The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1921-03-31
CHAPTER III
The directors, Meeting

ne DircCtors meeting
was up bright and early the next
morning. and after breakfast I took
little sashay down Nevada avenue
70 have a look at our railroad. OF
course, | knew, after what the boss
had said to Mr.. Chadwick the night
before. Just before we went to bed,
that we weren't ever going TO see
Canada, or even Illinois.
I'll have to admit that the look | got
didn't make me feel as if we'd found
Cullinan diamond. Down in the yards
everything seemed TO be at the loosest
kind of loose ends. A switching crew
was making up a freight. and the way
they slammed the boxes together re-
gardless OF broken Drawbacks and the
like, was sin and shame.
After a while, after I'd loafed
through the shops and around the
yard aud got a few more whlffs OF
the decay. / strolled on back 10 the
hotel
was wondering a little what had
become OF the boss--who was general
~ the earliest riser on the Job
when two men came bullying through
the screen doors of the cafe. picking
their teeth and feeling In their pockets
for cigars Right on the dot and in
the face Of knowing that IL couldn't
reasonably he so, ] had a feeling that
I'd seen those men before. one Of
Al. ~ faF EfpulFnr
and his face had sort OF hard, hun
CRY look; and the other was big and
barrel-bodied. The short one was clean
shaver. but the other had reddish
gray beard clipped close on his fat
Jaws and trimmed 20 point AT the
chin.
After they had lighted MP they came
along and sat down three or four
chairs away from me They paid no
attention to me, but for fear they
might | tried to look as sleepy as an
all-night bell-hop In busy hotel.
1.-THE Dunton bunch got together in
one of the committee rooms upstairs
little after eight O'clock" said the
short man, in low, rasplng voice that
went through you like buzz-saw.
Thanks 10 those Internal blunderers
Clanahan sent MS last night. Chadwick
was with them"
~ think that was choost so" said
the big man, speaking slowly and with
something more than a hint OF Ger
man accent "Beckler was choost what
you call hlm-a tam blund'rer."
Like a flash II came over me that
was "1istening In" 10 a talk between
the same two men who had sat In the
auto at Sand Creek siding and smoked
while they were waiting for the actual
kidnapers to return. You can bet high
that / made myself mighty small and
unobtrusiye.
After a while the big man spoke
again.
what has Uncle Chon Chadwick up
his sleeve got do you thinkr "
81 don't Think know :" was the
snappy reply. '1t's one u two things:
a receivership-whic will knock us
into cooked hat because We can't
fool with an officer Of the United
States court-or new deal on around
IN the management"
'Nich OF the two viii Il be- that aill
come out OF that commlddee room up
stairsf"
a new management DuntOn can't
stand for a receivership. and Chad
wick knows il. The securities would
be knocked out and the ma jority hold
ers-Dunton and his bunch-couidn't
unload. Chadwick win name the man
who i 20 take Skaters place as gen
eral manager 81 the railroad outfit
We might have stood IL on for q
while. just as ! said yesterday. II We
could have kept Chadwick from a.
tending this meeting
"Buf now we don't could stand Il
oT-what theBT"
wen have 70 walt and So. and
size up the new man when b. blows
In. He'll be only human. Henckel And
II We get right down 20 u we can
pull him over TO our side-or make
him wish he'd never been born
The big man 20, up p0nderousiy
and brushed the cizar ashes OF Of bis
bny-xlncou. You wait and 80 what
comes NIT the conmlddee room out. /
I 70 Up 20 the ovvice-
Khsa xs 20 slans In ne ro~ u /.