The spectator., 1921-06-14
By FRANCIS LYNDE

 and every sucker on the line of the r. s. L. will know how you've been pulling the wool over his eyes with all this gulf about justice first and the public be pleased You're no fool, Norcross. You know they won't lay it to Dunton and the New Workers. You've taken pains to advertise 1t far and wide that you are running this railroad on your own responsibility. and the people are going 10 luke you at your word
 DedmOn, and the lawyer = who hadn', spoken n single word in all the talk-were edcing toward the door. The boss didn't make any answer to Hatch's windup except to say. "ls that all?"
 The other two were out. now. and Hatch turned to stick his ugly jaw cut at the boss, and to say. just as if l 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 hnlf-mil- lion. Norcross. For less provocatiOn than that. many a man in this neck of woods has been sent back east In the bnggage-car. wearing Il wooden ovcrcoat. You climb down. and do It while you can stay alve!'
 For some time after the three men went away the boss sat staring at the slip of paper on tine desk slide. At last he got up. sort of tiredlike. ] thought. and said to me: Jim mic. you go down and see it you can find taxi. and we'll drive out to Major Hendricks. promised him I'd go out to the house. you remem- Der"
 When our taxi stopped nt the ma ior's gate. somebody was coming out just as were getting ready to 20 in. The man had the visor of his big fiat golf cap pulled down well over his eyes. but l knew him just the same. IT was Collingwood.
 This looked like more trouble. What was the presidents nephew doing here? wondered about that. and also. if the boss had recognized Col lingwood. If he had. he made no sign. and Il moment later l had pushed the bellpush and Maisie Ann was opening the door for us.
 "I.ofh of you? oh. how nice'" she said. with Il smile for thc boss and Il 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 to wait if you got here before he did
 That message was for the boss, and mggcd behind in the dimly hghted hall while she was showing him into the back parlor. l had dropped down on the hall settre. in the end of IL next to the coat-ruck. and when Mrs. Sheila came downstairs and went through the hall. she didn't see me. A second later l heard the boss jump up and say. At last, IL seems as if you had been gone year rather than a fortnight" and then Maise Ann came dodging out and plunked herself down on the Settee beside me.
 You needn't tell me that We had no right 10 sit there listening; know it well enough. On the other hand. was just Shirky enough to shift the responsibility to MaiSie Ann. She didn't make any move 10 duck. so l didn't.
 You came out to see Cousin Rasii?" Mrs. Shcila was saying to the sboss. And then: He had n telephone call from the Rullard. ana he asked me 10 tell you to wait" After that guess she sat down to help him wait. for pretty soon we heard her say: Cousin Basil has told me little about the new trouble: have you been having another had 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 it; how the graft CTS had new claw hold on him. now. made possible by an unwarranted piece of meddlus on the part of the New York people in the political game. l' was while he was talking about this that Maisie Ann grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me bodily into 'iN iitHA iiitt, lHt uotT tO which was just on the other side of the coat rack. thought she had come to her right senses, al last, and was making the shift to break or the eavesdropplng. That being the case. l was simply mortified when l found that she was merely fixing it so that We could both see and hear. The slid .l hntxN h. lxrr were cracked open about m inch. and before l realized what she was do ing she had pulled me down on the floor beside her. right in front of that | crack
 "lf you move ar make noise, I'll scream and they'll come in here and find Us hoth," she hissed in my ear and because didn't know what else to do with such kiddish little terma- gant, l sat still Ii wus dastardly |