The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-01-22
The The! Wreckers
Francis Lynde

cceyyrssAs. isss. BY Charles Serb
asr's scasp

on the rescue run 10 Timber noun
tain. Mart and ! bad been sort Of
chummy. and after the foreman had
gone away with hts foot In his
hand joshed Kirsan n little about
the way he had hammered the
roundhousc man.
Maybe did. Jimmie hc said.
an II he were already sorry for the
eussinw out. "Rut the shape we're
getting Into Is enough to make an
angel bawi Why. Great Moses n
crew can't take an engine cut here
In the yard TO do common job o
switchin' without breakln' something
r hurtin' somebody
''Bad medicine l told him. ITS
worrying the bosses. too WHAT'S
Nuoins IL. Martf-
Maybe you can ten he rrowied
Its hoodoo---that's what u H.
Seven engines IN the shops In the
last nine days. and three more that
haven't been fished osta the ditch
yet wish Mr. Van Britt a fire
the whole Jumpy outrtr'
IL didn't seem as tho firing was
needed 10 much a. a dose OF nerve
tonic OF some sort Tarb-ll was
working hard on the problem. quiet.
~. and without making any talk
about Il. and kirsan was giving
him all the men he asked for from
the shops; quick witted fellows who
were UP In all the mechanical do.
tails. and who made better spoilers
than outsiders would because they
knew the road and the ropes But
II was no use. | saw some OF Tar.
bells reports. and they didn't show
any crookedness. II seemed TO be
Just bad iuck---one landslide after
another OF IL
Meanwhile, New York had walked
up again. President Dunton had
been off the job somewhere. l guess
but now he was hack. and the
things he wired 10 the boss were
enough to make your hair stand on
end. ! looked every day 20 see Mr.
Norcross pitch the whole shooting
match into the fire and quit. cold
He'd never taken anything like
Mr.. Dunton's abuse from anybody
before. and he couldn't seem 10 get
hardened 10 L. But he was loyal
10 Mfr. Chadwick; and. Of course. he
knew that Mr.. Dgnton's hot wires
were meant to nag him into resign
Ing. Then there was Mrs shella
sorf 80 .t,wrc.f.S sh. 49, halat.,..
him up TO the rack. every day and
every minute OF the day. No doubt
che was.
II was one evening after he had
been out 20 the majors for just a
little while. and had come back TO
the office. that he sen, for Mr.. Van
Britt who was also working late.
There was blood on the moon. and
I saw II in the way the boss Jaw
was working.
~upton.- he began. an short as
pie crust. have you thought OF any
way 10 break this wreck hoodoo
YETI
Mr.. Van Britt sat down and
crossed his solid little legs.
-If I had shouldn't be losing
sleep at the rate OF five or six
hours a night he rasped
There's one thing that we haven't
tried" the boss shot back. We've
been advertising II as bad luck. keep
Ing our own suspicious to ourselves
and letting the men believe what
they pleased. Wen change all that.
want you 20 call your trainmen
In as fast as you can get at them.
Tel them--from me. II you want to
that there Isn't any bad luck
about II: that tho enemies OF this
management are making an organ
lied raid on the property itself for
the purpose Of putting US out OF the
fight Tell them the whole story, II
you want to: how we're trying our
best to make n spoon out Of a
spoiled horn. and how there IA an
army OF grafters and wreckers in
this state which II doing its worst
70 knock us out OF the box"
Mr.. Van Britt increased hIs legs
and sat staring for a second or two.
Then he whistled and said. by
Jovei Have you caught 'em with
the goods. at last7"
NO. was the curt reply. Gail
Il ruse. II you like: It's Justifiable.
and II will work. II you give the
force something tangible 10 lay hold
of. II viii work the needed miracle
II IN only the mysterious that terri.
flies. Railroad employees. az whole,
are perfectly intelligent human be.
ings, open to conviction. The man
agement which doesn't profit by
that fact Is lame. II you do this
and appeal 10 the loyalty OF the
men you will make a private de.
tective out of every man I'm the
train service. and every one OF
them keen 10 be the first To catch
the wreckers- You can add bit of
a reward for that, II you like. and
IN pay II out Of my own bank
account"
For a fun minute our captive NH
iionaire didn't say a word. Then he
grinned like a good-natured little
Chinese god.
who gave you this idea OF tax.
ing the payroll into your conf.
dence. Graham" he asked softly.
For the first time In all the weeks
and months I'D been knowing him.
the boss lodged; lodged just like
any Of us might.
i've been talking 10 Major Ken
drick," he said. "Ie Is wise old