Show j XIT S eavold THUS wu 0 SYNOPSIS lion gillott from yonder annle film entry into the it im borIng town ot of tincup bringing along an old man don cuart who had been eager to rea reach ch tincup nicholas brandon Kr andon the towns leadlie deadina citizen resents stuarts presence trying to force him film to leave town and 1 Ul llott resenting the act knocks him hini down Is arrested but finds a friend in judge ablo able armitage the hudso hares film to run the alio one lumber camp tho tha hoot owl oali that brandon lina has not been able to grab this be bar longs to dawn Afa blanus daughty daugh to of old partner who has disappeared with a murder charge hanging over ills hl head It randon sends tile hla bully duval to bent beat up pen iten and lion lien him I 1 in n a int fist and throws him out of old don stuart dies leaving a let ter tar for N Kl I llott to be ba used when the ilia going becomes too tough lion hen refuses refi iBea to open the letter ut fit this time bel bellowing loving he can win the fight ty by his own efforts fire breaks out in tile the mill when tho the flames flame are extinguished pen discovers llo covers that tho lira fire was started with gasoline tito the hoot owl gols an offer of spot cash tor for timber that wilt will provide provid money to 0 o tide it over out dut there I 1 la ft a d ailed aits nits time limit on the offer uon don meets Mc mcmanus Alanus and dincov erm er she ehe Is I 1 not a child as an lie ho had supposed but a beautiful young woman CHAPTER VI continued 0 limped out and brandou brandon alone puffed for a time on his cigar next lio lie opened ft a lower drawer and drow out a bottle of whisky only ono one drink remained lit in IL it ile he frowned A year n nan 0 o ho hd had find procured that liquor for nearly twelve months it had been scarcely touched hut but since tile tho night that old don stuart died its con coll tents lenta had been drawn uton upon frequently quent ly ills hands shook a bit ns as lie he lifted filled tile the bottlo bottle to his lips now but after drinking now new strength began to surge through ills hla body and lie ho smiled iio looked at ills hla watch after a 6 time and then out into tile the street after a time he fie rose and walked to tho the wall telephone vivo give tile 1110 afisa joburns Co burna burns house will you he asked the operator 1 hello I lei to I 1 miss bliss co ali ah dawn I 1 ita alts uncle nick talking went want to go to tile the movie tonight sho she scorned to hesitate and ho he tilted his head sharply lips parted then her voice cattle came its ita nice of you to think of me air 11 r brandon nr andon hut I 1 dont think I 1 care are to go with iou you tonight oil sorry lie he said Ren lally AIlY enough but tits his brows gathered Bd therod another time then Iller perhaps haps iler her receiver clicked up and he turned away from the instrument scowling thoughtfully mister brandon Dr audon oil ch tid he maid DWY and no excuse well I 1 tile the last word was spoken with si a snap as though a charter chapter wits wn closed lie he paced the floor slowly flo a was brooding planning and by tile the look laok on his foco face it was leden that he planned good for vo DO man except possibly nicholas brandon perhaps he was wan thinking of the matter that was to confront hen en elliott within twenty four hours that young roan man was in high feather as tile crew came in to supper ilia 1119 locomotive had find shunted shunt cil the standard rara up from hoot owl before glit and tile ho veneer logs scattered nong along the steel had commenced going up at once able haa come driving out from town la in mid afternoon dawn beside him film and with an added thrill thrift because of her presence iten ben directed tho loading of the last car con colors that the girls eyes were often on him with an expression which belled her apparent indifference when he fie tried to engage her la conversation it was dark when tile the jammer man swung the last log into place anti toggles were made fast able and dawn rode with lien hen in tho the locomotive its as they trundled down lie he track to camp you boys have had bad a long day 1 den ben said to the engineer and n nroman ir 0 1 4 wont get any dar darker k er you eat your suppers here and well run cm in tills this evening ile he turned to able 0 our contract calls for delivery in time to meet the local she slips s been coming coining through a little before eight in the morning want to take no ino chance of having tills this stuff clcil tie up now that would bo be a tough break I 1 the engine crew had bet been n fusi ing with a suspected draw bar and did not enter the cook shanty until anost of the others lind had left soon afterward tile the door opened again slid and mackmore mack more fame in how defir rie ate you ready to deliver he fie asked elliott will a worried ried frown at As soon boon as the boys there stoke stake their own bollerey boll bol cral lerel lien ilen replied lightly sure you can malte make it As aa sure as a man call lie be 1 I sure hope so BO lien hen you know by now that ini im putting pulling for you in tills scrap nut ive got to hold you ou to your contract to tho the hour and letter of it your friend brandon tins has wired into tho house it seems offering tiny quantity of veneer stuff