Emmons County record., 1921-05-19
SYNOPSIS.

oAAAb OA kAo SuOTL xAu0, WHICH ID
in the hands of eastern Spectators.
headed by Breckenridge Dunton, presi-
dent of the line. Norcross, learning that
sheila Macrae IL stopping at Portal City,
CHAPTER 111.-Dodds overhears con-
yersation between Rufus Hatch and Gus
t.aS,s, taye Hlesnckel; Portal City hnanciers. in
KIDNAPPING. their object being to keep
Chadwick from attending q meeting OF
directors to reorganize the Pioneer Short
Line. which would jeopardize their inter-
ests.
CHAPTER 1v.-To curb the monopoly
controlled by Hatch and Henckel the Red
fewer corporation. Eorcross forms the
Citizens Storage and Warehouse COM
terest in Sheila Macrae. Dodds learns
that Sheila is married, but living apart
from her husband. Norcross does not
know this.
CHAPTER v. = Hatch. aware that
els participation in the Chadwick kid
naping, offers him inducements to leave
Norcross. Dodds refuses Leaving the
office. he Is knocked senseless Recov-
ering consciousness. he learns that Nor
cross has disappeared and Is believed to-
have resigned and gone east.
CHAPTER VI.-Dodds connects Nor
cross disappearance with Vaccinations
of Hatch and Henckel, and on recover
Ing strength sets out to solve the mys-
terry.
CHAPTER VII. - With Kirgan, the
roads master mechanic, Dodds gets q
follow clue given them ehrough a
missing locomotive.
: With everybody supposing he had
resigned and left the country, / guess
there were all kinds of nine-minutes'
wonder in Portal City, and all along
the Short Line, when the word went
out that Mr.. Norcross was back on the
Job and running 1t pretty much the
same as If nothing had happened.
After supper, on the night Of his
return from the hlde-out, he had sent
long code message to Mr.. Chadwick,
and short one to President Dunton /:
and though didn't see the reply to
either. guess Mr.. 'Chadwick's an
swer, at least, was the right kind, be-
cause our track renewing campaign
went into commission again with a
slam. and all the reform policies took
sure-enough fresh start and began to
hump themselves, with Juneman work
ing the newspapers to a finish.
We heard nothing further from Mr..
Dismuke, the portly gentleman in the
tan spats, though he still stayed on at
the Bullard. We saw him occasional
ly at meal times, and twice he was
eating at the same table with Hatch
and Henckel. That placed him all
right for us, though guess he didn't
need much placing.
wondered little at first that Mr..
Norcross didn't take the clue that
Branderby, the Mountaineer reporter,
had given us and tear loose on the
gang that had trapped him. He didn't
or didn't seem to. From the first hour
of the first day he was up to his neck
pushing things for the new company
formed for the purpose Of putting Red
Tower out of business. and he wouldn't
take minutes time for anything else
OF course, 1t says itself that Hatch
never made any more proposals about
selling the Red Tower plants to the
Citizens Storage & Warehouse people
after the boss got back. That move
went into the discard in a hurry, and
the Consolidation outfit was busy get.
ting into it's fighting clothes. and try.
ing to chock the wheels Of the c. s.
& w. with all sorts of legal obstacles
Franchise contracts with the rail-
road were flashed up, and injunctions
were prayed for. Ripley waded in
and what little sleep he got for week
or two was In Pullman cars, snatched
while he was rushing around and try
ing to keep his new clients. the c. 8
& w. folks. out Of Jail for contempt
of court. He did 1t. Little and quiet
and smooth-spoken, he could put the
legal leather into the biggest bullies
the other side could hire. Luckily
we were an interstate corporation, and
when the local courts proved crooked
Ripley would find some way to jerl
the case out Of them and put 1t up to
some Federal Judge.
Around home In Portal City things
were just simmering. Between two
days, as you might say, and right
soon after Mr.. Norcross got back, We
acquired q new chum on the head.
quarters force. He was young fel
low named Tarbell, who looked and
talked and acted like a cow-punch jusl
in from riding line. He was carried or
Nh. Van Britt's payroll as an extra OF
''relief' telegraph operator; though w
never heard Of his being sent out t
relieve anybody.
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