The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1921-06-24
CHAPTER XVI

Mr.. Norcross chased out and tried
to overtake COlllngwood, going as far
as the foot of the stairs. 1 went, too,
but got only far enough to meet the
boss coming up again. There was
nothing doing. The station policeman
had seen the crazy rounder jump into
a taxi and go spinning off uptown.
There was another jolt waiting for
us when we got back to the office.
While we we're both out, Mr.. Van Britt
had blown In from his room at the
foot Of the hall and we found him
Longing comfortably in the chair that
CollingwoOd had just vacated.
81 thought maybe you'd turn up
again pretty soon, since you'd left the
doors all open," was the way he started
out. Then: "Sit down, Graham;
want TO talk few lines"
Mr.. Norcross took his own chair and
twirled it to face the general super
lntendent. "Say it," he commanded
briefly.
Mr.. Van Britt hooked his thumbs
In his armholes.
1--WE just been figuring bit on the
general outlook: you have decently
efficient operating outfit here, what
with Perkins and Brant and Conway
handling the three divisions as self
contained units. You don't need a
general superintendent any more than
a monkey needs two tails"
"Nyhat are you driving at?" was
the curt demand.
"Well, suppose we say retrenchment,
for one thing. AS ] size 1t up, you
might just as well be saving my salary.
1t would buy a good many new cross
ties in the course of a year"
"That's all bunk, and you know it"
snapped the boss. 1.-THE organization
as. it stands hasn't single stick of
dead wood In It, You know very we'll
that a railroad the size of the Short
Line can't run without an individual
head of the operating department"
Mr.. Van Britt laughed a little at
that.
'If you should get some one of these
new efficiency experts out here he
would probably tell you that you could
cut your staff right in two in the
middle"
l could see that the boss was get
ting mighty nearly impatient.
"You are merely turning handsprings
around the edges of the thing you have
come to say, Upton" he barked out.
"Come to the point, can't you? What
have you got up your sleeveT
Nothing that 1 could make you
understand in a month of Sundays.
Tn sore on my job and l want to
quit"
Nonsense! You don't mean that?"
eyes, I do. Tn tired of wearing
the brass collar of a soulless corpora
ton. What's the use, anyway? found
a bunch of dividend checks from my
bank at home in the mail to-day, and
what good does the money do me?.
can't spend it out here; can't even.
tip the servants at the hotel without
everlastingly demoralizing them. I'm
like the little boy who wanted to go
out in the garden and eat worms"
The boss was frowning thoughtfully.
you're not giving me a show, Up
ton" he protested. Cant you blow
the froth off and let me see what's
In the bottom Of the stein?"
"Pledge you my word, It's all froth,
Graham. I want to climb up on the
mesa behind the shops and take a
good deep breath of free air and shake
my fist at your blamed old cow-track
of railroad and tell it to go to the
devil. You shouldn't deny me little
pleasure like that" /
1t was getting under the boss skin
at last. II can't believe that You
really want to resign" he broke out;
sort of hopelessly. its simply pre-
posterous !"
"Pull it down out of the future and
put 1t in the present, and you've got
It." said Mr.. Van Britt. II have re-
signed. l wrote 1t out on a piece of
paper and dropped it into your mail
box as came through the outer office.
It's signed, sealed, and delivered. You'll
give me testimonial, or something of
that sort, To Whom 1t May Concern
won't you? I've been obedient and
faithful and honest and efficient, and
all that, haven't II"
ard like to know where you got your
liquor, Upton. That is the most char
table construction can put upon all
this. Why, man alive you're quitting
me in the thick of the toughest fight
the grafters have put up!"
Eyes, I know; but mans got only
one life to live, and I've always had
a sneaking sympathy for the high pri-
waite in the front rank who didn't want
10 stand up and get himself shot full
of holes. Pm running, and If you
should ask me why, I'd tell you what
the retreating soldier told StOnewal