elock-only pretty"
isn't just the word. either; there
wasn't any word, when you come right
down to II. And the little girl was
simply a peach-a nice. downy, rosy
peach: chunky, round.faced, sunny
haired. jolly; with neat little turned.
up nose and big sort Of b0yish laugh
ing eyes that fairly dared the world.
At the second call TO dinner Mr..
Norcross told me to strap up the ma
chine and put the files away In the
grips and we'd 60 eat. He was pretty
quiet. breaking out once, In the meat
course. to tell me that he'd just had
forwarded telegram from an old friend
OF his that would stop us Off for a
day or two In Portal City, the head
quarters OF the Pioneer Short Line
Farther along. pretty well into the Ice
cream and black coffee, he came 10 life
again 10 ask me II ! had noticed the
young lady and the girl In the Pull
man section next to ours.
I told him had, and then, because
I had never known him to bother his
head for two minutes In succession
about any woman. he gave me
shock; said they were ticketed to