bluff up tip to seventy thousand nt at tn dollars loss losa than your contract calls for Ile lleroy a wire blinking fl a telo grani 11 ordering me to hold you to your agreement and if youre late into or short on scale to i have ve brandon randon Il load tomorrow its out of my hands you see em dens mouth tightened well it happens weve ducked from under tinder our genial friend bran don ngali yeah well whip saw mr nick Dran donl grinned and unbuttoned ills hla cont COAL lie ilo chuckled lie iio ang wn s glad ite ire was on lions hens side bide for certain and as ho he lit ills his pipe and commenced to talk with in fin casing in tits hla manner n triumphant sort of peace descended on tile the shanty hut but even as they visited a slender moving through the dark ness with it fl slight blight limp followed foil tol owed the hoot owl steel up tile tho long grade that climbed from the siding on the trestle this figure stood still in the cold quiet then he fie dropped down tile the bank of tho the stream to where tile tho crib work of tile the trestle stood stoutly footed bonon benon ninth tit the and water for m many n ny minutes lie he was thre grunting occasionally and when he fie climbed tile tha bank again ho he trailed fied something carefully behind across the bridge now HOT he fie w went atter after more listening anil and down again beneath ben catli the alio north end of the trestle more grunting lawings in the snow hard prodding with a short steel bar and up tip again trailing something carefully once more next the man lighted a cigarette shielded the oame flume of tho the match in cupped hands and anil after the tobacco was burning applied the fire to a pair of other objects held tightly between and forefinger I 1 lie he let idt them RO go and a pair of greenish sputters sp utters began crawling across tile the and tile tho ninn man was limping swiftly up tip the hill over the crest while the green sputters sp utters drew one crossing tile trestle t to 0 its northerly end the other moving in tho the opposite direction it was twenty minutes later bon ben eilbott was putting pulling on tits his mackinaw preparatory to going out with tho the first three cars of logs when he stopped suddenly one arm in its sleeve alcove ns as a jolt shook the building rit rattling ming dishes find and causing the door of the range oven to drop open with a hang none in tile lie place spoke they looked at ench each other faces set in puzzlement again came a heavy jolt a loud detona tion and n pan fell from its shelf with a crazy clatter no word still without speaking they leaped for the doorway and eiver emerged ged to see the crew spilling from the mens meals shanty to look anti listen its ita dillrd ryo eye blaine croaked hoarsely as lie ran out Dinny mIte for fer sure surel I 1 where benny by looking earnestly into alliotts elliotts Ell Elli lotts otts face for us to find out den ben answered grimly and they followed him as lie he ran with long strides toward the direction from which the sound had conie collie AtIl minutes lutes later inter they came up to him tile the fastest of them its as lie he stood motionless on the bank of tile lie hoot owl looting looking at the mass of twisted rall railroad rond steel and of ties that dangled from the swinging ralls mils in ragged fringe at tho the sent scat remnants of crib work at the piling filling standing splintered and awry and useless in the stream bed ben alliotts elliotts Elli otts bridge was gone eone ills way to the siding with his veneer logs on tile lio delivery of which hung nun tile the rate fate of tile the OP wa was blocked no time remained to team tea n them out there was no other way to get gel the them out it except by steel and tits his steel was broken twisted twists d useless lie ile turned to face them ns as they crowded up swearing and exclaim ins ing in excited voices you houston I 1 ho he to the camps boss got those stand ards off the ninin main llin line elrd eye bye start a fire here you nien men you three there ret get a fire going on the other bank you teamsters b back ack to camp and dress your donkeys bring axes pen penneys veys ing equizi D ent I lively ively now every everybody bodyl I 1 A job of work coming coining apt up I 1 whose wind wit short elbowed through the lie cro pint pant ing heavill flood 0 do d elliott Kl llott thearo scotched scorched scot ched you I 1 don gave him film a fleeting scorching glance scotched scorched Scot ched hll h 11 only got mo me good and mad I 1 and now begun began it scene tho the like of which find never been recorded in tile tho tincup country men lien were there in numbers num tiera where huge bonfires bondreau bon drea constantly tended that tile the light should bo be steady flared on tile tho jinks of the hoot owl sawyers cant cantli hook ook trion tolled to reduce tile wreckage of the trestle snaking it out of the way working hastily noisily no lally excitement evident in thel r movements and shouts others cut brush until tile the sloping river banks allowed bare till and lark stick linck in the woods oil ill dares burned as the steam loader puffed and snorted and rattled swung its boom lifted logs from their banks tossed them through the air and dropped them into place on it ft fant car once loaded tho the car of losa logs and tho