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Show A Romance of the Industry, a young man was about", to burn up. 1 A big young man, this John Steele . Belknap, tall and broad and thick of chest. Out of place, he looked In this room, with its deep-napped rugs and heavy hangings.. He wore a maroon checkered Mackinaw and stagged pants clung to stalwart -calves; feet in the greased pacs i were spread a bit as. a man will when he meets an assault. Ills face was weather-beaten but a bit pale now, his nostrils dilated though he fought -to keep at least a vestige , of good humor , in the deep blue eyes, and the semblance of a grin on the wide mouth by telling himself to stay by It another minute, min-ute, to hold 'the old dander down Just another second!; "But don't you see; Tom," he began, be-gan, "that-It's what I've worked and waited, for all these years? It wasn't any, plan of mine In the first plans I'd made for myself. "I didn't want any help from you. I'd always figured on hitting It off for myself to see how good I am, Just as you did, and grandfather did. I wanted forestry school and got It, and thought when I'd finished fin-ished that I'd hook up with some other organization and see what I could do and, If I checked out, would then get 4n here with you and help pull the load. "Then you stumbled on to a location lo-cation andthe: properties that fitted like a glove to a plan; You couldn't wait for me to start, of course. You had to go ahead because If any demonstration Is going to be of account ac-count It's got to show profit, and big timber holdings can't be carried car-ried along any more without operating. oper-ating. You and Gorbel got the mill up and running, the best mill ever built I You got the chemical plans operating. You were going to exercise ex-ercise your agreement with Gorbel and buy him out and we'd go to It . . . you and I. . . . Together!" He extended one hand In a little gesture. "And when I thought I was ready for that, I went up to Witch Hill. Til admit now that It was a bitter dose. But I took It, didn't I? I stayed on longer than you'd said I'd have to stay before getting ray finger into the Kampfest thing. I've been waiting for word that I could drop it, and the word has never come. "We wound her up. When 1 knew you and mother were going today I got the last of the equipment loaded, the last chore done, and high-tailed down here without even stopping to buy civilized clothes because I thought . . . Kampfest at- last I .And instead of that I'm told that I am now superintendent at Belknap Seven!" His lax fist fell on the desk, and he nodded as If wearied. His father sniffed and rattled the sheet of paper he held. J'That's the trouble with you young gaffers. Don't have the guts to wait Got to Jump In and learn CHAPTER I r' IN HIS younger days Tom Belknap may have . squirmed nowv'. and then; most men who have undergone under-gone the vicissitudes of fortune-building fortune-building In the lumber Industry have. But this much Is certain; for a brace of decades, if he had occasionally oc-casionally felt discomfiture, he kept It well to himself, concealed behind that brusk, gruff front Now, however, he put on a first-rate first-rate exhibition of o man Id an uncomfortable un-comfortable corner as . Harrington, mall and gray and amazed, stood la that spacious chamber, and stared -at him. ". .. y .S'-. . The old fellow had made, his as sertlon with a growl, as he always did. when at variance with his aids, and ordinarily that tone ended argument argu-ment abruptly. Not today. "But," said Harrington, after that long pause occasioned by Incredulity, Incredul-ity, "what's the boy going to say to A that?" -He'll do as he's told !" ! "Twice? You'll disappoint him twice, Tom? A boy with . , . with as much spirit as you have your- self?" He scratched his thin hair absently and frowned, and old Tom, luck In the depths of that great chair, rolled an uneasy eye at him, an eye which had in it defiance, and determination and, perhaps, a hint of appeal. "Why, he took it standing stand-ing a year ago In June when you sent him from" college to Witch Hill Instead of to Kampfest That was a body-blow, after all the talk and planning, but you told him to go and show what he could do and he did. . . . Now, he's coming here la a few minutes to claim the reward re-ward you held out to htm, and Instead In-stead .of sending him to Kampfest you're shunting him off on Belknap Seven! It beats me!" The other fldceted with bis watch - chain and cleared his throat Irrl- UMy. - "Well," he said, "John ain't going te Kampfest yet. . . . Not yet!" i He shook bis head. "No, sir! Not to Kampfest 1" t Harrington's gray eyes were pry leg row, suspicion rife In thems he studied the averted face of the-man the-man he knew so well. "V "Are you In trouble at Kampfest?" a asked quietly, and the old face flashed up at, hlm.i ; - ! "h I am, it's my own trouble!" A watcher might not have noticed that. Harrington had tensed on . his . query, but the sudden relaxing of his body was obvious. 