Show 19 OW Z ito the A north romance woods of 11 LL by coper copyright p ht 1981 1 9 11 service CHAPTER 11 1 I continued 4 A of silence followed tle lie could bee tile the pulses leap to in her and fill own heart speeded a flifle A girl in a corner should welcome such stich it a chance and he ed that elcome but it lid did tit corle coins instead of figuratively rilling emiling ou on his nek and hailing film as the savior of tile day she foll I 1 tier small hands I 1 i nd looked d at him nil nith 1111 it gabe as s searching Benn hing as it was I 1 crimps youre asking for more lhnn iou ou und understand in the way ay of trouble I 1 mean I 1 need help and right away but bill I 1 dut want ant any ni in to come to work for me ft N ith out knowing loio Ning just how desperate tile the Is that you see t be fair to to tile the sort of man I 1 mod lechle ulio ft ho have known this company compi iny for cor years figure that we e fire are even the men on the jol job have the notion that we were re paid perhaps they are right I 1 lu in trying to prove them thein fining J 1 I 1 it might be simpler it if I 1 knew just how much you have bear heard tie lie told tier her tersely the gossip he lull bal listened to in tile the past hour and she nodded slowly 11 I 1 I 1 oe nse things are nil all true there 8 a fund problem of finance however homer aich Is behl id it all tile the buil I 1 ink of Isam Kani prest now owned by gorbel holds enough of our japer to make our statement look too acry bud bad we can hope for hotl ln but embarrassing demands there rhe only way we ne can meet those obligations and keep heep from re pe in ino ald out to them to Is to atit the sawing acan borrow oil lumber in the aard from keo hee binks largely because ve have some very ery favorable contracts allow e evir lr the contracts will be voided unless e are prepared to meet their terms of regul ir and prompt ilie hie way ay out now goes back to keel aig the alie mill logged and run ran ding things ha ent beer been any too sni sin th tit nt the woods end you know N lint ne e are tip in the mat tor ter of transportation evidently e can t st aruid and a dollar for more equip mint ne e must keep afloat with v 0 it ve ne have ahne or go don down a she paused and john had a queer foiling feling annoyance annoyer re at her apparent coina snow came early ard were ere go trig ing to have trouble with it NN e have fourteen rolles miles of railroad rall rond through chop pings where drifting ft 11 be certain I 1 was w aried tonight ind went ent locking for tiny and IN ay I 1 III my engineer and tor to have hate them take tile plow out if it didn dian t let up vint a how flow I 1 happened to sep bour reception the snow hab ato kito pred were safe for tonight how flow long were vere safe no one can tell VIt hout fighting snow bec eo been unable to build up a re reserve ere of logs in the A three tiny day shut down would ruin ua blie bhe paused again and her eyes shifted a moment from ills his intent scrutiny she talked like a man a business man but that change in tier her face indicated to john that she ft nas as placing up to a pirt downing her weaknesses pah nesses and limitations with an effort which gave her a ruperd eta keneer of coldness hardness 0 no o things hovet been going so BO uell ft el in tile tha woods I 1 kept rocce my fathers old superintendent on I 1 could trust him absolutely an aal I 1 1 I 1 need men I 1 can tast the shell the bhe had built flat ut herself giving way ay e emr fr so little for the m met ake e ere iii lait t got ting aling ft hen mr air him self cune cne c une to lo hamp test johns 8 mouth month tightened and his bron bro gri eith thred cred closer lie ile seeing to hive arranged things very well for a year mr ir corbel ills his birtner pirt ner hns has been ask IN in nio lie to put aprice on ohp aror property I 1 have refused after nir mr it left the process of forcing us out began they overt overtaxed irKed our id with their logs then II 11 lp 8 harcil i p i it luy illy gnp out of the lie picture the cant foreman mark kiark isn t up ul to the jot joh two others who nho fire are go good loggers wont or f corne come now that tie story ant arwind that toni tom belknap Is after the Iti alc birds chirds tilde hide aliat liat Is the she en eni I 1 el ed nl ill raptly that is hit a super Int indent III have to confront IN mio tin ore are you to tn do UT icv ile he smiled despite the lint conviction tint thit th it this ellen rich klch ard d vas going to he be a hard to dent deal with I 1 and deac reached tied into a pocket for rl bill fold 1 I fellow juern doesn t like to knob till his onn ni niad cIlls ils lie he a bit ner ncr as lie he conal it red the thin IQ e on it billich he hc was tr trending eiding 1 I e oliv hold held one job that arnO amount lInt id d to to anything ani thing fingering through tile papers in the wallet I 1 ve e had four in forestry school tit lilt thi P bilue v title of ati tt remains to be I 1 suppose sip pose tie winded over ban n ly IY a letter 1 I 1 lont now cow what WE THE STORY FROM THE BEGINNING tom belknap Bolh nap his big timber ape operator rater ordered b by chis bla to take a complete ret rest plan a th three months trip broad abroad promises of advancement the lr has ba made mad to his bl son on john are broken broke