The Elk Mountain pilot., 1921-04-14


''rhey were enough to make any man
throw up his hands and quit, 1 should
say"
NO." she insisted. looking me
straight in the eyes. You are not
telling the truth now. Jimmie. You
know Mr.. Norcross better than any
of us. and you know that 1t isn't the
least little bit like him to walk out
and leave everything to go to wreck.
Have you ever known of his doing
anything like that before?"
l had to admit that hadn't; that,
on the other hand, 1t was the very
thing you'd least expect him to do.
But at the same time ! had to hang
on TO my sham belief that it was the
thing he had done: either that. or
tell her the truth.
Every man reaches his limit, some
timel" protested. "What was Mr..
Norcross to do, I'd like to know; with
Mr.. Chadwick getting scared out. and
Mr.. Dunton threatening to fire him?"
"The thing he wouldn't do would
be to go on and leave all of his
friends. Mr.. Van Britt and Mr.. Hor-
mack, and all the rest, to fight it out
alone. You know that as well as l
do, Jimmie Dodds!"
III you won't take my theory, you
must have one of your own," l said;
not knowing what else to say.
''I have" she flashed back, "and
1 want you to hurry and get well 30
that you can help me trace it out"
"MeT l querled.
Yes, you. The others are all so
stupid! even MIR. Van Britt and Mr..
Ripley. They insist that Mr.. Norcross
went east to see and talk with Mr.
Chadwick. They have found out that
Mr.. Chadwick left Chicago the day
after he sent that telegram. to go up
into the Canadian woods TO look at
some mines, or something. They say
that Mr.. Norcross has followed him,
and that is why they don't hear any
thing from him.
what do you think7" l asked.
She didn't answer right away. and
in the little pause l saw sort of
frightened look come into her eyes.
But all she said was. ~ want you to
hurry up and get well, Jimmie, so you
can help"
I'm well enough now, If they'll. let
me get up"
mot tonight; tomorrow, maybe
Then: "Mr. Van Britt is downstairs
with Cousin Basil. He has been very
anxious to talk with you as soon as
you were able to talk. May l send
him up?"
OF course l said yes; and pretty
soon after she went away, our one
and only millionaire came in. II,
looked as he always did, just as i
he had that minute stepped out of {
Turkish bath where they shave ant
scrub and polish a man till he shines
'How are you, Jimmie?' he raped
out. "Glad to see you on earth again
Feeling little more fit. tonight?'
l told him l didn't think 1t woult
take more than half dozen fellow.
of my size to knock me out, but wa.
gaining. Then he sat down and pu
me on the question rack. / gave hin
all had-except that thing about the
undelivered telegrams and two or three
others that couldn't give him or any.
body.
"We're in pretty bad shape. aren't
we?" ! suggested.
I'VE couldn't be in worse shape"
was the way he put it. Then he told
me little more than Maisie Ann had
how President Dunton had wired to
stop all the betterment work on the
Short Line until the new general man.
ager could get on the ground; how the
local capitalists at the head of the
new Citizens Storage & Warehouse
organization were scared plumb out of
their shoes and were afraid 10 make a
move; and how the newspapers all
over the state were saying that 1t was
just what they had expected-that the
railroad was crooked in root and
branch, and that a good man couldn't
stay with 1t long enough to get his
breath.
''Then the new general manager has
been appointedY" 1 asked.
| He nodded. "Some fellow by the
name of Dismuke. don't know him,
and neither does Hornack. He Is ON
his way west now, they say"
''Ar. Norcross hasn't shown up at
Mr.. Chadwick's Chicago offcesT l
ventured
mo The telegraph people have
been wiring everywhere and can't get
any trace of him.
"Tell them to t:'y Galesburg. That's
where his people live"
II know" he said; and he made a
note of the address on the back of an
envelope. Then he came at me again.
on the direct" as a lawyer would
say.
you've been closer to Norcross in
an intimate way than any of us, jim
mie: haven't you seen or heard some
thing that would help to turn little
more light on this damnable blow-up?"
l hadn't-outside of the one thing
I couldn't talk about-and l told him
so, and at this he let me see little