Show rim r im 1 b e W e k ers by FRANCIS LYNDE bill h cha 19 fib wd a so CHAPTER XV la 13 but you bay you trad baid forgotten hei name minel I 1 so I 1 have tier bar married name and more I 1 wan to oil or 1 getting it i there was ny ne ritt stake frown this tithe that wont ali ft upton tile sald said kind of it will do all all enough sor bor the present id mrry tier her linn burn it if she wrt were free anil and there gerej were no other obstacles unhappily therea there are two the small legal adif fl fi culty she doc fint fare care for my iny moneys money bavido having n R little of tier her own a nud ud she ghe happens li appena to 0 o be in ili love loe with alje lie other fellow I 1 guess abo tb boss was remembering I 1 what mrs had told film in ili that hint confidence before the back fire fice about its bejma all olt off between her arid and Colling collingwood wool for lie he said 1 I thi think rik you are re mistaken as to that lust no irn im n not at mistaken hut but lints neither lied bere nor inor there neither you nor I 1 can send collingwood to tit lie he penitential flints hats it a cinch iliew fore im sil you to quit walk out jump abe job at that t b boss took a fresh brace righting his hi ewing chair wita a snap you know very little about roe me upton it if you yon think im going to throw up tip roy my bands now when the real pinch has come com I 1 have a n scheme it if it could only be worked rut but it cant be worked on a rising market by some trick or other the dunton people are boosting the stock again it went up three points point yesterday mr vila van britt beltt grinned gil nned discounting the effect of 0 ahli little political deal which will mill at least rope your reform scheme down it if it do anything else what you need Is good od fashioned cataclysm of 0 some onie sort something that would fairly knock the tar out of P S L securities and fend them skittering ering down ilia he toboggan slide in spite of anything uncle breckenridge could do to stop them down to where they could he be safety safely arid and profitably picked up by the dear public unfortunately those things dont happen outside of the story books if they did it if the earthquake should happen along our way just now I 1 dont know but id bo be disloyal enough to get out and help it shake things up a bit after mr van britt had bad gone cone the koss boss put in the remainder of hie file day bite it workingman supping skipping the noon luncheon as lie sometimes alil when tire lie work drive was extra heavy meanwhile ns as suppose rumor was plentifully busy on the railroad and also in town by noon it was well understood that there had been a radical change in ahe the management of 0 S W and ahat hat there wis was going to be a general strike in answer to the slashing cut in wages I 1 slipped tip lip town to get a bite and I 1 heard some soine of the it was pretty straight most of it which shows how useless it Is to try to keep any business secrets nowadays for example the three men at my table able tn in the lie bullard billiard grillroom grill room they know me or who I 1 was knew wit that a council of war tin had boon been called tn in the ral trond headquarters and that kipley had been pulled in by wire from Les hesterburg and that we were rushing along hurriedly to provide storage room for the wheat shippers in case of it a tle tic up and ami hat we were arranging to distribute railroad company coal in case the tie up tip should bring on n fuel famine knew all these thing nd and talia about thein atheni 1 k fre re fads ns BS far irs as they went these things the boss been idle during the forenoon and lie sept up the drive straight through 0 19 o quitting juit ting time word was vas er brought in during tho the afternoon by tarbell that abe hatch batch people were wiring the gansas city and omaha employment agencies and nd placing hurry orders for strikebreakers strike breakers brokers the boss answer to this was a peremptory wire to our Ws csenger enger agents tit at both points to make no n rate concessions whatever of any kind for the transportation of laborers under contract it was a shrewd little knock labor of that kind to 1 mighty hard bard to move unless it can get free transportation or a low rate of fare and I 1 could see that mr Ifor cross was hoping to keep the strikebreakers away when six ift came the boss aried may lay to t seny ind and keep the office open while I 1 could go joaq stairs an and ait et my dinner in the station reidar restaurant int and lie went ent off uptown up town to tile the club I 1 suppose KUp pose after id had my bite I 1 let may go everything was waa moving all right so fur far as anybody could see we ve bad five extra fuel trains loading at the companas comp anys chutes at Co coalville alville and the dispatcher was instructed to work them out on the line during the night distributing them to the towns that had rp reported ported shortages they were mere not to be turned over to the reg hinr coal yards lards they were vere to be sl alde de tracked and held for emergencies mr air Jor norcross cross anine anck about eight velock oclo clr and I 1 gave gae him TOV my report of how things were going on the he line A little inter sir air cantrell dropped in auti and there a 1 quirt quiet tulle talk about the ond