Charlevoix county herald., 1921-04-08

10 be buried. The ambulance surgeon
had insisted and was still insisting,
that had been handling a live wire;
but there were no wires at all in the
lower hall, and nothing stronger than
an incandescent light current In the
entire Office building
sand you say I've been here hang
ing on by my eyelashes for three days?
What has been going on In all that
time, Maisie Ann? Hasn't anybody
been here to see me?"
ohe gave little nod. Everybody,
nearly. Mr.. Van Britt has been up
every day, and sometimes twice q day.
He has been awfully anxious for you
to come alive"
"But Mr.. Norcross?' l queried
Hasn't he been up?"
She shook her head and turned her
face away, and she was looking
straight out OF the window at the set
ting sun when she asked. "When was
the last time you saw Mr.. Norcross,
Jimmie?"
1 choked a little over a big scare
that seemed to rush up out of the
bed-clothes to smother me. But I
made out to answer her question, tell
ing her how Mr.. Norcross had left the
office maybe half an hour or so before
| did, that night, going uptown with
Mr.. Ripley. Then l asked her why
she wanted to know.
Because nobody has seen him since
a little later that same night" she
said, saying 1t very softly and with
out turning her head. And then: "Mr.
Van Britt found a letter from Mr..
Norcross on his desk the next morning.
1t was just little typewriter note,
on a Hotel Billiard letter sheet, say
ing that he had made up his mind
that the Pioneer Short Line wasn't
worth fighting for, and that he was
resigning and taking the midnight
train for the East"
! sat straight up in bed; l should
have had to do it IL both arms had
shoulders.
"Resigned?-gave up and ran away?
l don't believe that for single min
ute, Maisie Ami" l burst out.
She was shaking her head again,
still without turning her face so that
I could see 1t.
Tin afraid it's all true, Jimmie.
There were two kilograms that came
to Mr.. Norcross the night he went
away; one from Mr.. Chadwick and the
other from Mr.. Dunton. / heard Mr..
Van Britt telling Cousin Sheila what
the messages were. He'd seen the
copies of them that they keep in the
telegraph Office"
1t was on my tongues end to say
that Mr.. Norcross never had seen those
two kilograms, because | had them In
my pocket and was on my way to de-
liver them when got shot; but didn't.
Instead, said: "And you think that
was why Mr.. Norcross threw up his
hands and ran away?"
"No; I don't think anything of the
sort. l know what it was, and you
know what 1t was" and at that she
turned around and pushed me gently
down among the pillows.
"What was it?" l whispered, more
than half afraid that l was going to
hear confirmation of my own breath
taking conviction. And heard it, all
right
at was what 1 was telling you
about, that same evening, you remem-
ber-down in the hall when you
brought the flowers for Cousin Sheila.
tnIH I'M, L fol In
you?"
mo; didn't have a chance-not
any real chance"
"Then somebody else told him, jim
mie; and that is the reason he has
resigned and gone away. Mr.. Van
Britt thinks it was on account of the
two messages from Mr.. Chadwick
and Mr.. Dunton, and that is why he
wants to talk to you about 1t. But
you know, and l know, Jimmie, dear;
and for Cousin Sheila's sake and Mr..
Norcross', ave must never lisp it to
human soul. A new general manager
has been appointed, and he is on his
way out here from New York. Every
thing has gone to pieces on the rail-
road, and all of Mr.. Norcross' friends
are getting ready to resign. Isn't 1t
perfectly heart-breaking?"
1t was; it was so heart-breaking
that l just gasped once or twice and
went off the hooks again, with Maisie
AIMS frightened little shrek ringing
in my ears as she tried TO hold me
back from slipping over the edge.
(TO RE CONTINUEDD