the jammer were trundled down the mile of track to the stream slow mid and slower tile car moved un tit til the boom of tho the loader leader overhung tile tho gap where a trestle had been then blocks went into place to secure tile tho whoops gillott rave gave the alio signal the boom swung a half circle flook men their tackle to a log lo 10 on the singia car up it wont around and out over tile the river bank and then down elliott was wag below there with his cant hook men they grabbed tile the first stick wrestled it into place parallel with tile tho current end others with mauls and stakes gave it a firm resting place on the bank another log another anoche ran and stillmore more until n crudo crude foundation for trestle abutment had been made ion encouraged lie ho fluttered flattered hp hf I 1 cajoled and lie he drove those men na aa they never had find been driven before thoy they moved on a run when going from place to place they seem ed to to try to outdo one another when strength beenie essential they were infected with alliotts elliotts Ell Elli loUt otts ore cre standing on tile the hank bank within the circle of firelight dawn INIC Manus seemed to snuggle close to able armitage altage Arr face pallid even eved under tho the ruddy glow of flames iler her eyes followed just one figure that of i her eyes eye followed just one fig ure lire that of den ben elliott El llott uen ben elliott Kl llott commanding resourceful a human dynamo lie he was shortly after midnight the supply team drove up from camp the cook drew back blankets which had covered its burden cotna ced put ting generous genero iia pieces of steaming iteal between slices of bread and the cook poured coffee from huge pots for the men who swarmed around the sleigh hack back to the decks in the woods went the locomotive dowa it came again bearing more logs these were let down to a pile which rose almost to the track level when it was three feet higher nearly half the work would bo be finished workers staggered through the snow bearing a steel rail it went into place elsh plates clattered wrenches set nuts and spikes put tile the rail secure on ties so when the locomotive leaking steam from its old joints lumbered down with its ita next burden the loader was set out on tills this length of new track and began the tha task of tilling filling in the far the tha ravine leaving a sluiceway through thron cli which the waters of the stream gurgled and surged blackmore joined able arid and dawn on oil the bank where the firelight struck topaz lights from tile snow the old justice turned an inquiring gaze on him and the buyer shrugged shrug god two ho he muttered lies iles got less lesa than six hours left to turn the trick it seem humanly possible able said slowly it beginning to think black more replied that the nian man bunian tills this thin thing stopped most men I 1 know without a try but not I 1 Illo daybreak found them hero throwing chrowl ng the last load of loss logs into place ind and the pallid light or of tile tho early day revealed face drawn and gaunt and colorless ills his eyes burned brightly strangely dark ills only chance Is that till in lo calIt bo be late inte moaned mount d to able six 0 clock and broad axes shaped tile the logs on which the ties would rest and u from the sidling came it a team tit at a trot all and behind it another these were dion from who hod had feord of tile work going on they loft left their sch a and looked tit nt tile the ellier emergency gency trestle and then stared nt at one onither nod arld shook their heads 11 til an amazement things like that ji just 1 st llila happen they seemed scorned to bo be thinking then came a battered cutter ci itter with old tim jeffers driving alone to seo see what ans to be seen Il heard elleard the shots in town last night lie he told old able come collie morn in I 1 drove tills this way tito tho old justice nod led grimly you guessed eues Bcd then tim spit alt fing angrily rIly the ind was wag 9 ettin too close to hla big wark to suit some folks it seven and men inell staggered up tip tile the embankment bearing a rail five minutes later inter it rant rang and sang ns As tile the spike went houle home anti adoth or er the iasi was baroug ht tip the ho gap ap was bridgell the last spikes were going in tile the far jot job was done but bill tension screwed up and tit pi OB as A faddle string Is tightened it was seven thirty and far off a locomotive screamed tito lacall gasped nt at dixon in a halt hour now II 11 1 tile the boys boya licked lick eoll I 1 A half hour I 1 A half hour in which to move six standard cars laden with a heavy ficula of saw logs over that grade I 1 two trips iton ilen I bilott had hn estimated it would take two trips for tile the leaking old locomotive to drag them the three miles to the siding wid and puff its way ba back C 1 and trundle the other three over tho the hill and down the slope blomo it was a half mile allo climb clineb from river to summit with a better than four per cent gande A rood good locomotive of oven even small tonnage might tal take ice them over at once but not the old ruin that stood son sending dIng its plume of smoke into tile the morning air up the track yonder and it if those logi 1099 were not put down for the train even now screaming its way |