and what it was likely to develop the mountaineer editor wits is given nil all the lie facts except the one big biff one about hatcha hatchs derith grip on it and in n turn mr air cantrell promised tile lie lipop tell of ills his paper to the lie lost last ditch though or of course lie had no idea of 0 how jeep deep lint flint last ditch was going to be I 1 hail had n lot of filing and indexing to do and I 1 kept tit nt work while alle they were mere talking wondering nil all the time ilithe boss would venture to tell the lie editor about the depth of that last altea ile he I 1 guess gues gue s lie he thought ibe until lie he tin had toi to lit III was mas pretty nearly nine nt ho editor went vent anway nv ay and sir mr Nor crow eros was just saying to me that ile guessed wed ved better knock hack oft off for the m when lien we me both bogli heard a step lata tn fit mays room A second inta the door was pushed open and a man eme came for the nearest chair arid flinging elf into it as if hed reached itlie ithe almit it was coiling wood lie was chewing on a lend dead cigar and ills his face was vas like the face of n corpse lout lie he was as sober naturally I 1 supposed he had come to make trouble with the boss on mrs Sli Sh ellas eilas account and I 1 quietly edged open the drawer of my imy desk where I 1 kept ired fred mays automatic so eo ns as to be ready lie waste much time of 1 I saw sn you as I 1 wits was looming away from kendricks last night he hegan heban with a bickering rasp in ilis hs voice did you jou so go up tip against the swa I 1 had loaded for you youl mr air norcross Nor orosa cut straight through to the bottom at that little compile tion nt a single stroke what mrs collingwood said to me or what I 1 said to ta her can have no pos possible gible hearing bearing upon anything that hat you ion may have haie to say to roe me or that I 1 can consent to listen to mr coiling wood v the derel derelict lct eat bat up in his chair but youve got to keep hands bonds oft off just the same at kendricks and in this other business too it if you ou dont there Is going to be blod on an the foont moon I 1 get me the boss never neer butted an eye ce im taking it for granted that you sou are sober mr he sald it if you iou are you yon must surely know that threats are about the poorest possible weapons you can use just now its a plant from start to fini 1 gritted gritter the man in the chair 1 I done a d d tiling thing more than to cash a few checks fo for for expenses land and turn the money over to bullock now hatch tells me that I 1 atas was working with a spotter lits ills spotter and that lie can send me up for bribery its it a ile he I 1 dont know what dullock bullock did with file lie money and I 1 dont want to know knon but you ion had orders to give it to him when heu lie required it you mr norcross cut in none of your business I 1 want you to choke this man hatch oft off of met the boss had picked up his paper knife 1 I dont know why you should come to me for help he said you have been litins in glove with these conspirators ever since you crime came out liere here two anys ngo ago you knew that they had bad set n trap for my special train on the Strath strathcona cona brunch branch a trap that was IMIS meant to kill me it was wag a random cliot arid I 1 knew kne that alint mr air norcross Nor ross was just jus t 9 guessing why I 1 want to see you killed nt at where it might land when lie he fired it bit it went home oh ob you bet it went hornet homel ad D ln n youl gurgled the bounded bouncier boun iier halt half starting to his teet feet why I 1 want to S see 10 you killed Idl leil you done enough to rne me nol the word wits slammed tit nt him bl in like a bullet arid and then As 1 I told you sou in tile beginning wo we wont go into tiny of it that involves mrs collingwood gt get hack back into your lour own bout boat are you in trying ing to tell me now that hatch la is threat threatening enina youl lies iles played me ine for a come com oo on ne ile says sab lies got tit tin vi whole business down ili block black and white with affidavits and oil nil that lint ile he had the he nerve to tell me less than tin an bour b our ago that hed burn me alive nahe it if I 1 toe the mark what does lie he wont want you to do lie ile wants me to stick around here so that lie he can use roe me against you tie lie knows how youre loure rolled mixed up with abella ond arid that you ou cant turn fl a wheel without making it look as if you 1011 wre were going lifter after deou me on your own personal account 4 there was silence for a little time it was mas an awful muddle with bloody murder sticking out of it on every side if you iou have come here with the idea that I 1 can force ila hatcha hatchs achs hand you yam are aie very ery much misled said the boss at the close of the electric pause and then hns has lie made it appear to you that lie was merely trying to help you avenge your our own fancied wrongs wio he said I 1 ought to get you that any man who would make love to a married woman ought to be got my afy chief was looking past the derelict and out through the darkened window you dont know roe me mr colling col lingwood but yon ou do know your wife and you lou know klaw that she Is as far above aboe suspicion as the angels angela in