Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1921-06-17
Tie
Mreckers
Continued from Page Si.s.

signed. l wrote 1t out on n Micro of
paper and dropped It into your mail
box as came through the outer office.
It's signed. sealed. and delivered. You'll
give me a testimonial or something of
that sort. TO Whom It May Concern
won't you? I've been obedient and
faithful and honest and efficient. and
all that. haven't II"
"1'd like to know where you got your
liquor, Upton. That is the most char.
liable construction I can put upon all
this. Why. man alive! you're quitting
me In the thick Of the toughest fight
the grafters have put up!"
Eyes. / know: but a mans got only
one life to live. and I've always had
a sneaking sympathy for the high pri.
vate In the front rank who didn't want
to stand up and get himself shot full
Of holes. I'm running and If YOU
should ask me why, I'd tell you what
the retreating soldier told Stonewall
jackson; he said he was running only
because he couldn't fly" Once more
the boss grew silently thoughtful. Out
Of the digging mental inquiry he
brought this:
HAS this sudden notion of yours
anything to do with Sheila Macrae,
Cpton?"
"Pledge you my word again. l met
Sheila on the street today and prom
ised her that wouldn't so much
as tip my hat to her while Collingwood
is OH this side of the Missouri river"
But If you quit, you'll so east your
self. won't your"
Maybe, after a while. For the time
being. I'd like to loaf on you for a
week or so and watch the wheels go
around without MY hn".ng to prod
them. It's running in my mind that
this newest phase Of the C. S. & w.
business Is going to stir up a mighty
pretty shindy. and had n foolish no.
ton that I'll like to stick around and
look on.-as an innocent bystander."
"The innocent bystander usually
gets shot In The leg" the boss ripped
out, with the hrttlcst kind of humOr.
And then: II suppose I shall have to
let you do wha' you want to-and let
you pick your own time for giving me
the real reason. But yon're Gripping
me most savagely. Upton-and at a
time when am least able to stand it,
Mr.. Van Britt got up and edged his
way toward the door.
TITS good reason. Graham; and
some time-say when we are walking
through the pearly gates Of the New
Jerusalem together-maybe I'll tell
you about 1t. II I were really good
scrapper. I'd stay and help you fight
It out with Hatch; but you know the
old saying->capital is always coward
~; and my present credit at the Portal
City National is pretty well up to a
quarter of million. thanks to the
dividends I deposited today. Good
night. I'll see you in the morning-if
by that time you haven't decided to
cut me cold"
kept right busy over the indexes
after Mr.. Van Britt went away, just
to give the boss a little chance to catch
up with himself. He sure was catch
Ing II hot and heavy on all sides.
All we needed now was for President
Dunton to come smashing in with one
more good Jolt and 1t would be all
over but the obsequies, the monument
and the epitaph. At least, that Is the
way 1t looked to me.
1t was along about ten O'clock when
the boss closed his desk with bang
and said we'd better saw 1t off for the
night. I walked uptown with him
and as we were passing the Billiard
he turned In to ask the night clerk
II COllingwood was in his room. The
answer was nix; that the young New
Yorker hadn't heon seen since dinner.
It struck me as sort Of curious that
he should have SO much wire CORE
spondence when he claimed to be TAX
Ing a rest. and why he was so careful
not to let us get glimpse Of what
It was all about. But the whole thing
was now SO horribly muddled that
little mystery more or less on any
body's part couldn't make much diff
ference; and that was the thought l
took to bed with me little later after
we reached our rooms In the railroad
club.