OCR Text |
Show THE MIDVALE JOURNAL Friday, March 3, 1933 Sally Sez 0 A Romance of the North Woods By HAROLD TITUS Copyright. lUI. -- CHAPTER VIII Bewildered to n point where he felt remorse almost as profound as would baV"e been hfs tot had he been schem- Ing to ruin Ellen Richards' property, John Belknap, no longer masqueradJng as John Steele, left the girl's omce and made his way to the hotel where he had lived when in town. Be ate a pert:unctory meal and went Blowly up the stairs to his cubicle ot a room. He dropped to the creaking bed and sat there, hands (lnngllng be- tween hls knees ror a long Interval. He was in a pinch; beaten ln his lofty· ambition to champion the oppressed: a growlng love had been hurled back Into bls teeth. But be laughed I He laughed, .sitting there alone In the bare little room, and the laugh bad In It a defiance, a cha1tenge to the fates which had woven this net ot circumstances about him. What the next step would be be hadn't even a guess. He needed tlme to think that out, but of two things be. was certain: Gorbel was not going to drive Ellen's company to the wall and Ellen was not to go on thinking for much longer that hts father was behind the trouble which hnd been made for her. With those ends accomplished. thts other, this cold weight about his heart, would be rea(l.y for conslderntton. But he could not stay here In Shoeetring. It would a vall him nothing; it would only bring him continued dl9 tress. Be paced the room, pondering, and came to a halt beside the spotted little dresser. Last week's Shoestring Banner Jay there and he stared at the l!lmudgy !toes. unseeing. . . . UnseeIng ontn his Idly roving eyes fell on the heavily typed words: BELKNAP & GORBEL He leaned lower and read what was above them: MEN WANTED! For Mills and Camps Modern Buildings; Good Watea BELKNAP & GORBEL. KA)dPF8ST. He remained bent over a long moment and then strnfglltened, tongue In his cheek. . . . Wby not? he asked b!mself. Be was a man out of a job, a good man. Paul Gorbel was advertlslng for men. • • . Be began to pack hastily, movements a bit feverish. Be caught Bradshaw just as the aherltr was lea vlng the jail. ''Something new?" the sherur asked as he turned back and read the excitement to the boy's eyes. "A lot. . . • About something you'd never guessed!" Be plunged into his story with the pronouncement that he batl been U\~lng and working and fighting under another name. The other's jaw dropped, and for an Interval his gray eyes were bard wtth suspicion, but as .John talked on, earnestly, leaving out nothIng except his personal relationship with Ellen, that look altered and mellowed, and the big officer began to nod slowly. When the boy bad finished, Nat Qrew a long breath and let It out ln a soft whistle. "A pickle I" he said, wrinkHng his brow. "A pickle I It's a tough break for you, son, but I'm going to string along. . . . Hub!" He narrowed his eyes and considered. ''It's prob'Iy so, what you think about your fatl1er. This Gorbel, now. bas got by up here about a 1lundred per cent. His men llke him; he's got a reputation for the :t'alrest kind ot deaUng. But. lookln' back, l can see some smnrt work." Be lighted a clgnr and crossed his legs. "Youl" pn, now, ·s a good figure .to p.Jck on and give a bad name. Most rich mep are supposed to be without any scrupJe. Workln~r men'll belleve that before they wHl any good of 'em. 'Course, he's ne\~er operated in here before, but I've always beard him IPOken or wel1 by the few old-timers I've known who worked for him. By jocks. come to think back, they all like htm! 1t sort or looks. John, like our case has a lot of angles!" By livery team and through the night, J9hD drove to Kampfest, an his worldly possessions In a D&Ck-snck, a new and resolute purpose overriding the undertone ot sorrow and misgiving in hls heart. • • • • • • 0 • John was the firgt to enter Paul Gorbel's offl.ce after he had Seated himself at his desk for another dny's work. The man looked up, and It be experienced any reaction other than surprise he covered It well. "Of all things!" be exclaimed. "John Belknap! Where'd you come from?" -rising, and extending his band. ''Don't