heaven beav en let that part of it go hatch batch was merely using you for his own ends if lie he could persuade you to kill me off out of the way it would be merely that much gained in the business fight you done it thus far and now lie he Is using your check cashing excursion as n club with which he proposes to brain the entire railroad management your uncle included if we interfere with his plans scowled up at the cell ing shifting the dead cigar from one corne corn erlof ills mouth to the he other so the way of it Is it he commented he was wag working tor for his fits own pocket all the time and uncle brock breck stands pat find and slips him the nee ace lie he was needing to make his hid liand hand a winner between you sou and me norcross I 1 believe this d d piker needs killing a few times himself the boss sat buck brick in his swing chair and I 1 could just in imagine ingine that he be was trying to get some sort of proper angle on this young fellow who in addition to his other big and little had wrecked the life of sheila shaila macrae I 1 knew what lie he was thinking he had theory that no man that wits was ever born was either fill all angel or all devil dell and he was hunting for the lie redeeming streak in this one when you sou looked right hard at the haggard face you could see something sort of half appealing in it something to make you sou think that perhaps away back yonder sender before the spoiling began there here used to be fr man never a strong man I 1 guess guess but one that lint might have haie been generous and freehearted free hearted maybe I 1 got a fleeting little glimpse of that back number man when he turned suddenly anti and said one night a few weeks ago when I 1 was full up hatch got hold of me and told me you were out nt at the ken drick delck place with sheila ile he made we me believe that I 1 ought to go out there and kill you sou rind and I 1 started to do it do you know why I 1 do it no sold said the lie chief mighty quietly ciu letb well ill tell lell you one night last laa spring up at the bullard ton lou sla turned me one in the anee arld dragged me olt to my room to app tile nie from making a bigger ass of bf myself lhnn id III rendy ready made I 1 forgotten in ili oil all these hesi crooked years nobody els else a lins even taken the trouble to chuck roe me decently out 0 of sight and give nie me a chance to brace drunk us as I 1 was I 1 remembered it thit hint night when I 1 was climbing lipto lip to n window in the majors bunjor house and trying to git get a shot a at t you sir mr norcross 9 sho shook k Ms his liend more than half sympathetically I 1 tit 0 i g t R ut let that flint part of it go nid arid tell ell me but tills this other trouble he sold said how badly are you tangled up in th this ls political cill holness ti ic aveh it ft to 60 yi you straight on en the bribing preposition Unc leBrock brcic used me as a money carrier because well wt maybe it was bezaire he trust bullock I 1 didi I 1 enow what dullock bullock was doing with the chocks checks I 1 cashed for him though I 1 sup of course it was something that stand daylight it wits was only a side issue with me I 1 was mining coming out here anyway I 1 knew shella sheila had maile made up her mind god knows ashes bad cause enough but I 1 had a arazy crazy notion that id like to be on the same side of the lie earth with her again for just it a little while then this he trailed off in a bubble babble of oc maledictions male dictions poured out upon the man who had bad trapped him and used him the boss straightened himself in his but he still was speaking gently when lie he said you are not asking my advice and t dont owe you anything personally mr air collingwood but ill say to you what I 1 might say to a better man in like circumstances you have done nil all the alie harm you can but as I 1 see lt jt there seem to be any need of your staying here her to suffer the consequences why dont you go back to new york taking your wife with you it if she ahe will go ends smile was a mere teeth baring grimace shella made tier lier wedding journey with tile me once when she was just eighteen the next nest time site she rides with me it will all be at my funeral oh ive ie earned it and im not kicking and about this other thing I 1 cant duck you yon know what hatch is s holding me for lie told me just a little while ago that if I 1 stepped aboard of a train id be arrested before the train could pull out it wits nas a handsome little precaution on the part of the chief of the lie graft ers if a fight should be precipitated if the boss should try to checkmate the C ja S W gobble the arrest and indictment of president Dun tons nephew would serve bully good and wall me ae a dramatic bit of side play to keep the newspapers from printing too much about the other tiling if you really want to go I 1 think it can be arranged in some way may in spite of hatch and his fits bluffing mr norcross Nor crosa put in quietly so far as our railroad troubles are arc concerned it will neither help nor hinder binder for you ou to stay on here now As if the helpful suggestion had been a lighted match to fire a hidden mine of rage collingwood sprang to his feet with his dull eyes ablaze no by godl god I 1 tie he swore im going to make him come across with those |