Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1921-04-15

awe sifted This Blame Outfit Through
an Eiohty-Mesh Screen"
But Kirgan didn't seem TO look at 1t
that way.
swell, I'll be shot" he exclaimed.
~ never once thought Of that! But
where the devil would he go? And
how would he get there without some
body finding out? And why In Sam
Hill would he do thing like that,
anyway? Why, sufferin' Moses II
he wanted to go anywhere, all he had
to do was to order out his car and
tell the dispatcher, and go.
Il can't figure it out any better than
you can" confessed. "Mr. NsrcrOss
is gone, and the Ten-Sixteen is gone,
and they both dropped out between
ten and twelve o'clock on the same
night. Mart. don't believe Mr.. Nor
cross went east at all i believe,
when we find that engine, we'll find
him!"
Kirgan got out Of his chair and be-
gan to walk up and down In the little
space between his desk and the draw
ing-board. Besides being the best boss
mechanic In the West. he was q first
class fighting man, with a clear head
and nerve to burn. When he had got
as far as he could 60 alone he turned
on me.
Jimmie, do you reckon this Red
Tower outfit was far enough along In
It's scrap with the boss to put up a Job
to pass him out of the game" he de-
handed.
told him 1t didn't seem to At into
any Notwithstanding scheme Of
things. and past that mentioned the
fact that the Hatch people had taken
the back track and were now offering
to sell out and stop checking the
wheels OF reform.
81 know" he put in. But I've been
readin' the papers, Jimmie, and II
amt all Red Tower, not by jugful.
The big graft in this neck-a woods Is
political, and the Red Tower gang is
only set-a cogs in the bull-wheel. Mr..
Norcross was gettin' himself mighty
pointedly disliked; you know that.
The way he was amin to run things.
It was beginnin' to look as If maybe
the people of this state might wake up
some day and turn In and help him."
81 know all about that" threw In.
But where are you trying to land,
MartT
Right here. Mr.. Norcross was the
~ eI%1 T.lx IL. - IL
the whole shootin'-match would fall
to pieces-as it's doin', right now.
They didn't need to slug him or shoot
him up or anything like that: If II
could be made to look as II he'd
jumped the job, quit, chucked It all
would be sent out here, and you could
bet your sweet life he wouldn't be
anybody like Mr.. Norcross. Not so
you could notice 1t. The New York
people would take blamed good care-a
that"
"You think the Dunton people are
standing in with the graft?"
Nobody could've grabbed Off the
motive-power job on this railroad, as
I did, Jimmie, and not think it-and
be d-n' sure Of II. Why, Lord o.
Heavens, the Red Tower, bunch was
usin' us just the same as II we be-
longed to em ordering our men to
do their machinery repairs, helpin'
themselves to any railroad material
that they happened to need, usin' our
cars and engines on their loggin' roads
and mine branches"
You stopped all this7"
You bet did-between two daysi
They've been maxim seventeen differ
ent kinds Of roar ever since, but I've
had Mr.. Van Britt and the big boss
behind me, 80 I just showed ahead"
What Kirgan said about the Red
Tower people using eur rolling stock
on their private branch roads set
bee to buzzing in my brain. What II
they had stolen the 1919 to use In that
wayf
You have blueprint Of the Portal
division here, haven't your I asked.
Dig II up and let's have look at It"
At first the facts threatened to blum
US. The blueprint engineers map was
an old one, but II showed the spurs and
side-tracks, the stations and water
tanks. Since the lost engine had been
standing at the western end of the
Portal City yards. We didn't try to
trace 1t eastward. To get out in that
direction II would have had to pass
the round-house. the shops, the pas
senger station and the headquarters
building. and, even at that time Of
night, somebody would have been sure
to see II.
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