Show f BELOW ZERO i A Romance of the 1 I North Woods l i I Ha Harold oId Titus w. w ax v va a- a y C JT alien r llen dear ear wont won't you me mec c when I say that I came to you that night determined to fight m my father fathe I That I had no Inkling of ot the trouble trou trou- ble be here bere that I stumbled Into it and that when I found Cound n a woman was ru running this Job I was bowled over o 1 Wont you ou believe that I Jumped In Jn first to settle a grud grudge e against my fattier father and that I have JUl g gone ne far farenough farenough enough now to be convinced that he heLas Las has no hand band In all this trouble that has been made maUe for forr for for- r i Stop J Stop I beg bee of you stop I she broke in stamping a foot Dont treat me like a child John Belknap Belknap Bel Bel- and knap 1 If you'd oud come In here bere told me your our name It would have been en different but you oU started with witha a lie A carefully prepared lie lle I ITom Tom not fighting lighting me Tom not tr trying lug to ruin me uie Tears sprang sprung to her tier e eyes es Black muck BlackIs I Is white east Is west Oh John Belknap what a fraud you are ore l I She dropped Into her chair elbows elbows el el- bows on desk hands over her tier face o Ellen He lIe tried to touch her ber but she shook oft off his hand V Dont touch me I Dont Don't c me near me 1 Dont Don't let me ever hear heur the sound of ot your our voice or see your our face tace again I To think I Loped hoped I wanted Oh Ob wont won't you get out She dropped her hands and turned her ber distressed wet tear-wet eyes to to him o Wont you ou please go now voice now voice growing lI light ht and feeble Wont you please go awa away from me one me-one one hand crumpling paper with Jerky movements Wont you let me alone now with what Ive I've got left Wont Won't you fOU If It you ou have any decency left In you ou 7 V Shaken he he backed bucked away uway Ill rn 1 11 go ho Ito said Ill go But Ill I'll be near Ill I'll be he helping you Im I'm Im I'm what I am Time may may show v It but but Im I'm going Ue lie turned towards the door quickly quick quick- h ly feet teet unsteady on the time floor V CHAPTER VIII J BEWILDERED BEWILDERED RED to a point where i lie he felt remorse almost as profound profound profound pro pro- I found as would have been his lot had hind he been scheming to ruin Ellen Richards Richards' property John Belknap no longer masquerading as John V. V V Steele left len the girls girl's office and made his way to the hotel where he had lived when in town He was In a pinch beaten in his lofty ambition to champion the oppressed oppressed oppressed op op- pressed a growing love had been I hurled burled back into his teeth But he laughed I 1 What the next step would be he be hadn't even a guess He needed time to think that out but butof butof V V of ot two thIngs he was certain Gorbel Gorbel Gorbel Gor- Gor bel was not going to drive Ellens Ellen's company compan to the time wall and Ellen was V not to go on thinking for much Sti longer that his father was behind e the trouble which had been made for forti ti her With these ends accomplished this other this cold weight about his bis heart would be ready for consid consid- I r He paced the room pondering and came to a halt beside the spotted UttIe littie little lit Ut- tIe tle dresser Last weeks week's Shoestring ri Banner lay there and he lie stared at atthe atthe the smudgy lines unseeing Unseeing until his Idly roving eyes fell tell on the heavily typed words BELKNAP CORBEL GOnDEL He Be leaned lower ver and read what was waa above them MEN W WANTED For Mills and Camps Campa fr Modern Buildings Good Wages f BELKNAP CORBEL He remained bent over a long moment and then straightened r. r tongue in his cheek Why not he asked himself He r was a n man out of a n Job a good goodman man Paul Gorbel Corbel was advertising for men He be began an to pack hastily movements movements movements move move- ments a n bit hit feverish He caught Bradshaw Just as ns the sheriff sherler was vas leaving the Jail jaB and plunged Into his story with the pronouncement pro pro- that he had been living living liv liv- ing and working and n lighting fighting under another name The others other's Jaw v dropped and for tor an Interval his gray eyes were hard with suspicion don clan but as John talked on on earnestly earnestly ear ear- nestly leaving Ie-a Ie out nothing except pt his personal relationship with Ellen Ellen Ellen El El- len that look altered and mellowed ii and Dud the time big officer began to nod slowly A pickle 1 he be said wrinkling his hie brow A pickle I Its It's a tough break for you son sou but Im I'm going I to string along Huh I H He narrowed his and considered f. f eyes f Its ly so fiO what you think 11 about your our father This Corbel Gorbel l now v. has got by up tap here about a hundred per cent His men like him hes he's got a reputation for tor the thet t kind of t dealing But lt look look- I In back I can see some smart swart w work rk He He lighted a cigar and crossed his legs Your pa now s 's a good figure to pick on and give a bad name Most rich men are supposed to be without any scruple Working believe that before they will any good of era pm Course lies he's nov nev nover never er operated In here herc before but Ive