Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1921-07-07

.-trrFs #a-.. .r. eySSvtIU 81 A |
"You Men Don't Want to Let Your
sympathies Carry You Too Far"
bigger n from the yards. Also, the
wire service had turned out a gang
of linemen and half a dozen operators.
"Well, men, let's have It," said Mr..
Norcross, not too sharply. my din
ner's getting cold"
"We'n not be keepin' you above the
hollow half of a minute, Mister Nor
cross" said the big, bearded freight
conductor who acted as spokesman.
"About this C. S. & w. strike that
went or today: we amt got no kick
comm with you, mr. with he COM
pany, Mister Norcross, bur il looks
like it's up to US to do Somethin', and
we didn't want to do it without hittin'
square out from the shoulder. There
amt nobody knows yet what's goin'
to be done, but whatever 1t Is, we
want you to know that it amt done
ag'inst you mr. the railroad company"
The boss had handled wage earners
too long not to be able to suspect
what was in the wind.
"You men don't want to let your
sympathies carry you too far"
he cautioned. when you take up
another fellows quarrel you want to
be pretty sure that you're not going
to hit your friends in the scrap"
Hoskins grinned understandingly,
and I guess the boss was a little puz-
around among the silent members of
the delegation !; at least, / know l was.
THAT'S all right" Hoskins said. BE
in the big boss, you've got to talk
that way. But what I was amin to
say is that there'n be a train-load r
two Of strike-breakers a-careerin' along
here in. a day .'r so, and we amt fig
urin' on lettin' 'em get past Portal
City, if that far"
That's up to you," said Mr.. Nor
cross brusquely. IF you start any
thing in the way Of a riot
Excuse me. There amt goin' to
be no riOtin', and no company prop
erty mashed up. Mr.. Van Britt, he
1t was right here that an odd thing
happened. Con Corrigan, a big two-
listed freight engineer standing direct
ly behind Hoskins, reached an arm
around the speakers neck and chOked
him so suddenly that Hoskins' sentence
ended in a gasping chuckle. When the
%garroting arm was withdrawn the con
ductoi looked around sort of foolishly
and said I'm thinking that's about all
we wanted to say. amt it. boys?" and
the d%eputation filed out as solemnly
as it had come in.
I guess Mr.. Norcross wasn't left
wholly in the dark when the tramp
ing footballs of the committee died
away in the corridor. That uninten-
tional mention Of Mr.. Van BIRTHS name
looked as if it might open up some
more possibilities. though what they
We're I couldn't imagine. and / don't
believe the general manager could,
either.
After that, things rocked along pref,
ty easy until after dinner. Instead OF
going right back to the Office from
the club, Mr.. Norcross drifted into
the smoking-room and filled a pipe
In the course of a few minutes, Major
Kendrick dropped in and pulled up a
chair. I don't know what they talked
about, but after a little while. wler
the boss got up to go, / heard him
say something that gave the key tic
the most of what had gone before. ]
guess.
"Have you seen or heard anything
of Collingwood since Yesterday"
The good old major shook his head
They're tellin' me that he's oveh In
his rooms at the Billiard, dfinkin' him.
self to death. If he wasn't altogether
past redemption, sub, he would have
had the decencg to get out of town
befo' he turned loose all hollis that
way he would. for a fact, Graham
AT that, Mr.. Norcross explained ii
just a few words why CollingwooJ
hadn't gone-why he couldn't 60
Whereupon the old Kentuckian looked
graver than ever.
..That than spells trouble, Graham
Hatch is simply inyitin' the unde'
takeh. HOWE, isn't what you'd call q
dangerous man, but he is totally ir
responsible, wen when he's sobeh."
sWe ought to get him away from
here was the boss decision. III
is an added menac while he stays
4 didn't hear what the major sait
tosthat, because little Rags, Mr.. Per
kins' office boy, had just ONE IN will
q note which he was asking me Il
give TO Mr.. Norcross. | did 1t; ant
after the note had been glanced at, tbs
chief said. kind OF bitterly, to tb,
fnni0rs :.