“Harley Schirr? But he has no authority.”
“An editor can fire and hire. I think he was just tryin’ out his stuff on poor old Mose.”
“During my father’s absence, Mr. DeWitt is in full charge here,” Penny said emphatically.
“DeWitt was in charge. But they hauled him off to the hospital last night with a bad pain in his tummy. Seems he had an appendicitis attack. The doctor rushed him off and didn’t even wait until morning to operate.”
The news stunned Penny. She murmured that she hoped Mr. DeWitt was doing well.
“Reckon he is,” agreed the janitor. “We all chipped in and sent him some flowers—roses. Mose gave fifty cents, too.”
Penny’s mind came back to the problem of the colored man.
“So Mr. Schirr discharged him,” she commented. “I wonder why?”
The janitor pressed a button and the cage moved slowly upward.
“Mose was due on at midnight,” he explained. “He didn’t get here until after two o’clock.”