Show t S r t 11 Vt p I Ii Is i I. I s t t r t to 4 1 r 4 J s PROLOGUE u f t. t rv s J This romance of Freckles and andr r the Angel of the Limberlost is f. f r i one of the the most most novel entertain entertain- 4 in ing wholesome and fascinating J t stories that have come from the V-J V pen of an American author in int t t many years The characters in inthis inus this us sylvan tale are are- 1 Freckles a plucky waif who S guards the Limberlost timber timbe leases and dreams of angels The T Swamp Angel in whom Freckles Freckles' sweetest dream ma- ma McLean a member of a lumber limber company who befriends Freckles Mrs Duncan who gives mother moth- moth er love ove and a home to Freckles l' l f Duncan head teamster of McLeans McLean's Mc Me s 's Leans Lean's timber gang jr M i The Bird Woman who is coli collecting collecting col- col i camera studies of birds I r J for a bookIl book Il Lord and Lady O who V h come from irom ft I eland Ireland in quest of a ai alost i J. J lost relative r t. t J The TAe Man fan of o Affairs brusque but heart x of manner big of t t Wess er a timber thief who wants rascality made easy Black Jack a villain to whom 1 thou thought ht of repentance comes too tooL L x t late CHAPTER I. I T TILE THE GUARD HECKLES came down the ther cor corduroy the lower that 7 duroy crosses c I end of the Lim Limberlost At a abe glance be tie might have han been beenS b- b S a l. l f mistaken for tor a n tramp tramp but he lie was Intensely In in- tensely ely eager ager somewhere and i to be attached to almost any sort of f enterprise that would furnish him food tood and clothing lothIng 1 Long before he came In sight of ot the camp of the Grand Rapids Lumber V company he could hear the cheery voices of ot the men and the neighing of ot the horses and could scent the tempting tempt tempt- tog ing odors of ot cooking food tood A feeling of 01 homeless friend friendlessness swept over o overy y t him He ne turned into the newly made road and followed It to the camp camp The men were Jovially calling back and forth as they tired i l horses that fell tell into attitudes of ot rest and nd crunched In deep content the thep p grain In given giyen giyen them hem As he wiped the ot his big bays with handfuls of papaw papaw leaves Duncan the brawny Scotch head bead teamster softly whistled s Oh wha will wUl be my dearie darie Oh and anda V V V a cri cricket ket under the leaves at his feet teet accompanied him Wreathing tongues of ot flame am wrapped about the black keti kettles ket ket- i u ties s V and when the cook lifted the thet t- t r ory of savory odors escaped f j Freckles approached him J V I want to speak to the tha boss he said Raid The be cook glanced him over and answered an an- carelessly He Be cant can't use you you t i The color flooded Fre Freckles Freckles' kles' kles face tace but buthe b he be said simply If It you will be having 1 the goodness to point him out we will wUl give him a chance to do his own talk talk- Ing V of ot astonishment the V With With a shrug cook led the way to a broad broad- square shouldered man Mr McLean heres here's another man wanting to be taken on OI the gang I suppose he said All right right came the cheery answer I never needed a good man more than I 1 do Just now No use of your bothering with this fellow tello volunteered the cook He HeA A bast has i one hand JI burned r y The The flush on Freckles Freckles' face deeper His lips Ups thinned to a mere mereline line He lifted his bis shoulders took a astep astep step forward and thrust out his rl right ht arm from which the sleeve dangled r empty at the wrist i That will do Sears came the voice vole t V V of the boss sharply I will wUl Interview 4 my man when I have finished this report re rp port t Freckles stood one instant as he be had bait I J V braced himself to meet the eyes eye of the I manager then his arm dropped and a n wave of whiteness swept over him The Ibe boss had not even turned his bend head to see ee the deformity pointed out to tu him hlIn He Lie had used the possessive t When he be said my man the hungry heart ot o Freckles went reaching out r I. I i r. r i r ji r iI 2 J f fRECKLES my fl rm u S In rr COPYRIGHT 19 1404 1904 4 BY DOUBLEDAY PACE h t CO after atter him The he boy drew a quivering breath Then he whipped off his bis old hat bat and beat bent the dust from It care care- fully tully With his hla left hand he caught the rl right ht sleeve wiped his sweaty face and tried to straighten his hair with his fingers He broke a spray of ot beside him and used the purple purple pur pur- pie blossoms to be beat t the dust from his bIs shoulders and limbs McLean was was a n Scotchman The men of ot his camps had never known him t tobe to tobe be In a hurry or to lose his temper Discipline was Inflexible but the boss bos always always' was kind He shared camp amp life lite with hl his gangs The only visible signs of ot hIs hla great wealth consisted of or ofa ofa ora a big shimmering diamond stone of ot otice Ice an and fire that t glittered gUttered and burned on one of his fingers and the dainty beautiful thoroughbred mare he be rode No o man of ot McLeans McLean's gangs could honestly say that be he had ever bel been n overdriven or underpaid They all knew that up In the great timber Umber city several millions stood