Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1921-06-24

HRlIUI
"You Men Don't Want to Let Your
sympathles Carry You Too Far"
bigger one from the yards. Also. the
wire service had turned out gang
Of linemen and half dozen operators.
"Well, men, let's have It," said Mr..
Norcross, not too sharply. MY din
ner's getting cold"
"We'll not be keepin' you above the
hollow half Of minute, Mister Nor
cross" said the big, bearded freight
conductor who acted as spokesman.
"About this G. 8. & w. strike that
went on today: we amt got no kick
comm with you, mr. with the COM
pany, Mister Norcross, but 1t looks
like It's up to US to do somethin'. and
we didn't want to do II without hitrin'
square out from the shoulder. There
amt nobody knows yet what's goin'
to be done, but whatever 1t is, we
want you to know that it amt done
ag'inst you mr. the railroad company"
The boss had handled wage earners
too long not to be able to suspect
what was in the wind.
"YOu men don't want to let your
sympathies carry you too far"
he cautioned. "When you take up
another fellows quarrel you want to
be pretty sure that you're not going
to hit your friends in-the scrap"
Hoskins grinned Understandings,
and guess the boss was little puz-
zled by the mods and winks that went
around among the silent members Of
the delegation; at least, know l was.
THAT'S all right" Hoskins said. "Be-
in the big boss. you've got to talk
that way. But what was amin to
say Is that there'll be a train-load r
two of strike-breakers a-careerin' along
here In day r so. and we amt fg-.
urin' on lettin' EN- get past Portal
City, II that far"
That's up to you." said Mr.. Nor
cross brusQuely. III you start any
thing In the way Of a riot"
A1ANOSC AACs AACAC ulh gum "
be no riotin', and no company prop
erty mashed up. Mr.. Van Britt, he"
It wassright here that an odd thing
happened. Con Corrigan, a big two
listed freight engineer standing direct
~ behind Hoskins, reached an arm
around the speakers neck and choked
him SO suddenly that Hoskins' sentence
ended in a gasping chuckle. When the
garroting arm was withdrawn the con-
ductor looked around sort of foolishly
and said: I'm thinking that's about all
we wanted to say. amt 1t. boys?" and
the deputation fled out as solemnly
as it had come in.
guess Mr.. Norcross wasn't left
wholly In the dark when the tramp
Ing FOOTBALLS Of the committee died
away In the corridor. That uninten-
tional mention Of Mr.. Van Britt's name
looked as II 1t might open up some
more possibilities, though what they
were couldn't imagine. and I don't
believe the general manager could,
either.
After that. things rocked along pref
ty easy until after dinner. Instead Of
going right back to the Office from
the club. Mr.. Norcross drifted into
the smOking-room and filled pipe.
In the course Of few minutes. Major
Kendrick dropped In and pulled up q,
chair. ! don't know what they talked
about. but after little while, when
the boss got up to 90. heard him
say something that gave the key to
the most Of what had gone before,
guess.
"Have you seen or heard anything
Of Collingwood since yesterday"
The good old major shook his head.
they're tellin' me that he's oven In
his rooms at the Billiard, drinkin' him
self to death. IF he wasn't altogether
past redemption, sub, he would have
had the decency to get out Of town
befo' he turned loose all hollis that
with the grafterA his reputation ~
q successful railroad manager as good
as gone, and his warm little love-
dream knocked sky.winding forever
and a day.
Luckily, we found FREQ May still at
his desk. and he was promptly clamped
to the telephone and told to get busy
spreading the hurry call. In half an
hour every relief operator we had IN
Portal City was in the wire-room. and
the back-breaking Job Of preparing
thousand miles of railroad for a sud
den tie-up was In full swing. Mr.
Perkins. as division superintendent,
was In touch with the local labor
leaders. Persuading and insisting by
turns, Mr.. Norcross fought out the
necessary compromises with the
unions. All ordinary trafic would be