1 thought aa much," he said grimly, grim-ly, meeting the challenge In , those, eyes.. "I was afraid trouble might follow when you took-Gorbel ln..on. this 'thing. I've suspected matters ' weren't right there for two years , now last month, when you came back "from Kampfest. you had the look of a beaten man, and I was pretty sure. Now, 1 know." "Yon know a lot I" grumpily as he hitched closer to the massive desk.. The other did not respond. With pursed llpa he pondered a moment and then burst out: "Look here, Tom ! Why don't you let us help you up there? Why don'i'you come down off your high the great windows , against which . a savage! December gale hurled lt-; self , In , across-sullen Lake Michigan. That's somethln' else," he growled. Harrington persistently eyed him, and the old man squirmed again. "There's only one thing that really matter's, when "all's said and done," he "said .finally." "That's a man's reputation.- And a man's reputation rep-utation narrows down to his reputation reputa-tion with certain folks. I've got a rating as an honest man, which Is something everybody with self-respect's .got to . have ; and, I'm rated as rlch but I don't give a hoot about how' much money the Belknap Lumber Lum-ber company's worth, or the value of any of the outfits It controls under un-der other names. I'm glad I've got a name for beln a hard fighter; gladder that men must concede I'm a fair fighter. But there's only one thing that matters much, that gets In close to a man's heart." He paused. "That's what John thinks of me." Silence for a moment, except for the buffeting of the gale about that Chicago skyscraper. "You've got three kids, Harrington. Harring-ton. I had only one. . . . and a humdinger I That cub . . . H l's bells, a man can't say what he feels on some things! Nobody'll ever know how hard I tried co play up to what he's thought- me " ever since he was so high ; nobody ever cun know what a burden It's -been to be the kind of a party he; thought I was." The rough voice had become n monotone mon-otone now, as though hefought for self-control: " :: . V . "He opposed, mej Just; once; he warned me ' Just" once'. " HLni, a kid, warnln me about my Judgment of a man. I laughed at him and . . . Well, I laughed at him and " Harrington added: "And he was right." "Another guess" In another surly growl. "But" looking up again, face furrowed with Intense eagerness "If that . was so I'm - not admitting ad-mitting It but If It was so would you let -him find It out first? Would you Jet him come to you and say I told-you-so?" Pause, "Not on your life, you wouldn't! ... ...."You. wouldn't let him evea suspect sus-pect that the thing he'd worked for and waited for wasn't what he'd expected ! You wouldn't let . him think . that the one present he'd wanted was marred before It got into his hands. Not much, you wouldn't! ' You'd fix It up," somehow, some-how, even If the trouble was bo mysterious mys-terious you couldn't locate It before be-fore you handed It oyer so .. -. ; so" the estimate he had of you wouldn't lose anything of., . of. what It had ! Then you'd tell him he'd been Tight' but-not. before!" j. He ".waited a long moment "Wouldn't you?" he Insisted. "If I had your devotion and the Belknap pride. Tom. I expect I would." Harrington answered gravely. grave-ly. "But the devil of It Is that you're leaving today for Europe, and won't be" "Yea! The devil of It! And the devil of It Is, the d n doctors are right! I'm no fool, . Harrington ; I know that they know;' , I know when they say I need three months in a ably babied you from the tlmo " "Babied I" The Interruption was hot with anger. "Babied me, did he? D n funny babying, I'd call it I" He laughed bitterly. "1 know what went ahead of me to Witch Hill. Sandy told nie when It was all over. You ordered him to see what kind of a Belknap was lefc. after the college professors got through with me I Tou told him to make It as rough for nie as he knew how 1" He nodded again, that brisk, irate gesture. "And what of it?" "This!" He flung his cap Into a chair and