Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1921-06-09

we got into the cab, l saw man
stroll up from the shadow of the side
walk cottonwOOds and say something
to the driver; something that got him
an invitation to ride to town on the
front seat with the cabby when the
car was finally cranked and started.
had u sight of our extra fares face
when he climbed up and put his lack
to us, and l knew it was Tarbell. But
Mr.. NorcrOss didn't.
When we reached the Billiard the
boss went right up to his rooms, but
had little investigation to make, and
stayed in the lobby to put it over.
On the open page of the hotel register,
in the group of names written just
after the arrival of our train from
the West at z 80, found the signature
that was looking for, Howard Col
lingwood, N. Y" Putting this and
that together, l concluded that our
young rounder had come in from the
West-which was bit puzzling, since
it left the inference that he wasn't
direct from New York.
Waiting for good chance at the
night clerk, ventured few ques.
tons. They were answered promptly
enough. Young Mr.. Collingwood had
come in on the Z 80 But he had been
in Portal City a week earlier. too
stopping over for single day. Yes.
he was alone, now. but he hadn't been
on the other occasion. There was q
man with him on the earlier stop.
over, and he, also. registered from
New York. The clerk didn't remem.
Der the other mans name, but he
obligingly looked it up for me in the
older register. 1t was Bullock, Henry
Bullock.
suppose it was up to me to go to
bed. 1t was late enough, in all con.
science. and nobody knew better tl.an
did the early-rising, early-office-
opening habits of Mr.. Graham Nor
cross, G. NJ. Just the same, after I
had marked that Mr.. Collingwood's
room-key was still in its box, went
over to corner of the lobby and sat
down, determined to keep my eyes
open, If such thing were humanity
possible, until our rounder should
show up.
Finally my patience, or whatever
you care to call it, was rewarded.
just after the baggage porter had fin
ished sing-songing his call for the
night express westbound, my man came
In on the run.
When he rushed over to the counter
and began to talk fast to the night
clerk. wasn't very far behind him.
He w0s telling the clerk to get his
grips iowa from the room, adjectively
quick. While the boy was gone for
the grips, my man made straight
snoot for the bar. and when I next
got sight of him-from behind one
Of tue big onyx-plated pillars of the
barrOom colonnade-he was pouring
neat liquor down his throat as If it
were water and he on fire inside.
That was about all there was to it.
BY the time Collingwood got back to
the clerks counter, the boy was down
with the bags. Colllngwood looked up
sort of nervously 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 If he was shading in
I picture, or something, on the open
egister.
A half-minute later he was gone
When the taxi purred away turned
% the open register to see what our
maniac had been drawing in It. What
be had done was completely to OBJ
literate his signature. He had scratched
1t over until the past master Of all
the handwriting experts that ever
lived couldn't have told what the name
was.
1t was while we were eating break
fast the next morning in the Billiard
cafe-the boss and THAT we got our
first news Of the Petrolite wreck. The
story was red.headlined in the Morn
ing Herald-fhe Hatch-owned paper
and besides being played up good and
strong in the news columns. there was
an editorial to back the front-page
scream.
At two o'clock in the morning
fast westbound freight had left the
track in Petrolite Canyon, and before
they could get the fagman out, de-
layed eastbound passenger had col
lided with the ruins. There. were no
lives lost, but a number Of people,
including the engineman, the postal
clerks and the bagysSeman on the pas
senger, were injured.
The editorial, commenting on the
wire stuff, was sharply critical Of the
Short Line management. It limited
broadly that there had been no such
thing as discipline on the road since
Mr.. Shaffer had left it; that the rank
and file was running things pretty
much as It pleased; and with this
there was Q dig at general managers
who let old and time tried depart
ment heads 90 to make room for their
rich and Incompetent college friends
which was meant to b q slap at Mr..