get up!" John lgnored the proffered clasp. ''Well, you're about the last person I expected to see walk In here this morning I" John looked at him wiLb close scru~ tJny as he said: •·Yes. That's easy to undersLRnd." Be thought U1e man·s face cb.an~t"E>d a trlfte and that a flfcker of d'•may showed in those dark. lntelll_f .. nt <eYt8. "'1 didn't figure that you't\ ex-pect me:• ''Up [rom Chtcago ?" .A od now a decided, but &till subtle, alteration was tn the eyes; Gorbel seemed to be steeling himselt, rallying all his quick wits to an emergency. ••No. I haven't been tn Chicago for over six weeks. rve been at Shoestring, running the Richards job." "Shoestring? Rlcbards1" Hls counterfeit of amazement was splendid. "Why, yes. Didn't you know, Gorbel?.. Pause, while John scrutinized the other ln open hostllity. "1 supposed. of course. you knew that I'd been there, using the name of John Steele and trying tQ pull the opera~ tlon out of the bole it's ln." And now a faint, faint trace of color started to cllmb the man's cheeks as be resumed his chair and gestured towards another. But John did not sit down. Be stood there, staring hard at his father's partner. ••someone In Kamptest tipped Mlss Richards otr to the tact that I hadn't dared use my father's name when I struck her for a job. T was let out yesterday, a bit discredited I" "Well rn be d--<1 !" breathed Gorbel and John's temper flared. "Forget It!" be snapped. "rm com· log clean with you ; be man enough to do as much wtth me! I blundered Into a mess over yonder. I found out that a lot or desperate things were being done tn my father"s name. We'd had a llttle difference, Tom and I. and I welcomed the chance to bit back at him. I hadn't been on the job long, though, before I realized that what was being done wasn't the sort of plan he'd foliow or countenance. Somebody else was behind It, screening himself behind the Belknap name!" "Good lord, man! And you're tnslnuatlng that I know something about-" "Know 1 Know? \Vhy, 1 heard you make threats to MJss Richards, just a moment before 1 tossed you out of her office in December I" The other swayed a bit and the flush of temper yielded to the paling of fear. ''Yes 1 I thought so I" John muttered. 11Let's come clean with each other. Gorbell From now on, let's fight to the open 1" "Fight? That what you're here for? A fight?" John pondered and a bard smile tUckered about his lips. "Not unless it's forced. Oorbel. rm here • . . on guard. maybe. In the tlrst place, l'm going to stick right here In Kn.mpfest and keep my eyes and ears open. It unexplainable things keep happening to the Richards outfit, I'm gofng to take on the chore of explaining 'em! If Ellen is let nap Is coming down to ask for a job. He's hnd a row with the old mnn, t take it. I think you'd better put him in at the bottom. Start him with the pond crew. Fire somebody lf yon have to." The girl, Marie, came slipping into the room as be hung up. Her eyes were wide. "My gosh, it worked!" she whls· pered. ••worl(ed !" Gorbel laughed mirth· lessly. "I'll say It worked 1" 11 What's the matter?"-npproachlng. ''Did he guess where the letter came from?" "lt he dJd he neglected to mention it, Tbat•s no matter. Be's guessed I • l'What Do You Know About North Star?" the racket, an right, and be's come here to work in the mlll so he can keep hi& d-d eyes open!" Tbe girl drew a quick breath but did not spefl:k. ·•That'll raise h-1 l" he muttered. ''Stlll. It may not be so bad to one way. If I do let up now, won't Sbe think her finding out about his game had something to do wfth easier goIng? That might be an advantage. I'll need all the breaks I can get now" -glancing at a calendar. 