Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 4, 1922 — page 67: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE NIGHT SHIFT. . O77 for his own brand of: humor: “if I ain’t mistook, you Jook like the ol’ man—some. An’ you act almost exac’ly like he don’t, Which bein’ which, I do fope, my good fellow, that you have a veal nice time in. Hobart. It is quite an interesting place!” CHAPTER II. WILLIAM SHUTS THE DOOR. COTT HANLEY, superintendent by -» title, but general manager of all Cop-- per Butte by virtue of ability, was a worried looking little individual, now past the prime of middle age, growing a little bald, somewhat nearsighted behind his gold-rimmed glasses. His speech was pre- cise; he very seldom smiled, not a man to win a great deal of affection from his sub- ordinates. This was given in whole and part to Hanley’s motherless son, ‘“ Buddy,” aged seven, idol of Copper Butte, and spoiled playmate of all miners and smeltermen. To them Buddy was the Kid; the extent of his dominion may be gaged by the fact that, while there were a number of other children in Hobart, it was only himself who proudly wore this designation as his right and proper name. For himself Scott Hanley owned the re- spect of every one in Hobart, which, for his purpose, was much more valuable. His rule if absolute was never harsh; his de- cisions were carefully considered, almost al- ways just, and usually irrevocable; among the men respect was not unmixed with wholesome dread, for there were those who had seen the mild blue eyes of the boss flash fire on occasion. Those occasions had been the signal for some very sudden and disconcerting happenings in Hobart. “IT know copper,” Hanley had said, seek- ing a position with the Consolidated man- agement eight years before. He offered this as his only recommendation for the job. And he told the truth; would still have been telling the truth if he. had said he knew almost all there was to know about his specialty, as, good year and bad, the ever-increasing dividends of Copper Butte might testify. This was the man to whom William Vanderpool Biddle presented him- self early in the afternoon of his arrival. The barred window of Hanley’s private office looked out upon a bare, black, cinder- - covered yard crisscrossed with narrow tracks where electric trams loaded with. molten slag proceeded slowly to the dump or hurried back empty to the furnaces. — Looking out to the main office, the prospect was not more pleasing: rows of high, old- fashioned desks fenced in behind an iron rail, where habit-bound clerks scratched. steadily in mysterious books. William, facing the superintendent across his flat-topped desk, was not in a pleasant humor. His woes were numerous as those of Job, but he had not a tithe of the patience that supported either that grand old man, or his present unsympa- thetic audience of one. First, the one possibly available room with bath at the Copper Butte Hotel was -occupied by a rude person who showed not - the slightest desire to vacate for William’s benefit. His baggage was still at the sta- tion, and seemed likely to remain there, a -calamity to which Hobart was most indif- ferent. He had arrived too late for dinner at the hotel, and there was not a decent restau- rant in Hobart. The day was hot; the stairs mounting to the hotel were inordi- nately steep; smelter smoke failed. to im- prove on close acquaintance. William's feet hurt; his lungs were sore from the un- accustomed altitude. Then, too, there was the matter of Kowalski. ‘“T expect nothing less than that he shall be immediately discharged,” asserted Wil- liam. ‘ Most impudent fellow—almost knocked me down—no excuse whatever---”’ “I’m afraid,” Hanley answered sooth- ingly, ‘“‘ that the hotel is about the best we have, but I shall send a teamster for your luggage this afternoon. And about Ko- walski, we'll see what can be done. It may be a little difficult to locate him—common name: there are probably six or eight Ko- walskis on our books. We'll make you as comfortable as we can. I take it you will want to report for work to-morrow morn- ing.” : This was an unexpected blow to William. COmMiCMooks.CoOmn