Show f y r BELOW ZERO i A Romance of the I I. I I North h Woods s sHarold I I Harold 1 Titus w. w shirt short The light was turned out and superintendent su suo w and foreman lay In their beds bells still sUII talking lowly I UI feel like a n fella at nt the edge of or ofa a big dronoff In the tile dark darl Mark said Bald and stirred In his blankets rosy so BO lon long s 's we keep the ground under our feet but any step a heads head's likely to send us ItS tall tan over ears do down don n to the rocks yon onder on der might happen here hereIn In the woods to slow us down I Tiny's old pot coffee may go all to toh h h l I In a heap ane and then where are we weT Over the edge said John morosely morose morose- ly and rolled over on his side r p For a n long time he lie lay sleepless i He dozed and suddenly saw his father fa Iii f ther pursuing someone who fled tied towards towards towards' to to- f wards wards' him screaming for his help t r r and this tills other suddenly revealed was Ellen Richards tea lie woke voice with a start sL and rolled 11 over muttering to himself He ile did not dream then that the time would I come when wIlen the girls girl's voice volee would be lifted In screams as ns shrill as ns those he heard In his dreams n He Ile dreamed of or stamping stumping his foot stamping Ills his foot on a resounding ing floor and demanding of Paul Gorbel Corbel that he lie come Into the open and fight Of stamping stampIng stampIng stamping stamp stamp- ing and when he ice stopped stamping the sound continued He sat up The sound continued and he lie looked around for its source bewildered by sleep Sounds yes cs coming from hom outside Heavy thuds Horses kicking A number of horses I kicking and a 1 shrill His feet hit the cold floor and he lunged to a window Turn out he croaked as he whirled back to grope for his pants Turn out you you you- ou The barns barn's afire Saunders was up Jerry was rollIng rollag roll roll- Ing ag out babbling as sleep added to fr his panic Wolf Richards chattered I shrilly Fire Firel I J John ohn yelled as he ran outside and buttoning his coat over his underwear made for or the mens men's shanty Fire Fire as as he burst burstIn In the door Out you bullies t Fire I He went on Saunders hard after him Horses were squealing now and kicking more furiously He heard wood splintered under a hoof and fo could see through the partially opened doorway the time low cavern of or orthe the barn lighted by angry flames He was Into It t throwing an arm over his face tace to strain smoke from the air he breathed He lIe caught a ad d distant stant odor though and through his bis mind went one word Gasoline A windrow of or hay along the center center center cen cen- ter of the building burned Flakes of ot the bales half hair torn apart were strewn there It seemed and they blazed brightly orange fronds of ot flame leaping upward to find hold holdon on cobwebbed rafters as the draft of ot the ventilators sucked the gases through the roof Smoke swirled about the floor and he stumbled as ash ashe h be he ran on striving to gain the rear r stalls first J He choked as he entered the B- B stall but grasped the horses horse's mane over and over putting a hand on onA A y b y 1 l i t t tr r r Steady Now the rump Come on boy he said trying to speak lk without excitement Steady now I 1 IThe The horse sidled banged Into a astall astall astall stall stanchion leaped the other way kicked as flame touched his belly He ne broke blOke tried to run and John went with him stra strangling from the smoke bumping Into another another another an an- other led cal horse out Into the night FG Men were running others were buck back In there shouting at horsesHow horsesHow horses How many In lu there John to yelled grabbing Tails Tail's arm as the barn boss crying crIng now run ran past him All AU out but two Prince wont won't conic come I 1 IJohn IJohn John saw men struggling with a aa horse Inside and turned to their aid ald lIe He found a n pitchfork and got behind behind behind be be- hind the horse striking It without mercy prodding w with th the tines They got the animal out and Jack Tack Talt Tait reeled gagging with nausea John backed from the building shielding his face with an upraised arm Flames were through the roof root now licking at the cornices meltIng meltIng melt- melt Ing lag holes In the walls All AU out Jack he croaked Look out I The warning shout made John whirl He lIe threw himself forward to grab at nt the rope as ns the horse shook off the last restraining hand throwing a man end over end and broke for the stable screaming shrilly John could see him outlines outlines outlines out out- lines distorted by wriggling heat wa waves Yes He lie crouched low and rushed In He heard the horse scream again and kick The Thc terror of the creatures creature's creatures creature's creatures creature's crea crea- tures ture's cry gave him strength It screamed the third time and John dropped to his hands and knees for relief He lIe stopped crawling He had almost almost almost al al- al- al most gone on on across that tiling thing It felt like a n bag of oats a sack of ot Inert material until his hands I brushed flesh He fIe had come upon a man lying there when he be sought to save a horse 1 John grasped the limp arm and pull pulled the figure