10Tbe old man'U be on bts way back In a month. Maybe It won't be so bad hav· log the kid here under my thumb I Be can't be sure of a thing. All he'll have Is hts d-d suspicion!" ''Don't be too sure. It be ever tum· them to lumber. When the logs snarled and tangled on shore, John worked with a peavey. prying them tree, rolling them on down. Then, with plke·pole, from shore or from his stand on other logs, be helped tool them to the slide with lts endless chain which gripped and dragged them upward to disappear within the m1l1 He lived in the company boarding house, a modern, clean, well-managed establishment. He spent his first evening tn the company recreation hall, at checkers with otller men, playing pool or bowling, wateblng moving pte~ tures. Doring those ftrst days and nights he was only another man, one of hun~ dreds, and accepted as such; but towards the end of the week his checker opponent-Foote, a lumber ln.. spector-said casuaUy: "You know, Jack, they're saying your name's Belknap." "It ls." "Are yon old Tom's boy?" John admitted ft. "Well I'll be jiggered 1" the other laughed and turned away. As his Identity became known It brought some Lncredulous looks, some good-natured skepticism: and soon thereafter he had a distinct feeling that his standing was not what 1t had been, that now and again a man laughed at him, a bit sneerlngly. A distorted report of what he had done went through tlJe town. Be had been kicked out by his father; he had gone to work for the Richards com~ pany i he bad stolen some of his ta~ ther's logs, bad been discharged and ordered to come to Kampfest where he could be under the watchful eye of Gorbel. The son of the boss was beIng dlsclpllned. • Well, let It ride I be decided. Be bad more Important things to think about than what people thought of him. Still being this particular sort of a pariah was unpleasant It was the man Baxter who brought his • status home to him most forcibly. This was tbe man who, Richards men believed, had been brought In to start trouble and whose rumored coming to Shoestring had set the stage for John's own dramatic. entrance Into that town. John bad singled the fellow out his first nJght In the recreatlon ball. A great, heavy-shouldered, thick-bearded roman he was, always seated by the fireplace, spitting copiously. boasting to the younger and less stable men. His tongue was v11e, his ego great, and though his Job only that ot helper In EVENTS LEADING UP TO THIS INSTALLMENT ''Tom" Belknap, big timber operator, ordered to take complete rest, plans a three months' trip abroad. Promises ot advancement he has made to his son Jobn are ,broken. and the young ms.n Is indignant. Paul Gorbel, Belknap's partner, is a bone ol contention. Father and son part without an undentandlng-. At Shoestring, John Is mobbed. After a flsl fight, his attackers realize It Ia a case of mistaken Identity. John learns hls tatl,.er Is believed to be out to wreck the Richards lumber company, Unbelieving, he seeks employment with that company. At the office he flnds Gorbel bullyIng a. young girl, and throws him out. Gorbel does not recognize htm. The girl Is Ellen Richards, owner of the company. A letter he carries gives John's name as John Steele, the Belknap being dropped inadvertently, and John, knowing the feeling against his father. allows Ellen to believe that Is his name. Ellen engages him I!S ber superintendent. A aeries of attempts to handicap operations ot lhe Richards company culminates In the wrecking of a snow plow. John, admlr~ lng Ellen's bravery, begins to have a sentimental attachment tor the girl, wh1eh Ia returned. The Richards barn and stables burn. In the structure John flnds the dead body ot a stranger. He realizes the 8re was set, but retul'JeS to be~ lleve his father a party to such an act. Steele and Sherif! Bradshaw arrange to work together on the case. Gorbel dis~ coYers that "'Steele'' Is John Belknap. He sends an anonymous letter to Ellen, Informing her ot "Steele's" Identity and tnslnuallng that, acting tor his father, John Is responsible for her business troubles. El)en, against the dtctatee oi her heart, dlecbarges John. alone to make a go o.f the job--whicb she can do now with a fnir breakyou and I'll get along splendidly; lf not . . . then there'll be a war, and you'd better believe lt I" Gorbel stlmmoned a sort of laugh. "Sir Galahnd, eh?" "If yoo choose. we understand each other, 1 guess, and all thAt's left la for you to glye me a job." •'Job? Arter you•,·e made a play like this?" "Of course a job. You're advertlsfng for men; you're blrlng men every day. 1 can't just mount guard over you and do notlJing else; besides, I'll have a better chance of hearing what's golng on If I'm on the payroll. Or are you afraid to have me around?" Gorbel's moutl1 twitched. "Listen here, John," he began. 