The Dolores star., 1921-12-02
CHAPTER xiII-continued.

slF- f1ofHack naCDt the slightest ilea
what thin ice he was skating over.
or how this easy mention OF Mr.. Van
Britt might be just ike rubbing salt
into a fresh cut By this time II was
growing dark, and We were running
into Portal City. and was mighty
Siad that IL couldn't last much longer.
The boss didn't speak again until the
yard switches were clanking under
The car, and then he said:
Upton is well able TO take care OF
himself. Hornack. and / don't think
"e need worry about him" and then
over his shoulder to me Jimmie. its
time TO wake up. We're pulling in"
AS lie always did on a return trip.
Mr.. Norcross ran up to his Office to
see II there was anything pressing,
before he did anything else. May
was still at his desk. and In answer
to the boss question he shook his
head.
NO; nobody that couldn't wait" he
snid, referring TO the days callers.
MIR. Hatch was up with couple OF
men that didn't know, but he only
wanted TO Inquire II you would be
In the office this evening after dinner.
told him I'd find out when you came.
and let him know by phone"
thought. after all that had hap
pened. Hatch certainly had his nerve
to want to come and make talk
with the man his hired assasslns were
trying to murder. But II Mr. Norcross
took that view Of It. he didn't show
Il. On the contrary, he told Fred II
would be all right to telephone Hatch;
that he was coming down after din
ner and the Office would be open. as
usual.
] slipped out and went TO Mr. Van
Britt's office at the other end OF the
hall. Bobby Kelso was there. holding
the office down. and asked him where
I could find Tarbell. Luckily, he was
able TO tell me that Tarbeil was at
that moment down in the station res
'aurant. eating his supper; so down
went and butted in with my story
II the Hatch call. and how It was to
ne repeated little later on.
"T1i he there" said Tnrbell: and
with that load Off my mind. mogged
OF uptown TO the r'ub to get my own
dinner.
When I broke into the griIl-room at
the railroad club. found that Mr. Nor
cross had beaten me TO It by a few
minutes: that he had already ordered
his dinner Mt a table with Major Ken
drick. | suppose. by good rights
ought TO have gone OF into corner
by myself. but I saw that the boss had
tipped a chair at the end OF the table
where I usually sat. so I Just went
ahead and took 1t.
Coming In late. that way, didn't
get the first Of the tnlk. but took It
that the boss had been saying some
thing about his rare good luck in hav-
ing the major for table-mnte two
days In succession.
1.-The honoh is mine, my deah boy"
the genial old Kentuckian was telling
him as ! sat down. II was by way
of picking up a bit Of information
late this afternoon that ! thought
ought to be passed on to you without
any great delay"
The boss looked up quickly. "What
is 1t. major?" he inquired. "Are you
going to tell me that something new
has broken looseF"
81 wish I might be that he'pfully
definite do so. Graham But can't.
It's me'uhly bit of street talk. They're
telling 1t. oveh at the Commercial
club. that Hatch and John Marshall
you know him-that Sedgwick stock
5obheh who has been so active In this
Citizens Storage & Warehouse bust
ness-have finally come togetheh."
"In business way. you mean?'
The major gave a right and left
twist to his big mustaches and
shrugged one shoulder.
"They are most probably calling 1t
business" he rejoined.
The boss nodded. II know What has
Happened. In spite OF the fact that
the local people know that their eco
tomlc salvation depends upon wide
and even distribution Of their C. S.
4 w. stock, there has been good
bit Of buying and selling and swap
ping around. I remember you proph-
esIed that In little while we'd have
another trust In the hands of a few
men. You may recOliect that didn't
dispute your prediction. merely said
that our ground Ieases-the fact that
oil Of the c. S. & W. plants and build
kIgs are on railroad land-would still
give us the whip-hand over any new
monopoly that might be formed"
"Yes. sub: I remember you said
that" the major allowed.
"very good. Marshall anc his pocket
syndicate may have acquired a voting
control In G. S. & W., and they may
be willing now to patch up an alliance
with Hatch. But In that case the new
monopoly will still lack the one vital
Ingredient: the power to tx prices
II there is a new combine, and It tries
to make the producers and merchants
pay more than the agreed percentages
for af0rage and handling-"