to his credit He was the only son of ot that McLean McLean Mc Mc- Lean who had sent out the finest ships ever eer built In Scotland That hl his sou son should carry carryon on this business after his Lis death had been the fathers father's ambition He sent the boy through Edinburgh university and Oxford and allowed him several years years' tra travel fel Then he was ordered through southern southern southern south south- ern Canada and Michigan to purchase a consignment of tall straight ht timber er for masts and down into Indiana for oak beams The young man mail entered these mighty forests parts of which still lay untouched since the dawn of oC the morning of time The intense silence silence silence si si- lence like that of a great empty cathe cathedral dral dial fascinated him He gradually learned that to the shy by wood creatures creatures creatures crea crea- tures that darted across his hla path or Ol peeped Inquiringly from leafy leaty ambush ho he was brother He found himself r approaching with a feeling of reverence reverence rever rever- ence those majestic trees that bud bad stood through ages of ot sun wind and snow Soon It became a difficult thing to o fell them When be he had bad filled tilled till fill ed his order and aud returned home bome be was amazed to find that In the swamps and forests he be had lost lust his heart beart and It was calling forever calling him When he be inherited his fathers father's property property property prop prop- erty he promptly disposed of ot it and anti with his mother founded u Ii home In a splendid residence in the outskirts of Grand Rapids With three partners he organized a lumber company compan Hh His work was to purchase fell feU and ship the timber to the mills Marshall managed the milling process and passed passed pass pass- ed the lumber on to the factory Ir From m the lumber Barthol made beautiful and useful furniture which e scattered all over o the world from a It abig abig big wholesale house McLean faced a n young man still under under un un- un der twenty tall spare heavily framed thickly freckled and red haired with witha a homely Irish fact face but In the steady gray eyes straightly meeting his searching ones of blue there were un unswerving unswerving un- un swerving candor and a look of ot longIng longing long long- Ing not to be ignored You are looking for work works questioned quill ques McLean answered Freckles I am ver very sorry said the boss but there is only one man I want at present present-a a good big fellow with a stout heart beart and a strong body I hoped hOlled that you would do but I 1 am afraid you are too young and hardly strong enough And what was it you thou thought bt 1 I might be doing asked Freckles The boss could scarcely repress s a start Somewhere back of accident and poverty had been an anc ancestor stor who used cultivated English even with an accent Th The boy spoke In a a mellow Irish voice volee sweet and arid pure It was scarcely definite enough to be called brogue yet there was a trick In the turning of ot the sentence the tile wron wrong sound of a letter here bere and there that was almost irresistible to McLean He was of foreign birth and d despite years of alienation in times of ot strong feeling he be fell tell into inherited sins of accent and construction Its no childs child's job an answered Mc Mc- Lean I am the field manager of a n n. n lumber company We Ye hn have vt ju Just t leased II 2000 acres of the Limberlost Many of ot these trees are of ot great value alue We Wt- cant can't leave lea our camp six miles south for almost a year yel yet so soft we ft have han blazed a trail and strung barbed wires securely about tb the extent of ot this thin lease Before we return to our work I must mURt put this Limberlost t lease IP In the hands of a reliable brave strong man mm win who winwill will guard JUard It er e every hour of the and sleep with one eye eve open at night I 1 should require the entire length of ot the trail trai to be hp walked at least twice every day to make wake sure that our lines UneR were up and no one bad had been tres tres- passing But why wouldn't that be he the finest t Job in the world for me meV mer pi pleaded end Freckles I am never ne sick I ond walk the trail twice three times et every everyday everyday day and Id I'd be watching sharp nil all the while Its because you are little more than thana a boy and this 4 will be a trying Job jih for tor a work hardened man answered McLean You would be afraid In stretching par our lines UDe we killed i 1 Jk b W Ie almost as long as your body and as thick as your arm iou ion ou wound always be lie alone and the Lim Limberlost is alive with sounds and voice voh es 1 I dont don't pretend to say RIY what all aU ot of come from but from a few tew forms torm Ive I've seen and acid hair raising luJ yens yeas elu Ive I've beard heard Id I'd rather not confront their owners myself and 1 I am neither weak nor fearful i Worst of 01 all any man who will wilt enter the swamp to mark and steal timber is a de desperate fellow One of my employees at the south camp John Carter compelled me to discharge him bim for n a number of serious reasons He lIe entered the swamp alone and acid marked markeda a number of valuable trees that he be hewa was wa endeavoring oring to sell to