The spectator., 1921-05-27

tO nag nlU HUG TeSiSnluS. lHen tIleTe was Mrs. Sheila. I sort of suspected she was holding him up to the rack. every day and every minute of the day.
 It was one evening after he had been out to the majors for just a office. that he sent for Mir. Van Britt. who was also working late. There was blood on the moon, and saw it in the way the boss jaw was working.
 "Upton," he began. as short as pie crust, "have you thought of any way to break this wreck hoodoo yet?"
 Mir. Van Britt sat down and crossed his solid little legs.
 If I had, l 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 1t as bad luck, keep ing our own suspi cions to ourselves and letting the men believe what they pleased. Wen change all that. l want you to call your trainmen in as fast as you can get at them. Tell them--from me, If you want to-that there isn't any bad luck about 1t; 1 that the enemies of this management are making an organized raid on the property itself for the purpose of put ting us out of the fight Tell them the whole story, If you want to: how we're trying our best to make a spoon out of spoiled horn, and how there In this state which is doing its worst to knock us out of the box. "If you give the force something tangible to lay hold of, 1t will work the needed miracle. It is only the mysterious that terrifies. Railroad em- ployes. as whole. are perfectly in telligent human beings, open to con viction. The management which doesn't profit by that fact is lame. If you do this and appeal to the loyalty of the men. you will make a private detec- tive out of every man in the train service. and every one of them keen to be the first to catch the wreckers. You can add bit of reward for that, if you like, and I'll pay it out of my own bank account"
 For full minute our captive mil lionaire didn't say word. Then he Chinese god.
 "Who gave you this idea of taking the payroll into your confidence. Ora. ham?" 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 to Major Ken drick," he said. He Is wise old man, Upton, and he hears good many things that don't get printed in the newspapers"
 could see that this excuse didn't fool Mir Van Britt for a single in- stant. and there was look in his eye that I couldn't quite understand. Neither could make much out of what he said.
 "Well go into that a little deeper some day. Graham-after this epilep- tic attack has been fought of. This idea-which you confess isn't your own-is pretty shrewd one. and shouldn't wonder if 1t would work. If we can get 1t in motion before the hoodoo breaks us wide open. And. as you say, the accusation is justiflable, even if we can't prove up against the Hatch outfit. That turned-over rail in Petrolite Canyon. for example. might have been helped along by"
 It was Kelso, Mir. Van Britt's sten- ographer, smashed in with the inter- ruption. He was in his shirt-sleeves. as If he'd just got up from his type writer and he rushed in with his mouth open and his eyes like saucers.
 "They-they want you in the dis patcher's office" he panted. jerking the words out at Mfr. Van Britt. Dur gin has let Number Five get by for a headender with the Flyer and he's gone crazy!"