The spectator., 1921-07-05

they don't seem Co loo mad about any thing Bart Iloskins is doing the talk ing for them"
 ''Seud them in." was the curt com maal and minute later the inner office was about thrce-fuurths filled up with a shunlIng crowd of r.. <. l.. men.
 The chief looked the crowd over There was bunch of train and engine mon, squad from the shops. and q bigger one from the yards Also, the wire service had turned out a gang of llnemen and half dozen operators
 Well. men. let's have ii." said Mir Norcruss, not too sharply -My din- ner's getting cold"
 We'll not be kecpin' you above the hollow half of minute. Mister Nor cross. said the big bearded freight conductor who acted aS spokesman. About this C. \. X w strike that went on today: We ain't got no kick cotuin' with you. n'r with the com pany. Mister NorcroSS. but II looks like ifs up to us to do somethin'. and We didn't want to do it without hittn' square out from the shoulder There ain't nobody knows yet whats goin' to be done. hut whatever II k. we want you to know that it ain't done ag'inst you n'r the railroad company
 The boss had handled wage earners too long not to be able to suspect what vras I,, th. ,,.fuI
 You men don't want to let your synpathies carry you too far" he cautioned. When you take up another fellows quarrel you want to he pretty sure that you're not going to hit your friends in the scrap
 Iloskins grnned undersiandingly, and guess the boss was a little paz- zled by the mods and wiukS that went around among the silent members of the delegation. at lepSt, know l was.
 That's all right" Hoskjns said. Be in the bis boss, yn,Ne got ta talk that way Eut what ' was aimin' 10 say k that thrrr1l bc rr8inlnad T two of ~trkr-hrta,rr~ a-cureerin along here In q dny r SO gu@ He aln.t tis- urin' an lettln' 'cm Srt past Portal ely if tbat far"
 "Thai's up to y"u." said Mir Nor cross brusqurly. "If yoH start any thing in the way ot riot
 Excuse me. There aIut 4oiu' to he no riotlu'. and no company prop erty mashed up. Mir Van Britt. he
 It waS right here that an odd thing happened Con Corricau. q big two listed freight engineer standing direct. iy behind HoSkin>. reached an arm around the speakers neck and chuked him So suddenly that IIo~kinS' sentence ended in q ga.ping chucklc. When the garroting arm was withdrawn the con- ductor looked around sort of foolishly and said I'm thinking that's about uil We wanted to say. amt it. boysf' and the deputation filed ont 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 unlnieu- tional mention of Mir, Van Britt's name looked Hs if it might open up some more possibilities. though what they were l couldn't imagine. and don't believe the general manager could. either.
 After that. things rocked along pret- ty easy until after dinner Instead of going right back to ihc office from the club, Mir. NorcruSS drifted into the smoking-room and filled pipe. In the course of few minutes. Major kendrick dropped in and pulled up a chair. don't know what they talked about, but after a little while. when say something that gave the key to the most of what had gone before. guess
 Have you seen ar heard anything of Collingwood since ycsterdayf' f'
 The Sbod old major shook his head. "They're tellin' me that he's oveh in his rooms at the Bullard driukin him. self to death If he wasn't altogetheh past redemption. Suh. lr would have  had ths decency to gel out of town befo' he turned loose all holts tlut way; Inc would, for fact. Graham.
 At that. Mir Norcro>> explained iH just few words why cnllinswopd hadn't gone-why he couldn't % Whereupon the old Kcutucklau looled craver than ever.
 That thah spells trouble. Graham. Hatch is simply invitin' the uule'- takeh. IIowie isn't what you'd call dangerous man, but he k totally lr- responsible, even when he's sohch'
 ''We ought to get him away from here" was the boss decision. He is an added menace while he stays"
 didn't hear what the major said to that, because little Rags. Mir Per kins' office boy, had just come in with a note which he was asking me to give to Mir NorcrosS did it. and after the note had been glanced at. the chief said, kind of bitterly. to the mo ior,