slapped the desk. "I didn't squawk I I didn't even ask for a fair break. It wus June, with tho black flies so bad Sandy couldn't keep road-builders in the woods. He put me in there with what he had left of a crew and 1 stuck. I was the only one of the gang I started with who stayed through, and when wo wound up I was boss! "Did I get something better then? Guess again ! I swamped, I drove team. I went with the loading crew, and every pluce I was put I set the pace for the rest of 'em. Yeah. College hoy. Getting sandpapered sand-papered because he was son of the push I" He nodded once more, a bit white now. "Four things I'd proved I could do better than anybody else there. , Fourl" holding up the fingers of a trembling hand. "Saws next. Could 1 get a partner to stay with me even ut the money 1 made for him? I could not I They brought in a Flnu who'd never found a man to stand his pace ; he hoisted his turkey tur-key the ninth day and went out with his tall dragging, and when Swan-son Swan-son got sick there was nothing else to do but put me in to run the show, was there? "You know . what happened then. Forty cents a thousand I saved you j below anythlug that'd .-ever been ! done at Witch ' Hill, and when we were winding up the Job at that I And tho boys liked me. 1 had 'em working their heads'off for you and showed the lowest labor turn-over they'd ever had In the country since ' God knows when! ' "Stuffed-shirt? Yes-man? H 1, sir!" "My," said old Tom, with forced sardonic mildness. "My, you're proud, ain't you?" The boy caught his breath as though for a stormy denial ; checked himself and flared: "You're d d right, 1 am! It showed what I can do on one Job; It gave me something to go on when I ask for the bigger one that's been promised me !" His voice trembled. "You'd admit It to anybody else, too; you'd admit it of any other kid who turned the trick. Then, sir, why the devil won't you admit It to and about me?" His fist fell to the desk again, but 1 this time with a sharp thud. Tom Belknap's eyes left that accusing gaze, and he stared once more through the window. "No," he said dryly, as If to end debate with himself, and the suggested sug-gested alteration of his face which had threatened, perhaps, a melting, a softening, came to nothing. "It goes back to where we started ; that I'm runnln this outfit yet and hiring hir-ing men and putting 'em where' I think they'll do me the most good. "One thing," he propounded, "you've got to learn Is to know men, to get along with men. You don't like Gorbel Gor-bel " " "No! 1 never have! Neither does anybody else around this outfit!" with an Inclusive gesture. "You've got a price on his Interest, and even if you aren't ready to buy him out I won't lock horns with him. Let him run the office and the mills; let him run the bank. I want to get into the woods, Tom, and at Kampfest: There'd be no conflict I" "As I was say In'; you don't like Gorbel and for no reason, I can see. You've got to learn why you like and don't like men.. You've . only been on one Job. 'You try another, now, and come spring you show me what you're wound on 1" Color was deepening In the lined face and eyes showed pale against It "We've had a lot of gabble this afternoon 1 Here's your letter from Sandy. See If you can make a showln somewhere some-where else, and when I get back . , . we'll see what we can seel" He rose. "That's all, then?" John asked, oddly restrained. "That's all there Is. The Century leaves In two hours. If you're going go-ing to say good-by to your mother you'd better be about It" The boy stood Irresolute, conflicting con-flicting impulses surging within him. When, with a sweeping movement he snatched up bis cap. "Good-by, sir," crisply. "Good-by, John, I . . . well, good-by 1" gruffly. Their bands met briefly, formally. "You'll go on to Seven tomorrow tomor-row . . ." Difficult to tell whether wheth-er that was statement or query; difficult to tell, too. whether the clearing of his throat had been necessary nec-essary or not "I seem to have my orders," the boy said, and none could have told what Impulse lay behind the words. He wheeled and went quickly out and for a long moment after he had gone his father stood, a gaunt, weHrlerl old figure. He lifted one hand with u helpless movement and sank Into the great chair, chin on knuckles. ... An unhappy man, this, helpless to rectify his mood. . CHAPTER I! NOW when a young man, fever hot with rebellion, at odds with his world, set upon, treated unfairly, unfair-ly, finding his firmest trust betrayed, be-trayed, mad