1'You'\'e been guessing at a great many tbtngs; you've gone off hntr cocked. What you heard me say to Ellen Richards can be Bl.'l)lalned-" "Explain? Who the devU's asking for an explanntlon? I'm not Interested. to what you've got to say, Gorbel. Where and when do 1 answer the nd,·ert1sement you've been running ln local pa· pers for roen ?" Conflict In those el·es before him then! f1.,rlgbt and caution and craft flickered tn their depths, and out ot these came a fnlnt gleam, as wll1 show In a man's eyes when LQsptrntion sweeps him. He shrugged. "Very well. Have It your own way. lt you want to go to work as a common laborer. good. But I don't know what's open. You might ask McWethy, Ute mill foreman:• "Fair enough, Gorbel ! That's the first decent Impulse you seem to 've had since 1 came in. t·n find McWethy. Good morning!" He walked towards the door without so much ns another look. Wben he had gone Paul Gorbel tack the desk telephone In his band and pondered a moment i then called the mll1 toremn n. "McWethy," he said, and his voice had In It no trace of the emotions reflected on his face, ••young John Belk- bles to the North Star deal, look out!" His head jolted forward truculently. "Wbat do you know about North Star?" .. I haven't been a stenog Jn lumber offices for ftve years \Vlthout lenrDlng my way around !"-heatedly, "It's all rJght if you get away with it. I'd sooner see you two-time a rlcb old gee-zer than to throw the harpoon Into a girl, even If I could scratch ber eyes oot I We know that down In Chicago; you should know It up here. And lf he gets tnslde this office and gets the same bee 1n his bonnet that I've got it's the old ball and chain anklet for you. big boy !" Be wiped bls forehead Irritably. "You know too d-d much." She flushed beneath her make-up. "I didn't know enough once, It appears! I believed you and kicked my chances In Chicago over to trail up here. Wbnt've I got? Promises! More promises! All r get-" "And a fur coat and a car, and enough dresses to stock a store i and-'' "Which were only a part of the bargttln !" Slte pat a bnnd on bJs shoulder and a hard anxiety showed In her wide blue eyes. "Paull Don't be a goop! Don't try to bog it. Don't try to run a racket on old Tom. I've got R stake In you now. 1 may fty off the handle now and then and say mean things, but . . . Paul . . . I'm crazy about you nil the time I'' Her mooth trembled. "'Good girl!" he said absently. and kissed her. "Don't fret. I've done pretty we11 for myself so tar. I know about where I'm going, even ln the dark!" • • • • • • • In calked boots and bls heavy cloth· lng John toJled ten hours each day about the hot-pond of the property which bit; father shared with Pnul Gorbel. Hls immediate superior was a Swede, balled as Ole, whatever his name might be. His Job was to belp keep logs going !rom pond to saw floor as rapidly as the m1ll reduced the repair ahop, John thought that the man bore himself with a greater degree of confidence than bJs mere physical superiority and his station warranted. He passed the fellow and h1s group one night and beard him mutter: "Takes a llckln' like a ye1lah dog!" Be knew by the turning of heads that the words were about him. He did not like It but ga,·e no Indication of having heard. Let that ride! Let e~erything ride except hl,s sole objective! It was on Saturday that Nat Bradshaw drove up before the Belknap & Gorbel office, went casually up the steps and lnto the manager's office. "Howdy, Paul!" he said cheerily. "Oh, bolla, Sberltr !"-those eyes changing ever so slightly. "Cold!" "Kinda. Time of year for it, any~ bow." "Have a chntr. What can I do for you?" Gorbel clt>ared his throat sharply. "Ob, I've got n letter from the wife of one ot your boys here"-fumbl'lng in his pocket. "They've bad a row and be's hauled out and left her with a coupla kids and don't send her money regul'arly. She wants him arrested. but I don't favor arresttn' any more 'n 's necessary. 