about He Ho got to tobis bis feet teet and bent double ran three steps The heat and the burden beat him down An n eddy brought t tIn II In a n gulp of fresh air He rose again and made maele a stride or two and went down dawn cowering from the terrific punishment of standing Another man llIan was crawling towards towards towards to to- wards John from the doorway He I found a hold and they went for tho the open with a rush It was Jack Talt Tait who had come comeIn comeIn comein In to help Who who's this John choked chol roiling rolling v i the man over O Firelight fell on em the face as a score of men pressed about Never saw him I 1 panted the barn boss So Some Die one began an to fan run the taco face with a cap and Tack Jack fait Talt plucked at Johns John's arm The old veteran was holding up upa a hand blood That hand had Just turned the unconscious mans man's head over had Imd been pressed against the side of the skull Get over o with Mark 1 I John ordered ordered ordered or or- dered those about him Jack and Ill I'll tend to this lad The group scattered The fhe burden that the two carried was not heavy They went across the trampled snow toward the office of- of flee fice walking the faster as they neared their objective John lighted the tire hanging lamp and they thc stood looking down Into that set face I Never Xe seen him r the barn boss said Nor did I. I Gingerly John Tulin examined the time great grent mark on the skull tracing It out with his fingers finders through the thick hair It shaped like e he asked looking up Ull Horseshoe Theres There's where the I calk went In n pointing t Talt stared hard at John I D D you ou notice anything special In n the barn Smell you mean 1 The other nodded grimly I smelt gasoline he said So did I I Where Whereas was as he Talt Tait asIH asked d. d Right ht behind your our pile of baled hay PrInce got ot hits him I he muttered Hes the only horse hOlse In the lot that's light behind lie lIe Ile gestur gestur estur gesturing ing touched Ing touched the place off oft the theOld the the-I I Old Prince got ot him Saunders came In In breathless slamming the tile door dear Got her soused down he said over Who's that Ever see him turn John asked A pause while the foreman stared hard at nt the face race Never And what did you smelt r John demanded Mark looked cd from one one to the other Do you both get It Both of us A 4 bu bug fire Ore Orel I G G-d G d d n d-n n cm Pin they'll John held up a n warning hand Its uIt's between the throe three of or u us for now nosy Keep It from train the men fellow was suffocated ns HS fur far II as they know Stranger drunk got ot otIn In tried to smoke And Anel here i awe we wc-e wc arc argil I J But ut the lire three of or us smelt gasoline gaso gaso- line This mans man's hair Isn't even singed See He lie didn't die from Crom fire It was the kick of ot n a horse We find out who he Is and where he came from Crom and why why why-Ir If we can and and we make malee things as hot Corother for Cor other parties as ns they made them for us tonight I Hot for tor other parties I And even as nB he swore that this thing would not go unpunished If he lie could track It down a n sort of or terror seized him Old Tom his fattier father behind this The thought made his middle go weak Oh a mans man's temper can stir him to bitterness against those for whom he lie has had affection But nut old loyalties old respects are hard to down Iowa For nearly a month now John Belknap had thought of ot his father as ns an enemy but this nights night's work killed his temper r It with a n profound fear Old Tom In n a rough rough tumble tumble fight Yes that was Imaginable I But old Tom resorting to the torch That was unthinkable did not square with an anything thIng In experience A hard old bird men had hod said of or his father a relentless fighter when driven to It when hen driven to It I But nut a n fair fighter tighter it t was agreed and even en beaten benten enemies had admitted that He looked at nt the others and sent them theta out to see that the guard guarda a against the last chance of ot spreadIng spreading spread spread- Ing fire was safe He He- needed to be alone Old Tom In this mess It could not be lie simply was beyond all reason reason rea rea- son I That the responsibility for all an Ellen Richards' Richards trouble should rest reston reston reston on his fathers father's shoulders seemed to tobe tobe tobe be reasonable seemed to be But It could not be His father was no Incendiary his father was no wrecker his father gruff and bluff as ns he was unjust as ns he may have been to his own son son would not hire bullies to maim malm the men of other employers would not take unfair advantage of a n weaker er competitor com com- competitor He drew his palms over his face and shuddered The whole thing was a n nightmare some wild Impossible Impossible Im Im- Im possible hIt bit of or fancy I J IThe The barn was gone Jone one horse borse was gone some harness burned and the rest rest rest-in in a sorry tangle Not Nota a n pound of feed was left In camp John ordered the strangers stranger's body placed In a t box car CRr on the siding shut the door and told the men to keep away uway The rhe belief that lint an unknown un mu- known man had wandered Into the tile barn and Inadvertently set