New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-06-17

rent could cook me like a fried potato
and he said he hadn't.
The afternoon at the office was q
sort of cut-and-come-again repeat OF
the morning, with lots of people mill.
ing around and things going crooked
ana crosS-Ways, as they We're bound
to with the boss zone and a new boss
coming. Nobody had any heart for
anything, and along late in the after
noon when word came of IA freight
wreck at Cross Creek Gulch, Mr.. Van
Britt threw up both hands and Wiped
and swore like "A pirate. 1t just showed
what a raw edge the Headquarters
nerves were taking on.
Though 1t wasn't his business, Mr..
Van Britt went out with the wreck
ing train, and Fred May and | had it
all to ourselves for the remaining hour
or so up to closing time. Just before
five, Mr.. Cantrell, the editor of the
Mountaineer, dropped in. lie looked
Il bit disappointed when he found
only is two. Fred turned him over
to me, and he came on in to the priv
ate office when | asked him to, and
smoked II of the boss good cigars
out of Il box that | found in the big
desk.
liked Cantrell. He was just the
sort of man you expect an editor to
be; tall and thin and kind Of mild
eyed, with an absent way with him
that made you feel as if he were
thinking along about Il mile ahead of
you when you were striking the best
t|hink-gait you eve knew of.
No word yet from Mr.. N~orcross, !
SUPPOSE" he said.
| told him there wasn't.
ITS very singular to me, and to
all of us, as 1t is TO you" | threw in.
The editor smoked on for a full
minute without saying anything more,
ANA he seemed to be staring absently
mt a steamship picture ON the wall.
When he got good and ready, he be-
gan again.
"lou don't need any common plain
clothes man on this job, Jimmie; you
need the best there is: n real, dyed
in-the-wool Sherlock Holmes, If there
ever were such a miracle"
"iou think it is a case for a de-
tective?'
81 do" he replied, looking straight
at me with his mild blue eyes. IF
| were one of Mr.. Norcross' close
friends | should get the best help that
could be found and not lose "A single
minute about It,"
Since there was nobody around
who was any closer to the boss than
| was, | jumped into the hole pretty
quick.
"Can you tell us anything that will
Mr.. CantrellY" ! asked.
mot specifically; | wish / could.
| can say this: | know Mr.. Rufus
Hatch and his associates up one side
and down the other. They are hand
n-glove with the political pirates who
this state. From the little
hat has leaked out, and the great deal
hat has been published I'm the Hatch
controlled newspapers all over the
during the past few weeks. 1t is
apparent that Mr.. Norcross' removal
vas a thing greatly to be desired, not
'nly by the Red Tower people. but
llso by the political bosses. That Z
,ught to be enough to make all of
suspicious-very suspicious, Jim
The tall editor got up and made
to go. IF | were in your place.
r rather in Mr.. Van Britt's. I'd get
n expert on this job-and | shouldn't
IT much grass grow under my feet
lille | was about IL. Call me up at
he Mountainecr Office if l can help"
nd with that he went away.
II was just a little while after this
hat ] put on my hat and strolled
the yard tracks to Kirgan's
I'm the shops. Kirgan was an
ID friend, as you might say: he had
on the Oregon building job with
5 and knew the boss through and !
l didn't have anything spe- |
al TO say, but / kind of wanted to |
Xix TO somebody who knew. SO /
,afed In on Klrgan. |
He loved the boss like a brother, |
$ soon as / came in. he fired his kid |
enographer on some errand or other, |
nd made me sit down and tell him !
| / knew. When / got through he !
as pulling at his long mustache and +
his nose as I've seer a bull
y do when he was getting ready to <
tie something.
"You haven't got all the drop-out
cornered over yonder in the
neral Office. Jimmie" he said slow
. fitting back In his swlng-chair and al
owering at me with those sultry eyes
his. "On that sarRe night that you're
kim about, I stand to lose one per- VI
city good A~tlantic-type locomotive. b,
ten O'Clock she was set in on the n,
below the coal chutes. At twelve y,
lock. when the rOund-house watch n.
IN went down there TO see If her n
e was banked all right, she was
me-" ST