I've always heard him spoken of well by the few timers old Ive I've ve known who worked for him By Jocks come to think back hack they all nil like him It sort of looks John like our case has hns a lot of angles I 1 t tJohn John was the first to enter Paul Pant Corbels Corbel's office after he hart had seated himself at his desk for another days day's work The man looked up and If he experienced all any reaction other than surprise he covered It wellor well Of or all things I he be exclaimed John Belknap 1 I Where'd you come from from rising rising and extending lIn his hand Dont get up I 1 John Ignored the thc proffered clasp Well youre you're about the lust last person person person per per- son I expected to see walk In here this tills morning John looked at him with close scrutiny as ns he said Yes That's easy to understand He lic thought the mans man's face changed a trifle and that a flicker of dismay showed In those dark Intelligent eyes I didn't figure that you'd oud expect me Up from Chicago And now a decided but still subtle sub sub- subtle tle alteration was In the e eyes es Corbel Cor Gor- Corbel Gorbel bel seemed to be steeling himself rallying all nIl his quick wits to an emergency No I r haven't been In Chicago for over six sis weeks Ive I've been at Shoestring running the Richards Job Shoestring Richards His counterfeit of amazement was splendid Why yes Didn't you know Corbel Gorbel Pause while John scrutinized scrutinized I the other In open hostility I supposed of ot course COUlse you knew tl that at Id I'd been there using the name of ot John Johan Steele aUl and trying to pull the operation out of ot the hole holo Its It's In And now nov a si faint faint trace of ot color started to climb the mans man's cheeks as he resumed his chair and gestured towar towards ls another But John did not sit down He stood there staring hard at his fathers father's I partner Some one In tipped Miss Iss Richards off to the fact that I hadn't dared use my fathers father's name when I struck her for a Job I was let out yesterday a bit discredited discredited discredited dis dis- credited Well Ill I'll be d d-d d d I 1 breathed Corbel Gorbel and Johns John's temper flared Forget It t he snapped Im coming clean with you ou be man enough to do as much with me I blundered Into a mess over yonder onder I found out that a lot of ot desperate things were being done In my fathers father's fathers father's fa tu ther's name Wed We'd had a R little difference difference dif dlf- ference terence Tom and I I. I anal I welcomed welcomed wel wel- the chance to hit lilt back at him I 1 hadn't been on the Job long though before I realized that what was being done wasn't the sort of ot plan hed he'd follow v or countenance Somebody else was behind It screening himself behind the Belk nap name I Good lord man And youre you're Insinuating In In- Insinuating that I know something about about about- Know 1 Know v Why I heard I you make threats to Miss Richards Just a moment bet before re I tossed you out of ot her office In n December I 1 IThe IThe The other swayed a n bit and the flush of temper yielded to the paling palIng pal pal- Ing of ot fear Yes I thought so John muttered muttered muttered mut mut- Lets come clean with each other Corbel Gorbell I From now on lets let's fight In the open Fight That what youre you're here fur for A fight I John pondered and a hard smile flickered about his lips ups Not unless Its It's forced Corbel Gorbel Im I'm here on guard maybe mabe In Inthe Inthe the thc first place Im I'm going to stick right here In and ke p my e eyes and ears cars open i li unexplainable un nn- explainable things keep happening to the Richards outfit Im I'm going to take on the chore of or explaining em If Ellen Is let alone to make ago a go of the Job which job which she site can cau do donow donow donow now with a n fair break you break you ou and Ill I'll get along splendidly If not not then therell there'll be a war and you'd oud better hetter believe c It I Corbel Gorbel summoned a sort of laugh Sir Galahad eh If you choose We understand each cacti other I guess and und all that's left Is for tor you to give Ive me a Job Youre You're advertising for men youre you're hiring men eve y day I cant can't Just justI mount suard ua over QU do J noth aoth- aoth I ing cis else besides beside'S r Ill I'll have have havea a better better bet bet- ter chance of ot hearing what's going on If Im I'm on the pa payroll Or are you afraid to have me around Corbels Corbel's mouth twitched Listen here John he began Youve been guessing at a great many things youve you've gone off oft half cocked What you heard beard me ma say sayto sayto sayto to Ellen Richards can be explained ex ex- explained Explain Who the devils devil's asking asking ask ask- ing for an explanation Im I'm not Interested In what youve you've got to say Corbel Gorbe Where and when do doI I answer ver the advertisement ad youve you've been running In local papers for tor formen formen men Corbel Gorbel shrugged Very we well l. l Have It your our own way If It you want to go to work ork as a common laborer good But I dont don't know what's open You might ask the mill foreman Fair enough Corbel Gorbell 1 That's tho the Breit decent Impulse you ou seem to ve vu had since I came camo In Ill I'll