to his marrow, steps off a. train' Into a ! strange town and Is hit In the mouth by a stranger, certain events are bound to follow. For one thing, tho pressure of temper tem-per within him finds relief. It-was easy ; enough for young John Belknap to come to a decision as to what to do; easy enough to decide that the Mid-West headquarters, headquar-ters, up in the wilderness, was as good a place as any for a young man going out on his own to present pre-sent himself and ask for a chance. Easy, simple! But not so easy to summon that rage which would wipe out the hurt He had had his fondest hopes betrayed be-trayed by the one human being he had trusted above all others. It cut and scourged, made him drive himself him-self Into a furious temper. He had boarded a late train, pack-sack over his shoulder, oblivious ob-livious to the stares of people In the station, telling himself that he had been double-crossed, abused to a point which was Intolerable. Through the remaining hours of the night he had tossed In his berth, Iet-Ing Iet-Ing that rage' eat up the disappointment disappoint-ment and heartache. Today, on a less comfortable train, his - ire mounted and as the cars rocked and bounced on northward over Increasingly In-creasingly rough steel, he sat for long Intervals without moving a muscle, the fire In his eyes growing, grow-ing, the darkness In his heart deepening. deep-ening. Snow fell. Now and again some of It sifted down from the ventilators ventila-tors to the greasy rattan seats of the smoker. The brakeman came In and lighted oil lamps as waning afternoon brought wintry darkness. One more change now, and he would be on the Kampfest line. . . . But he was not going to stop at Kampfest ! He moved with a start, then, and his Jaw muscles bulged. This was the route he had planned so long to take, but the destination was no 'longer what It had 'been In those I years of. planning. On through I Kampfest, rather, on for the better bet-ter part of another hundred miles to Mid-West headquarters. "You're out of luck." the conductor conduc-tor said ; "getting Into . Kampfest tonight They got three cars off on a culvert and It may take 'em until un-til noon to get their line open. Tell you what; the Junction boarding house's a fright You could go on to Shoestring where there's a good place to stay and come back In the morning In time to get the east-bound." east-bound." "Shoestring? Never heard of It" "Spry little town." The conductor conduc-tor . smiled grimly as . he adjusted the wick' of his lantern. "If the branch hadn't been blocked this afternoon, you mlght've seen some big times there tonight. . ." John did not heed this. He said, "Much obliged," and settled back In the corner of his seat with his wrath. Soon the brakeman rose and sung out: "Shoestring!" Buttoning his Mackinaw, slinging his packsack to one shoulder, John stood In the end of the car as they Jolted to a stop. He was the only passenger disembarking, and when he pulled . the door open snow swirled about him. Moving figures showed against the glow of depot lights. : A voice sung out sharply: "That's - him I". - , .: : . . He dropped to shin-deep snow on the platform and a bulking figure moved to confront him. "You'd better git back on the train," the man said. "You ain't welcome here!" "Check him through!" some one called hoarsely. "What's the big . idea?" -John snapped. "Who are you to " , "We , ain't here to arguer Jack I You git back aboard that car and keep your feet' out of Shoestring and you'll be better off!" The big man grasped his arm determinedly, nnd as John twisted to free himself he slipped. He flung out a hand to catch his balance and. on the gesture, n stinging blow caught him full In the mouth. An Instant before, nnd despite his black mood, he would have argued; ar-gued; but that-fist on his Hps dropped a red curtain before his eyes, coagulated all the anger which had kept him hot for two days and a night; stripped reason from hlra. He crouched ; he rushed. He was going to let no gang put him back on any train! ne bored Into them, through them, until he had distance between himself and the car and then straightened, catching one a stiff blow on the neck that spun him about He whlrlod and drove his fist hard into a belly. Voices, then, sharp and profane. Some one struck him on the cheek, and with an uppercut John dropped a man who charged In from the right The taste of blood on his Hps goaded him. They came on with a rush. He kicked one's feet from -under him, and the falling fellow tripped another. an-other. Ho