It off ofT was well established But In the office a smell small group waited while John repeatedly made unavailing efforts to rouse central It was four o'clock before his per Iler persistent ringing brou brought ht an nn answerIng answering answer answer- Ing sleepy voice He called Roberts Roberts Rob Hob erts the lie mill foreman Coreman at his house not wanting to disturb Ellen Rapidly he told what had happened happened happened hap hap- l Well Fell need a car of ot lumber he said and saws und and hammers and nails naUs The rhe tire was set by a drunk who wandered In He lie suffocated Send the lie sheriff out oct with the train to take charge of that angle Guess Ive I've told you ever everything Dont Don't forget forget for for- get the grain and hay While the crew was still sun at breakfast the shrill familiar scream of ot the locomotives locomotive's whistle came echoing down the forest A car of ot lumber and the caboose made up the train Ellen was the first off ol Her mouth was set Old Wolf ran toward her as ns she dropped from the way car and John could see the lie paternal light lightn t tIn In n his face the protecting posture In his whole body hody as he reached out for Cor the girl Their meeting was so obviously an affair for tor the two that John did not approach until Ellen who had been heen looking at nt him an Interval Inter while she listened to her uncle raised her chin In a beckoning movement One more body blow she said as be he came up tier Her tone made him wince and the fragment of a smile which she she sou sought ht to summon wrenched at his heart It was unfair unfair un un- un fair for Cor a girl to be forced to mIx mis In n a n mans man's fight 1 I No getting around that he agreed Rut nut Jut It might be a a lot worse Suppose the whole set of camps had gone Where'd we be bethen bethen bethen then I went right ahead without I consulting you and I guess well we'll have a new barn of or a sort up by night He lie took toole her over the ruins outlining ing lag his plan for reconstruction He did not go Into his theory of ot the fires fire's origin Theres loss of course coure he said finall finally One horse gone some harness ruined and some lost several sev sev- several eral crul hundred dollars' dollars worth of feed gone up In smoke But nut the they haven't got us licked yet et ent thc they she asked andIn andin and andIn In the tone was a n c cynicism a suggestion suggestion sug sug- sug of ot surrender He looked about quickly Men were coming and going cohS scraping v fi away ruins bringing up Ull lumber Come Into the he muttered muttered mut mut- and turned to lead lend the way Alone there she stood before him wearily drawing ofT off her glo gloves s. s Dont quit now I he said Its hIts a n body blow yes es but hut were we're not licked Ellen ElIen 1 Were We're not through yet Weve We've only commenced to tofi fi fight ht I She looked up Ul at him stud studying In his face with large Jarie eyes and smiled a trifle trine with her lips Ups not with those C ey 3 Youre You're tine line I she site said You Without you ou doing Just what youve you've done Id I'd have havo gI given en up weeks ago Im I'm afraid YoUve YoU've done so much for forme forme me youve you've fou fought ht so 80 well and so hard to make a n showing But It seems a little unfair doesn't It t A little as ns though the cards were stacked against us To have havea a thing like this happen on top op of ot nil all the tho things that are planned and executed against us She turned away suddenly as thought though fearful of breaking down before before be be- fore tore himI him trim I hI 1 wish I were a n man maul I she said tensely Im tired of pla playing a n aman's amans amans aman's mans man's part worn out with try trying ing not to show what I think and feeland feel feeland feeland I and fear I IJohn John stepped forward and put put his his t I hands on her shoulders forcing her herto herto to face him I Im glad Ind youre you're not a man he said gently Im glad youre you're Just who you are HP lIe felt her tremble as his fingers pressed the time firm flesh beneath her Mackinaw v. Oil Oh she said suld weakly Oh Oh that t That he lie repeated with with n a vehement ment meat nod And the reason renson J 1 1 haven't hn said It the tire reason I 1 haven't said a n lot tot of things that there are to tobe tobe tobe be said Is because trouble has hns been heen coming too ton fa fast t In a R pinch survival survival sur sur- ur I vival romps comes first living afterwards one thing I want to say The other Is s that you'll have ha to keep up your courage I dont don't want you ever again to sa say to yourself even en what you ou said to me out there I 1 want you to tn I keep ep on saying saIng and thinking and believing what you said suld to Gorbel Gurbel that night when I 1 stood I 1 outside your office once door that we I may lose but hut well we'll go down fighting fight ing lag And I dont don't think were we're m II going to lose I 1 It Isn't that I J dont don't want want- to win John I she protested I 1 want avant It I more than I wanted anything else J It was my fathers father's heart henrt th that t went Into this operation My fathers father's memory Is s here In m my heart henrt I owe It to him to finish what he set out outto outto outto to do Isn't that |