our rival company when when we secured the lease He Ill has sworn to have these trees if he be has to tu die or to kill others to to get et them thew Lint Hut if he IH came to steal trees he lie bring teams and aud men V enough that all nil any man mau could do would be Ice to watch und and be e after utter you ou 7 queried the boy I Yes Yea replied McLean I Then why h couldn't 1 I be bo watching Just us closel closer closely and coming omIng as fast as asan an au older stronger man Why by George you could exclaimed exclaimed exclaimed ex ex- ex- ex claimed McLean I 1 dont don't know that the size of u a man mun would be half balf so important as hi his grit rit and and faithfulness What Is your name numer Freckles grew a shade bade whiter but buthis buthis I his eyes never nefer faltered Freckles he be said Good enough for every day laughed laugh laugh- ed McLean but 1 can an s scarcely arcely put Freckles on the company's books i haven't any UllY name replied the b boyI boy bay y I 1 dont don't understand said McLean I 1 was thinking from the voice and the face of or you that you wouldn't said Freckles slow slowly I. I Does Doe it seem eem to 10 you that that any any one would take u a newborn baby and aud row over o It until It was bruised ed Wack cut cur ol oft off its hand and aud le leave lee e It out in a n bitter bitter bit bit- ter nl night ht on the steps of a charity home to tu the cure care of strangers That's That what somebody did to meThe meThe me The home people took me In in and I Iwas Iwas Iwas was there th the full legal a age e and several Re years over The They could always tind lind homes bomes for I the lice rest of the children but nobody would ever er be bt wanting me meon meon meon on account of me arm Were they kind to you your asked Mc Mc- Lean I dont don't know answered Freckles The reply sounded so RO hopeless even to his own ears that be he hastened to qualify qualify ity it by adding Yon You see Its It's like this sir Kindnesses that people are paid to la lay ol off in iii Job lots und that belong equally to several hundred othera others others oth oth- ers era aint going oln to be soaking Into any anyone anyone anyone one fellow much Go on said McLean cLean oJ Theres nothing worth the taking of ot your time lime to tell replied Freckles The home was in Chicago and I 1 was wa there all me life Ute up to three mouths months ago When I was too old for tor the training training train train- ing they gave to the little children they sent me out out to to the nearest ward school as us long as as the law would law would let them but butI ut utI I was never like any of ot the other children chil hll then dren and they all knew it Id I'd to go and anti come like a prisoner and be working about the home bome early and late for tor me board and clothes I always wanted to learn mighty bad but I was seas glad Iad when that was Wl over Then a new superintendent sent me JUe down in the state to a man mall be he said h be he knew Ime that needed a boy He Ht wasn't for fur remembering to to- tell that man that I was a hand short and he be knocked me me down Between noon and that evening he and his Ills son SOD about my age had me in pretty much the same Imme shape in which I was found in the beginning so I 1 lay awake that nI night ht and ran away Id I'd like to have squared me account Ill nc- count with that boy before I left but butI I 1 didn't dare for tor fear tear of waking the theold theold theold old man and I knew I couldn't handle the two of them but Im I'm hoping to meet him alone some da day before I 1 IdIe die McLean liked the boy all the better belter for this confession I r didn't even have hae to steal clothes to get rid of starting In me home bome ones Freckles went on 00 for or they had already taken all me clean neat things s for the boy and put me into his rags rUg and that went almost aa at sore as ag the beatings for tor where I 1 was we we were al always al- al always ways ways' kept tidy and aud sw sweet et smelling anyway I 1 hustled bustled clear into this state slate before I learned that man couldn't have kept me if It hed he'd wanted to I commenced hunting bunting work but it Is 14 with everybody els else Just ns ts It I is with you sir BI Big strong whole men are the only onty ones for ones Jor for being wanted I 1 have ha been studying g over this matter matter matter mat mat- ter answered McLean I am not so sure but that a man no older than you and like you In every way could do this work very cry well If ifs he were not a coward oward If It you will give me a Job where I t Ican can cnn earn me food clothes and n a place to sleep said Freckles if It I can have havea a boss to work for tor like other men menanda and anda a place I 1 feel teel Ive I've a n ri right ht to 1 I will do what you tell teU me or die trying He said It so quietly and convincingly that McLean found himself answering answering answering an an- I will enter you you on my pay pay- rolls Well We'll have bavE supper and then I 1 will provide pro you with clean clothing wading boots wire mending apparatus and a revolver Tb The first thing In the morning I will take you over tb the trail myself All AH I ask of ot you I Is to come cometo cometo to me at once at the south sonth camp and aud tell me like a man If It you yon |