Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1921-09-30

they don't seem to be mad about any
lining Bart Boskins is doing the talk
ing for Them"
"Send them jn,' was the curt com
mand, and a minute later the inner
office was about three-fourths filled
up with a shutting crowd OF p. S. L.
men.
The chief looked the crowd over
There was a bunch of train and engine
men, a squad from the shops, and a
1 bigger one from the yards Also, the
wire service had turned out a gang
of linemen and half a dozen operators.
"WelI, men, let's have it," said Mr..
Norcross, not too sharply. MY din
ner's getting cold"
wen not be keepn' you above the
hollow half Of a minute, Mister Nor
cross" said the big, bearded freight
conductor who acted as spokesman.
about this c. S. & w. strike that
went on today: We amt got no kick
comm with you, mr. with the com
pany, Mister Norcross, but it looks
like it's up to us TO do somethln' and
we didn't want to do it without hittin'
square out from the shoulder. There
amt nobody knows vet what's goin'
to be done but whatever II is. we
want You to know that it amt done
ag'iust you mr. the railroad company"
The boss had handled wage earners
too long not to be able to suspect
what was in the wind.
You men don't want to let your
sympathies carry You too far"
he cautioned. when you take up
another fellows quarrel you want to
be pretty sure that you're not going
to hit your friends in the scrap
HuSkins grinned Understandings,
and ! guess the boss was a little puz-
zled by the mods and winks that went
around among the silent members of
the delegation at least, I know l was.
That's all right, HoskIns said. BE
I'm the big boss, you've got to talk
that way. But what I was amin to
say is that therein be a train-load r
two Of Strike-breaEers a-Careerin along
here in a day r so, aad we amt fig
urin' on lettn 'em get past Portal
City, if that far"
That's up to you" said Mr. Nor
cross brusQuely. IF you start any
thing in the way of riot"
Excuse me. There amt goin' to
be no rfotin' and no comnany nrop-
ertv mashed IN. Mr.. Van Britt he"
II was right here that nm odd thing
happeDed Con Corripan bIp two
fsfad rretrh+ engineer standing direct-
" behind uosl,ins reocbad an arm
around tba sneakers noel, and cboked
him 50 suddenly that Hosl,ins, sentence
ended in pasning cbuckIe When the
garroting arm was withdrawn the con.
ductor looked around SORT Of foolishlv
and said "Tm thinking thot,s ohout all
we wanted 10 saw aint # bovs?o and
tho donu+a+ion Glod ort ne soleronIv
as II had come IN
opass Mr. Norcross wasn't loft
wholly in the dark when +he treron-
ing footballs of the committee died
away in the corridor. That unlnten-
tlonal mention of Mr. Van BrItt's name
looked as If If might omen IN some
more possibilities. though what they
were I couldn't imagine and I don't
believe the general manager could
either.
After that things rocked along nrpt-
~ easy until after dinner Instead of
going right hack IN tha ofFica from
the club. Mr. Norcross drifted into
the smoking-room and filed nine.
In the course of a few minutes. Major
Kendrick droDped in and pulled nm n
chair. I don't know what they talked
about, but after q LITTLE while when
the boss got up to 90. heard him
saw something that gaye the kew 10
the most of what had gone before. |
guess.
"Have you seen or heard anything
of Collingwood since Yesterday"
The good old major shook his head.
They're tellin' me that he's oveh in
his rooms at the Billiard. drinkin' him
self to death. If he wasn't altogether
past redemption. sub he would have
had the decency to get out of town
befo' he turned loose all hollis that
way; he would, for a fact, Graham"
At that, Mr.. Norcross explained in
Just few words why Colllngwood
hadn't gOne-why he couldn't go.
Whereupon the old Kentuckian looked
graver than ever.
"Tbat thob epaIls troubla Graham,