The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1921-04-15

ager could get on the ground; how the
local capitalists at the head Of the
new Citizens Storage & Warehouse
organization were scared plumb out Of
their shoes and were afraid to make a
move; and how the newspapers all
over the state were saying that 1t was
just what they had expected-that the
railroad was crooked in root and
branch, and that a good man couldn't
stay with II long enough to get his
breath.
"Then the new general manager has
been appointedY" | asked.
lie nodded. "SOme fellow by the
name of Dlsmulse. / don't know him,
and neither does Hornack. He is on
his way west now, they say"
"Air. Norcross hasn't shown up at
Mr.. Chadwick's Chicago offices?" /
ventured.
mo. The telegraph people have
been wiring everywhere and can't get
any trace of him."
"Tell them to try Galesburg. That's
WHERE his peDple nNc'
III know" he said; and he made
note of the address on the back of an
envelope. Then he came at me again,
on the direct" as lawyer would
say.
you've been closer to Norcr0ss in
an intimate way than any Of us, Jim
ME: haven't you seen or heard some
thing that would help to turn little
more light on this damnable blow-up"
| hadn't-outside of the one thing
/ couldn't talk aboGt-and / told him
so, and at this he let me see a little
more of what was going on in his
own mind.
you're one Of US, in a way, JIM
mic, and l can talk freely to you.
Mrs. Macrae insists that there has
been foul play of some sort. You say
you weren't present when Hatch called
on NOrcrOss at the Office that night"
mo; | came in just after Hatch
went away"
did Norcross say anything to make
you think there had been fight"
"He told me that Hatch was abusive
and had made threats-in a business
way"
in a business way? What do you
mean by that?"
| quoted the boss own words, as
nearly as I could recall them.
$50 Hatch did make d threat, then?
Can you add anything more?"
/ could, but l didn't want to. Mr..
Van Britt didn't know anything about
the Sand Creek siding hold-up, or 1
supposed he didn't, and I didn't want
to be the first one to tell him. Besides,
the whole business was beside the
mark. Maisie Ann knew, and knew,
that the boss, strong and unbreakable
as he was in other ways, had simply
thrown up his hands and quit because
somebody had told him that Mrs.
Sheila had a husband living. SO /
just said:
Nothing that would help out" and
after he had talked little while
longer our only millionaire went down
stairs again.
It's so funny how things change
around for a person just by giving
them time to sort of shake down into
place and fit themselves together.
After a while the. chin edge of the
wedge that Mrs. Sheila had been try
ing to drive into me began to take
hold, just little, in spite OF what l
knew-or thought knew. Was it
barely possible, after all, that there
had been foul play eff some sort?
In the first place, something had
been done to me by somebody: it was
a sure thing that I hadn't crippled and
half-killed myself all by my lonesome.
Then they had said that the boss
stayed up with Mr.. Ripley that night
until after ten o'clock, and had then
gone up to go to bed. That being the
case, how could anybody have got to
him between that time and the leav-
ing time Of the midnight Fast Mail to
tell him about Mrs. Sheila?
Anyway it was stacked up, it made
q three-cornered puzzle, needing some
body to tackle it right away; and
when l finally went to sleep it was
with the notion that, sick or no sick,
| was going to turn out early in the
morning and get busy.
was well enough to get up the next
morning, and when l phoned to Mr..
Van Britt he sent his car out to the
majors to take me down to the office.
Just before l left the house, Mrs.
Sheila waylaid me, and after telling
me that / must be careful and not
take cold in the burnt hand, she put
in another word about the boss dis
appearance.
81 want you to remember what I
said last night, Jimmie, and not let
the others talk you over into the be-
lief that Mr.. Norcross has gone away
because he was either discouraged or
afraid. He wouldn't do that: you
know it. and l know it. We are his
friends, you and 1, and we must stand
by him and defend him when he isn't
here to defend himself"
Ii did me good to hear her talk
that way. l had. been sort Of getting
ready to dislike her for letting the
boss get in so deep and not telling
hin, SrI,ai oht ont that she was a mar