1 wondered If you'd have a talk wltll him." Gorbel leaned across the desk to see the letter. perhaps a bit o~er eagerly, as If tn reJiet. "Anything I can do, of course. Who Is he? Oh. . . , I'll look him up and hn~e a talk wtth blm myselt." For several minutes they dlscussed the case, Gorbel obliging, suave. offerIng to go to any lengths to help settle the matter. "Fine of you." Nat started to rise. 11 0h, by the way I Seems that this teller who burnt ap the Richards stable's ,!rOt a brother down below. Be had some kind of fraternal Insurance that was void if he met death while drun.L 'l'bey've written In about it, the company. I s'pose they've got a right to the facts." "Why, that's only right. I don't Uke • WNU Service to beat a family out of what might be due, thougb.u "But be was drunk ?"-looking up keenly. "So soaked he couldn•t or wouldn't work t" "And you knew It and gave him the air?11 .. Yes. Just as I told you." "And that was after supper?" "No. Just before. I told blm to get out first thing in the morning, but I got onder his skin, I guess. I didn't see h! m afterwards." "That's right. You told me that before. You don't want to write a letter to the insurance company, then'1" Gorbel cleared his throat. ''No. I don't. But It' they'll make an tnvesttgatlon, I'll tell them what I know, of course." ''But yon didn't see hlm drlnkJng, did you?" "See him I Sore I He was just emptying a bottle out by our gasoline cache when I caught btm 1" "I see." The sheriff sighed and stretched. As he leaned back, quick alarm rode In Paul Gorbel's eyes. "Well; get along, I guess. I'll tell this lodge to make tbelr own tnvesUgation, then." So :t'ar Bradshaw, whose wits were no match for Paul Gorbel's agile mlnd, bad made no betraying blunders, Be had led his man on, a step at a time as John had planned he should do, and bad galned one tiny step tb1s afternoon. But he did the wrong thing next. He drove slowly away, not towards Shoestring, but down towards the mill, He stopped bts team again and walked across the street and Gorbel, from ~s office window, watched. An hour later when McWethy, the mill foreman, came ln with his dally report, Gorbel met him ln the hall· way. "Wbat was Bradshaw prowling around the mill for?'' be asked, "Oh. nothing, I guess. Be stopped In to chln a minute and went on out. tt "Didn't talk to anybody else?" "No. . • • Oh, yes. . • . He did go over and visit a minute wlth young Belknap." Gorbel turned abruptly into bts office and stood beside his desk, bltlng a llp, frowning. The omce workers were gotng out. Then footsteps, and Marie opened the door. "Going to dance tonight?" she asked. He whirled on her, raging. 11 Good lord, Marie, do yon think all rve got to do Is dance? Not I've got the evening fnll t" She brldJed at his tone. "Well, you needn't be so rough about It!" ..And you needn't nag day a!ter day!" "Sa-a-n.y I" She closed the door. "Needn't nag, need I:P'-approachlng. ..I suppose you have got a full evening. Going to take ·a little drive, cutie? Going to drive over to Shoestring for the evening?" ur haven't been in Shoestring for a month!" "Yon lief" "Don't you tell-" "You Ue !" she cried again, cutting hlm off. "You were over Wednesday night and tried to see this Richards girl and got a door slammed in your race! Now laugh that off, you big bum!" wwell, what of It?" he demanded "I'll see, what of tt I I've been lied to and double-crossed and strung along nbont long enough I rm"-volce drop~ ping to a cnrJously controlled level"l'm about done... "Any time you're through, then, just say the word 1" She turnE>d and went out, slamming the door. (TO Bm CONTlNUEO.) Sparrow Neglected by Translators of Bible The sparrow may not be an exceed~ lngly Important bird but It certainly deserves better usage than It received from the translators of what is known as our Authorized Version ot the Bible. Its Hebrew name was tsippor, says a writer in the Montreal Famil1 Herald, which occurs some thirty-two times In tbe original, but is translated sparrow In only two places, P&nlm 84, 3: 11Ye&, the sparrow hath found an bouse and the swallow a place," and Psalm 102: 7: u1 am as a sparrow alone upon the house-top." In other places it le set down