New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-07-01
TX
In the Coal Yard

bbSSAh6 VI wv pO'f
were not trying to find out what ne
was doing; they didn't need to, be-
cause he was advertising his
or Juneman was-in the newspapers
What they were trying to do was TO
catch him off his guard and do him
up-this time to stay done up.
1t was safe TO assume that they
wouldn't tumble the ball a second
time. Mr.. Ripley had stood the thihs
fairly on its feet when he said that
our campaign was purely a one-lnah
proposition, so far as it had yet gone
People who had met the boss n had
done business with him liked MIN
but the old-time prejudice against
the railroad was so widespread ana
50 bitter that it couldn't be overcome
all at once. Juneman, u publicity
man, was doing his best, but as YET
we had no party following in the
state at large which would stand by
US and see that we got justice.
| was chewing this over while we
sat at dinner in the Billiard Gaze, ana
| guess Mr.. NOrcross was, too, Tor ne
didn't say much. / don't know whether
he knew anything about the o.
ing business / speak of or not, but ne
might have. We hadn't more man
given our dinner order when n OF
Hatch's clerks. n Cock-eyed chap anne
Kestler, came in and took a table just
far enough from our to be out OF the
way. and neal enough TO listen IN II
we said anything.
When we finished, Kestler was just
getting his service of ice-cream; but
/ noticed that he left it untouched
and got up and followed us to the
lobby. Ii made me hot enough to
want to turn on him and knock his
crooked eye out, but of course, that
wouldn't have done any good.
After Mr.. Norcross had bought some
cigars at the stand he said he guessed
he'd run out to Major Hendricks for
a little while and with that he went
up to his rooms. Though the major
was the one he named, | knew he meant
that he was going to see Mrs. Sheila,
| remembered what he had said to
Ripley about Il wonlan's giving him
germ ideas and such things, and ]
guess it was really so. Every time
he spent an evening at the majors
he'd come back with a lot Of new no
tons fer popularizing the Short Line.
When he said that, about going out
to the majors, Kestler was near
enough to overhear il, and so he waited,
lounging in the lobby and pretending
TO read Il paper. About half-past seven
the boss came down and asked me to
call a taxi for him, | did II; and
Kestler loafed around just long enough
TO see him start Off. Then he lit out,
himself, and something in the way he
did il made me take out after him.
The first thing / knew ! was trail
lng him through the railroad yard and
on down past the freight house toward
the big, fenced-in. Red Tower coal
yards.
AT the coal yard he let himself In
through a wicket in the wagon gates,
and | noticed that he used a key and
locked the wicket after he got inside.
| put my eye to n crack in the high
stockade fence and saw that the little
shack Office that was used for a scale
house was lighted up. My burnt hand
was healing tolerably well by this
time and | could use II a little. There
was a slack pile just outside Of the
big gate, and by climbing to the top
of II | got over the fence and crept
up to the scale-house.
A small window in n end Of the
shack, opened about two inches at the
bottom. answered well enough for a
peep-hOle. Three men were In the
little box of a place-three besides
Kestler; Hatch, his barrel-bodled part
ner, Henckel, and one other. The
third man looked like a glorified bar
keep. He was of the type ! have
heard called BLACK IRISH" fat. sleek.
and well-fed, with little pin-point
black eyes half buried in the flesh Of
his round face, and the padded jaw
and double chin shaved to the blue.
| knew this third man well enough,
by sight; everybody in Portal City
knew him-decent people only too well
when it came to an election tussle.
He was the redoubtable Pete Clana-
han, ~divekeeper, and political boss.
Kestler was telling the three how he
had Swallowed Mr.. Norcross from the
railroad headquarters to the Billiard,
and how he stayed around until he
had seen the boss take a taxi for
Major Hendricks. This seemed TO be
all that was wanted of him, for when
he was through, Hatch told him he
might go home. After the cock-eyed
clerk was gone, Hatch lighted a fresh
cigar and put it squarely up to the
Irishman.
"It's no use being mealy-mouthed
over this thing, Pete" he grated in
that saw-mill voice of his. We've
cot to get rid of this man. Every days
delay gives him that much better hold.
We can choke him off by Titles in the
business game, of course; We have
Dunton and the New Workers on our
side. and this cooperative scheme he
has launched can be broken down
with money. But that doesn't help
you political people out; and your
stake in the game Is even bigger than
ours"
Canahan looked around the little
dog-kennel Of a place suspiciously.
"'Tis not here that we al talk