far or so DO app apparent a rent reason reanon and the young is num man 1 id indignant P ab 1 3 gorbel corbel belknapp Belli Belk napa partner li is a bone bon ot al contention father a ald aid ld so 00 part without complot understanding at shoestring ing bit train delayed by a wreck week jolia john in 1 ordered to 1 leave vo at al a once nee he H ref re itoe aa nd after is list fist fight atta ars realize realda it II is I 1 a case cae of at mistaken identity john team leama his hi father to if bellevo belleve i to be b out to wreck the richards lumber bewildered and unbelieving he b seeks concern acl employment with that cc company in pany at the office its hi finds gorbel bullying a young girl and throws throw him oil cit gorbel gorbe does do ool t recognize nize him bim the girl la is falen richard charde Rl owner ol al the awn company pany iou oil tip expect et in tile the way vay of personal persona quit qualifications if 0 I 1 swear sear when it isn t always necessary I 1 smoke aciga ciga bettes I 1 ve been know u to drink some I 1 don t know all that thare Is to lo know about har hardwood hardold dood logging by a long ahot 1 slie she was not nol reading the letter at ebing hini him instead as though ills his words or manner intrigued her ber ild id le be interested in tills this job principally because it bild would show what I 1 could do and lul I 1 m ceilous to know how good or how bad I 1 am I 1 ve tone ilone my bi liet bt to size up my own shortcomings as for the resl reel leave it to sandy aleaver gesturing towards the let ter she held the girls girl s eyes dropped to the scrawl aind her mouth twitched it aas as comini now BOW he felt I 1 blie bhe w was as going to t jump at the chance of get ting ling he be leaned forward a bit ihnes chats a fine letter mr hir steele she sali said witch I 1 dou don I 1 know the company she looked at him us ll 11 slightly puzzled ani an paused a moni moment ent ihen de id like to have hare you go to camp with me tomorrow morn ing after a few hours on the job III aiva you an answer she rose vol aln ln a manner of dis missal issal and joh bolm n belknap ading abing now as john steele got to his feet annoyed and confounded I 1 air enough 11 he said it was as al alt there was to say what time beven sharp in the mill milliard 3 ard good nii t arid and once more I 1 thank i 7 ajr for what you did it that was ane all he said 9 id d be glad to take on oil a row with a hand like gorbell corbett ue lie did not noi heed tile the slight huski ness that had heen been in her voice olce in di catlon cation that thinking back to her encounter brought a recurrence of fright ile he did vot not care what wen on in the mind or the heart of ellen richards for what i hat she might think or feel of him film as an applicant for a chance to show his father in deed decd what mint he be was wound on I 1 CHAPTER III H HI I 1 WAS AVAS in the mill ml alliard liard early carly watching ellen clad in t in inart 8 IN arid and breeches and pas as she watched the loading of camp supplies she was crisp business like ike and greeted him almost curtly tiny temple reached down from the locomotive cab to shake his hand waybill way bill took a m mient to apologize again for tile the trouble of last night and john could see that both were watching him closely clo fenly probably wondering about his er rand ile he strolled about watched the mill saw looked over mer equipment in tile the aard ard with the train under tinder way he sat alone in the dog hois of the ully ca while filen below talking ear earnestly netly with the conductor tier her words reached him nally and always they were ere of the country savoring in phrase and inflection of the timber she was a lighter daughter rf ct tile the camps certion sprung from the same stock which had given him birth out to the northwest they tolled tilled up mile after mile of stiff grille and after seven seen miles chev crosa d it tie e ninan line branch with ith its wa ma ter tank tanh and tenders house from the crossing they rocked and clanked clanged down long grades to wards the di distant tant timber thither stopped nt at tile the belknap A forbel camps campa spotted potted cars and then went ent on on other three miles to ni Hi chardi camp sixteen wood wooda headquarters ile he lust followed her around lie ile mot met men the foren for eniar jan lack talt taft the darn barn boss bogs tile the erh the sealer the cler i arry tubbs rat fat and asthmatic ile he heard tier her talk to these run as he have talked to men in his pm ploy directly tersely in their on min language but now and again he heard items w M lmh indicated the sorry deficiencies in her experience tor such a ush task as that enn confronting frontIng her ile he kept his eyes as well ell as ears he 1141 asked ed quo que tlona of rilen ellen occasionally and of nan fian here and there hut but all th ime he was restive up tip on tile the bit growing hour hothir ly IY more provoked ath with a girl who ho needed ceded him but who arho would keep him waiting fl I 1 put ut in late afternoon when hen she led tile the way any into the office de desert ofed apfl for tile rr nent she changed to be tile the assured young ps woman filling a mans shoes more or less competently the crude offic office e we ea allent and john closed the