find Me Mc Good morning He walked towards the door without so much as another look When Then he had gone Paul Gorbel took the desk telephone In his hand and pondered a moment then called the mill foreman he said and his voice had In It no trace of ot the emotions emotions emotions emo emo- reflected on his ills face face young John Belknap Is coming down to ask for tor a Job Hes He's had a n row with the old man 1 I take It I think you'd better put him In fn at the bottom Start him with the pond crew Fire somebody If It you have to The girl Marie came slipping sUpping into roto the room as he be hung up Her eyes were wide My gosh It worked 1 J she whis Worked laughed mirth mirth- lessly Ill s say y It worl worked ed the matter matter matter- approach approach- approach Ing Did he guess where the letter let letter ter came from 7 If It he did he neglected to mention mention men men- tion it It That's no matter lies lie's guessed the racket all right and hes he's come here to tu work In the mill milt so BO he can k keep ep his d d-d d d eyes ces open The rhe girl drew a n quick breath but did not speak raise Ii lm I 1 he mut Still it may not he be so bad badIn badIn In one wu way If It I do du to let up lip now wont won't she think her finding out about his game had something to todo todo todo do with Uh easier going 1 That hat might be nn an anta ad advantage e. e Ill I'll II need all the breaks I can get now now glancing at a calendar The die old manil be beon beon on his way back Jn In a n month Maybe ln be It wont won't be so o bad in hu having the kid here under my thumb Ho Ile cant can't be sure of ot a thing All 11 hell he'll hn have e Is Is- Is his hiS' d d-d d d suspicion P 1 Dont be too sure If he lie heel ever el tumbles to the North Star dent den I look out l I His ills head jolted forward truculently What do you know about North Star I III haven't been heen a In lumber lumber lum lum- ber offices for Cor five fi years ears without t l t tl l What Do You Vou Know About North Star learning my way around heat heat heatedly edly edy Its all right If f you get bet away with it Id I'd sooner see you lU two two- time a rich old geezer than thun to throw the harpoon Into a girl even en If It I 1 could scratch her eyes ees out He lIe wiped his forehead Irritably You know too loo d d-d d d much She flushed beneath her make wake I III didn't know enough h once It appears I 1 be believed you yuu and kicked In my chances In Chicago over to trail trait up here What've I got Promises I IMore More promises All I get get to And a fur coat and a car Clr and enough dresses to stock a store and und and Which were only a part 0 of the bargain She Sh put a hand on his shoulder and n a hard anxiety showed I In her wide blue eyes Paul I Dont Don't be a goop I Dont Don't tr try to hog it Dont Don't try to ru run u n racket on old Tom Ive I've got a stake In you now I 1 may way fly off the handle now I and then and say suy mean things but Paul Im I'm crazy cruzy about you all the time time Her mouth trembled Good girl rl l J he said absently and und kissed her Dont fret Cret Ive I've done dono pretty well for Cor myself so far I know about where Im I'm going even evenIn evenIn evenIn In the dark In calked boots and his lala heavy clothing John tolled toiled ten hours each cacti day about the pond hot of ot the property property property prop prop- erty which his f father ther shared with Paul Corbel Gorbel Its Ills immediate superior was a I Swede hailed halted as Ole whatever his Hume nume Ie mil ml lit be I Ii jots Job was W to lel help keep leep logs lobs going from pond to sami saw floor as ns rapidly as the mill reduced them to lumber He lived In the com company pall boarding board ing lag house n a modern clean well well- managed establishment ment DurIn During those first days s 's and nights he was only another man one of hundreds and accepted us as such but towards the end of or the thc week his checker opponent opper nent neut-l neut neat neat-Foote Foote a lumber Inspector Inspector- said Bald casually You iou know Jack they're saying your names name's Belknap It Is s. Are you old Toms rums bo boy 7 John admitted it It Well Ill I'll be jg Jiggered ered I time the other laughed and turned awn away As Ills lils became known It brought some Incredulous looks some natured good skepticism and soon thereafter lie me Ie had hind a n distinct feeling that his standing was not riot what it had been that now and again n a man laughed of t him a n bit sneeringly ly A distorted report of or what he had done went through the town He ne had been kicked out b. b by his Cather father fa Ca- ther he lie had hind been heen discharged ed and rind ordered to come to where he could be under the watchful eye e of Corbel The son of the time boss w was s being disciplined Well let It ride he decided He lle had more Important things to think about than what people thought of or him Still being this particular ur sort of ofa a pariah was unpleasant It was the man mun Baxter who brought his st status home to him most forcibly This was the man who Richards men believed had been brought In Into Into Into to start trou trouble lc and amI whose rumored coming to Shoestring had set the stage for tor Johns John's own dramatic entrance entrance en en- trance Into that |