struck nnd kicked and elbowed and ducked, nis head rocked sideways from a blow, and ' he squeezed his eyes shut for a spilt Instant to check the mounting dizziness. They could have had him down , and beaten to a pulp in one minute, if they'd used their heads. They were too mad, too (To be continued.) "That'a the Trouble With You Young Gaffers Don't Have the Guta to Walt." Jobs from the top down. Stuffed shirts, for God knows how many years; yes-men. You won't take the time to learn from the bottom op!" i "Doesn't that mean anything?" John asked with a curt gesture towards to-wards the paper In the age-mottled hands. The man's eyes dropped to that scrawl, written on the letter-head of the Witch Hill Lumber company. He read It once more: i "To whom It may concern, dear sir. John Steele has worked as camp foreman here for . one year. He Is only a kid but as good a logger.'' log-ger.'' as ever ' Wore sox. Itespy J. M elver supt" '' "' The lowering of his face concealed con-cealed from the son's burning eyea .the pride .which swept It and John could, hot know the warmth which re-reading the .. words generated again ' In the old; heart, nor the chagrin and fear at what he was now - doing. But the belittling "grunt and the dismissing gesture as he tossed the letter back to the desk top made the boy stir on his feet and tighten his Hps. "Sandy!" old Tom growled. "Sandy, wrltln a recommendation I" He laughed. "Think he's ever done that for anybody before? Not much I Why, he was so rattled he left out the only part of your name that counts I Done it for you because be-cause he liked you. As my old-timers old-timers always 're done, he prob- horse and let the office straighten things out while you're away?" Belknap gave a mirthless laugh. "You're doln' a lot of guessing!" he snorted. "You're guessing at things, Harrington 1" He swung In " his chair to confront his Inquisitor and slapped the mahogany with his palm. "Guesswork! I'll admit nothing; I'll deny most. But I'll go this far; If I'm In bad, whose busl- cess is it? If I guessed wrong on a wan,' whose funeral Is It? If I've got dirty clothes to wash, whose Job Is It? Eh? "From the beginning you've all been against me on my opinion of Gorbel, from you on down through this organization to ... to John himself. You didn't like htm; you didn't like the , Idea ,of a . partner-', ahip. Jokn, my boy, warned me after he'd talked to the man twenty mln-utea. mln-utea. . Warned mel A cub! "But I bet on Gorbel, He had the Wy-ouM've wanted all my Ifetfad It UedTep. 1 took htm on and" ; listened lis-tened to all of you yelp and predict pre-dict trouble, and made up. my mind that the Belknap Lumber company etSces never would have to bother with 'a' line of Belknap & Gorbel htttteeea. 1 put It under my hat and it'a been there alnce. That'a where It'a goln' to stay, Harrington, Harring-ton, and you can stuff that In your plpeP His face was flushed now. The other shrugged. "That ought to fee final," he said glumly. "But what frets me, Tom, la where John comes la . . or Isn't let to." Old Tom sank back In hla chair and atared bleakly through one v of place where business, can't reach me that I'd better hit the grade for that place. Well, nobody but the doctors and you know this trip's forced. I ain't going to worry anybody. A big timber operation can't go to h 1 In n heap In ninety days." I'll be back; I'll be fit to go Into' the Kampfest thing with sleeves rolled up. find out Just what and how much; Is wrong, and I'll seL ..It . fqr John , as we'd planned It'd be!" "But don't you see that while you're away the office could " "I wash my own dirty linen!" "But suppose. Tom. something should happen?" The old man shook his head, half In negation, half In agreement. . . I'd have to "come clean, then,1! guess. I'm prepared, for that."-H opened a drawer 'and took oujMn sealed envelope, V"I wrote this last night. It's for John If . . . If some cathedral should fall on me. If I come "'hack. ICwa'nt It back from you.., And If I don't come back, you might Just say. Harrington i.. . . my to. the boy that . . . that he was a bumdij'iger! ... . will you?" The strong voice shook a trifle as Harrington eyed the firm pen strokes. Inscribing the name of John Steele Belknap on that envelope. "Sure, Tmn," the secretary said Just a bit huskily. "Sure thing. And I hope he'll go to Belknap Seven. But remember he's got his father's pride, he's high-strung. You can't give a colt too much bit to save hlrn a fall l" And a half-hour later In that j chamber the brain housing of" vast |