in our Bibles simply as a bird. What spirit of divination Instructed King .James' scholars to differentiate between the "tsippors" tn the two Psalms and the "tslppors" elsewhere no man may say, but so tar as anyone has been informed 1t would appear that the sparrow received less than fair play at thelr hands, however wisely their choice was exercised In some cases. GeneraUy tn1tbfu1 Uttle mothers, true to their task of rearing their broods, are hen-sparrows, restless and disconsolate when driven !rom thelw eggs, as the nature-lovtng writer ..:. Proverbs 27 :8, notes. when seekhli for a· parallel to a man who tlnds himself out or his proper station In Ute: 11 As a sparrow that wandereth from her nest. so ta a man that wanderetb from hls place.." To make othen happy rou don't have "loan, To othen who havo not u much of ihdr ..... But, In trad• and ln labor, one thin&' )'Oll .... c:an do. b. Jut help 7oar uelshbor ao he ean he1JI PATRONIZE HOME INDUSTRY. ASK YOUR DRUGGIST FOR APEX u~'::s AN INTERMOUNTAIN PRODUCT First to Attend Theater The earliest record of a Prest. dent's attending a theatrical per• formance states that President Monroe and his family in 1819 attended a performance at tha Washington theater. - Questions and Answer.s. Utah High School of Beauty Culture 3t'll fiDor Clift 8111i·• S1ll Lth Clry. Ullll Ue Buuty Cuthlrt PCif.Uial KAews. 10 Deprtsslot Ttl UD 1ft ltttl I prtfUSIH lbl Will .... J'll lldtllllul: IN tlia rtst .r filii' dQS. $15 ••r •utll uiY lor tH c•tltte ..ue If dt uatU. itruUpll .,. un wtr.llt JOa i11t1 II& Pant II' lfitt fir Ill' utaltpt. Mill II UQOI. N.AME...... - · - · - · - · - - - · - · - - ADDRESS--·-··-··-·-···-·-·-·------ THIS WEEK'S PRIZE STORY A ~d country-this p-eat Weft ot oun,-whue the pioneer spirit C&l'1i..M on. ln evu-present Joyalty and pride, In the addevemc:nt of Weetern enterprise. We are of the West and want to "" it p-ow. Our placo here Js to co-operate. patroniu home ind~.t~~try. and earry on We1tera lde.U. by ulna' Intermountain Made Gooda. MARIAN McNALLY. Elko. Nenda. ~Baby Chicks Pla..::e Your Order Now fer ftlllltPtru, leU, bets w d•r ••uflr bttds, Pndll:tlu lnf ld lull••tet. 311 Ml•tn lr.. ur llct· btm to,... •n ~str1Htm 1w "s.tl-t•r· ftlrHftn, •Hlllctla cllct; t.dm. Wtlt1 fir sttclal•rlcu 1111 tiSii dlst1•ts n orn.rs •l•c~ tn. ...,.n. •• RaDUibaw Hatcheries !&BJ Sl. still strnl, Silt LIU tlty,IIM Beware Sudden Friendships "A sudden and excessive manifestation of Ho, the. sage be carefully the ways in itself." friendship," said Hi of Chinatown, "should studied. It is one of which enmity betrays '" BOOK . FREE GARDEN Seeds··Shrubs··Trees · ,. PORTER-WALTON CO . . : Sllt llll till . IITAII ..• William Penn Olfended Father William Penn, Quaker founder of Pennsylvania, caused his father much grief by his "waywardness" when he took up the new and radi· cal religion of the Quakers. P.EPBB GASOLINE Packed With Power Murder Victims' Cemetery A small hillside cemetery overlooking a peaceful valley in Letcher county, Ky., contains the graves of 19 murder victims, most: of them in feud strife. JOSEPH WM. TAYLOR, Inc. Funeral Directors & Advisers. 125 No. Main St•• Salt Lake City Conault our publie Advisory Department for any phue of Modern funeral methoda and charps. Fifty yean of Service. Popnlar Pedigreed Dogs The most popular pedigreed dogs in America are: Doston terriers, wire-haired fox terriers, cocker spaniels, chows, Scottish terriers, Pekinese. CASH PAID for OM Sold Jewelry 0111.11 CIGWIS, Bridles Etc. W. M. Me CONAHAY, Jeweler UCWED COLD BUTEI 14 1111 Sl lilt UU tlty ltall hd tR tid stlfl "' tHif rlalil .... 11d •areal .m. II will" rrtorall u n• If ., em errn b: ut s.attstac:IRJ. lldareace Ut. Sl. l11"lll•nlr. I &Ill tD U. S. /oi.&IJ Qlflu Oirtc1 Basketball Girls' Game Only girls play basketball in South Africa. per week wUI be pa10 $5 • 00 artic:le on ror the beat 50- word "Wh7 ~·ou sboald use lnt~nnountain rnadr Goods" - Similar to above. Send roar story in prose or •er1e to lntermount~in Products Cnlumn, P 0 Boll 1555. Salt Lake Cit,. tr your slot)' appean in thY colVJIW ,-uu wUI r.,. eei't'e e.becli far W.N.U.-SaJI LUa Clty $5 00 • Week No. !309 |