Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1921-04-28
ng the newspapers to a finish.

Dismuke, the portly gentleman in the
tan spats, though he still stayed on at
the Billiard. I'VE saw him occasional
ly at meal times. and twice he was
eating at the same table with Hatch
and, Henckel. That placed him all
right for us, though l guess he didn't
need much placing.
/ wondered a little at first that MI.
Norcross didn't. take the clue that
Branderby, the Mountaineer reporter,
had given us and tear loose on the
gang that had trapped him. He didn't;
or didn't seem to. From the first hour
of the first day he was up to his neck
pushing things for the new company
formed for the purpose of putting Red
Tower out of business. and he wouldn't
take a minutes time for anything else.
OF course, it says itself that Hatch
made any more proposals about
selling the Red Tower plants to the
Citizens Storage & Warehouse people
after the boss got back. That move
the Consolidation outfit was busy get
ting into it's fighting clothes. and try
ing to chock the wheels of the G. s..
& w. with all sorts of legal obstacles.
Franchise contracts with the rail-
road were flashed up, and injunctions
were prayed for, Ripley waded in,
and what little sleep he got for a week
or two was in Pullman cars. snatched
while he was rushing around and try
ing to keep his new clients. the c. S.
& w. folks. out Of Jail for contempt
Of court. He did it. Little and quiet
and smOoth-spoken. he could put the
legal leather into the biggest DULLES
the other side could hire. Luckily,
we were an interstate corporation, and
when the local courts proved crooked.
Ripley would find some way to jerk
the case out of them and put it up to
some Federal Judge.
Around home In Portal City things
were just simmering. Between two
days. as you might say, and right
soon after Mr.. Norcross got back, we
acquired a new chum on the head
quarters force. He al a young fell
low named Tarbell, who looked and
talked and acted like a cow-punch just
in from riding line. He was carried on
Mr.. Van Britt's payroll as an extra" or
"relief' telegraph operator; though we
never. heard of his being sent out TO
relieve anybody.
/ sized this new young man up,
right away for a special. Of some
sort, and the proof that I was right
came one afternoon when Ripley
dropped in and fell into a chair to fan
shimself with his straw hat like a man
who had just put down a load that he
had been carrying about a mile and 8
half farther than he had bargained to
THANK the Lord the last of those
injunction suits is off the docket" he
said, drawing a long breath and wag'
ging his neat little head at the boss
IN say n thing for the Hatch PEG.
pie, Norcross; they're stubborn fight,
ers."~
We'll beat 'em," predicted the boss
They've got to let-go. How about our
C. S. & w. friends? Are they still
game?"
Finer! asserted the lawyer. "The
stock is over-subscribed everywhere,
now, and c. S. & w. is a going concern,
The building boom is on. l venture
to say there are over two thousand
mechanics at work at the different
centers. rushing up the buildings fol
the new plants. at this moment. You
ought to have a monument, Norcross
It's the most original scheme for
breaking a 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. I wonder what you'd say if
should tell YOU that the idea is not
mine?" he said, after a little pause.
mot yours?"
"No; it, or at least the germ of it
was given to me by a woman; a wo.
man who knows no more about bust,
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 toe
valuable to.be wasted on mere lumber
yards and fruit paclSeries and grain
elevators and the like"
you'll meet her some day." laughed
the boss. with Il sort of happy lilt in
his voice that fairly made me sick
knowing whatI did and knowing that
he didn't know ii. 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 OF the night Of the engine
theft in a few terse sentences. Aside
from the fight on Red Tower Con.
solidated,. the new railroad policies
We're threatening to upset all the time.
honored political traditions of the
machine-goyerned state. An election
was approaching, and the railroad
vote and influence must be whipped
into line. As the grafters viewed it,
II - AMl 80 f@. 49, 800 EH Lh