Emmons County record., 1921-05-19

came one afternoon when Ripley
dropped in and fell into chair to fan
himself with his straw hat like man
who had just put down load that he
had been carrying about mile and
half farther than he had bargained to.
'"rhank the Lord, the last of those
injunction suits is off the docket" he
said, drawing long breath and wag-
ging his neat little head at the boss.
I'll say one thing for the Hatch peo-
pie, Norcross; they're stubborn fight
ers."
well beat EN-" predicted the boss
They've got to let go. How about our
G. S. & W. friends? Are they still
game?"
Fine" asserted the lawyer. "The
stock is .Over-subscribed everywhere,
now, and c. S. & w. is going concern.
The building boom is on. venture
to say there are over two thousand
mechanics at work at the different
centers, rushing up the buildings for
the new plants, at this moment. You
ought to have monument, Norcr0ss
It's the most original scheme for
breaking monopoly that was ever
devised"
The boss was looking out of the
window sort of absently, chewing on
his cigar. which had gone out.
"Ripley, wonder what you'd say If
l should tell you that the idea is not
mine?" he said. after u little pause.
"Not yours?"
"No; it, or at least the germ of it,
was given to me by woman; wo-
man who knows no more about busl-
ness details than you do about driving
white elephants"
''I'd like to be made acquainted with
the lady," said Ripley, with a tired
little smile. "Such gems are too
valuable to be wasted on mere lumber
yards and fruit packeries and grain
elevators and the like"
you'll meet her some day." laughed
the boss, with sort of happy Tilt in
his voice that fairly made me sick
knowing what did and knowing that
he didn't know it. Then he switched
the subject abruptly: -"About the
other matter, Ripley: know you've
been pretty busy. but you've had Tar
bell nearly a week. What have you
found out?"
Ripley briefed the general situation
as it stood on the night Of the engine
theft in few terse sentences. Aside
from the fight on Red Tower Con.
solidated, the new railroad policies
were threatening to upset all the time
honored political traditions of the
machine-governed state. An election
was approaching, and the railroad
vote and influence must be whipped
into line. As the grafters viewed 1t,
the threatened revolution was q one
man government, and If that man
could be removed the danger would
| vanish.
The execution details had been
turned over to Clanahan the political
boss Of Portal City.
The plot itself was simple. At a
certain hour Of given night an
anonymous letter was to be sent to
Mr.. Norcross, telling him that gang
of noted train robbers was stealing
an engine from the Portal City yard
for the purpose Of running down the
line and wrecking the Fast Mail,
which often carried a bullion. express.
car. If the boss should fall for IT.
as he did. when the time came-and
go in person to stop the raid, he was
to be overpowered and spirited away,
forged letter purporting to be a no
tice of his resignation was to be left
for Mr.. Van Britt, and a fake tele-
gram, making the same announce.
ment. was to be sent to President
Dunton in New York. Nothing was
left indefinite but the choosing of the
night.
II suppose Hatch was to give the
word" said the boss. who had been
listening soberly while the lawyer
talked.
''That is the inference. Hatch prob
ably gave the word after his talk with
you, but the time was made even more
propitious by the arrival Of the two
kilograms; the one from Mr.. Chad
wick. and the one from Mr.: Dunton,
both Of which they doubtless inter.
cepted by means Of the tapped wires" :"
Mr.. Norcross looked up quickly.
RIPLEY, did Dunton know what was
going to be done to met"
"Oh, think not. It wasn't at all
necessary that he should be taken in
on 1t. He has been opposing your
policies all along, and had Just sent
you a pretty savage call-down. He
didn't want you in the first place, and
he has been anxious to get rid Of you
ever since. The plotters knew very
well what he would do If he should
get wire which purported to be. your
resignation. He would appoint an.
other man, quick. and all they would
have to do would be to make sure
that Zon weEs well Of stage. and would