door slie she dropped into a chair BS as bud suddenly denly weakened eak ened and aid her mouth worked ilien site she looked up with a wry tittle little brolle at and I 1 d as asked k cd well what ilo do you think of it I 1 hay day wire I 1 he exploded it a stow SIOW costly a joke I 1 no won der youre in trouble with a woods job run like tills this onel one 1 well what would you do slie she asked trying to put to eo ne ce tone of challenge into tile the v orda aad failing lie ile stood there and told tier her what he would do and why item by item told it emphatically almost as tho thoi gli ii slie wire disputing him blin told it with a thoroughness and his agulay of interpretation intel pret atlon she sha watched him film lips parting as ills his conviction carried him away aviah and when he stopped again agnan standing before tier her saying chose are a few ew of the lie things I 1 id d do until I 1 dug up nare nore to do I 1 bhe turned away into the sunset ll tenne through tile the naked tops of alape and birch and beech and tier her eyes m misted IS led im glad youre you re looking for a hord hard job jolts john Stee Ste clel loll she said calmly 1 I 1 think k I 1 think I 1 in going to depend on you from now I 1 on lie ile laughed then as a man will who Is coming coining out of a fright do my best tie he said now when a young man wholly mad Is out to show what he be can caa do and who has had find an opportunity of displaying his capacities dangled before his eyes for a day that seemed like a week eek be Is bound to go fast once started rilen tie new boss bosq went like the wind ind like fire like a wild horse by day he drove hla his crews by night he sat in the office at camp or in tou town n and laid lins flins for fur ther driving the winters operation had find been confined to a long narrow ravine into which because of the contour of the country steel could not be lam laid at ju louled led expense the haul was along the bottom of this sharp depression to its lower end and thence up a hill where here a tow team worked every hour getting loads to the top from there the doubled back on the high land par all alleging eling the first part of the haul to reach the landing over three miles it was and at one point the steel came within forty boils roils of the rim of the ravine we should be dumping damping right therel there I 1 john exclaimed to saunders when he saw ohp place I 1 I 1 lean eab but we don t haul by air plane yet betl I 1 the foreman gron growled led john said no more but his mind was N as busy la in the mill yard was war an old steam loader long discarded it was rut nt in t tad ad shape and three days later it was ir IE the woods men were building a road through ilie he deepening snow straight up the side of that pot hole and on to the art ai jacent steel the jammer was set down don skidded to the brini of tho beep pitch ard a cable bent to lo tile the drum teams team left off the long jour ney by bv lod lied lo d roads took their alei sleighs ghe down donn the pith to the brought them loaded to tile the toot foot of ohp incline unhooked and came up ahead while the poi po er of hie file rai na id ids is engine exalted file I 1 he loads to tile the top the tow tov team was as liberated for the haul each sleigh was sas able to to rame an extra etra thotis thousand and a lily costs i were ere cut hilly dilly the size of ohp decks at the new landing in creased log production was step ping up a short com conj ing was is being overcome and as an he stood on the third after arter nn nien follow ing the anit antion of his new plan john muttered tightly see what ahat im wound on tom corol I 1 see want hat I 1 am in wound V ou nd on oil yet yer the richards operation had new nev life new sw as long as john had his fingers on earh pla philise se hilt but a man cant he be in more than one place at al a time each day tins has only its allotted hours houra ile ie had had tile the train crew with him film from the beginning and lid did not need nee to worry vorry alt getting the best out of what hat equipment he had there lucker the was as spry enough eager elou ii it seemed hut hitt there N were ere times when N lien john ft f it flint lint he could coll rot not wholly I 1 rust the man he could put chiq finger finser on no he could 1111 point nut lust intuitive distrust ile he won lik talt taft the barn tk ro q frind hv by n a up h one niter bitter night to 11 ap mini minister ter t a n ik fk the horse dipert tint hilt its iier had not been johns john 9 prini nry motive in going gina 16 been ir lie ile no edca tap tt staunch support of hlo his meu men as aa any executive needs tile faith and toy joy ally of those at his commend no business will succeed unless dl 1 visional heads are behind the man argement heart and soul the back bach bony bone of no an army la Is its nou corns coms out but the uphill pull commenced to show progress forty thou thousand sanI a day john mu mut must t put to tile the mill to keep the band saw fed uc ile he be in to do better than tills this by holiday time the cesere decked in tile the ard had crept up a a two day tut cut was there waiting for an enter gency a three enough for or tow daa das a not time iet for a n long breath but time to let yourself hopp bopf a trine trifle 0 show you ahat im ila wound |