Show tah in M at d n va rf fa fv KIL yondell Yondel 3 by HAROLD TITUS copyright 1928 harold titus titu service THE STORY FROM THE BEGINNING ben from yonder arrives at the lumbering town of tincup with don stuart old very sick man whom he has befriended he defeats bull duval king of tile the river and town bully in a log birling contest nicholas nichola brandon jbrandon the towns lending leading citizen resents stuarts presence trying to force h him in to leave town and elliott resenting the act knocks him film down milott elliott Is arrested and finds a friend in judge able armitage the judge hires him to run the one lumber camp the hoot owl that brandon has not been able to grab this belongs to dawn mcmanus daughter of brandona Bran dons old partner who has disappeared with a m murder u ader charge hanging over his head brandon sends duval to beat up ben and n d ben w 0 arsts him film in a flat fight and throws him out of camp don stuart dies leaving leav ing a letter tor for elliott to be used when the going becomes too tough ben cretu es to open the letter believing he can win the fight by his own efforts PI fire re breaks out in the mill ben lending leading the victorious light against the flames that threatened to win the light fight for brandon discovers the ire fire was started with gasoline elliott gets nn an offer of spot cash for logs that will provide money to tide him over but ft a definite nite time limit Is set CHAPTER V continued 9 1 I saw your trall that Is I 1 how different tills beginning from the manner of address lie he had plan planned ile he felt called upon now to explain his presence on tier her trail rather than to demand a reason for her being there 1 I saw your trail lie he began again and I 1 thought it seemed to m me you might be a little lost As a matter of fact I 1 am completely turned around she said it was silly of me to come into the woods especially on a day like this without a compass but I 1 did and here I 1 ami she was eyeing him film closel closely Y now as though searching for some special detail of face or figure lost lie he thought a lost diana 1 1 I kept losing my hearings bearings and had trouble getting oriented and am getting a little tired it was so silly downright stupid if you know this country you can set me right I 1 should be back in tincup before long or worry ben wondered quickly and irrelevantly who they might be yes he could get her out in a half hour he could have hare her in his bis camp and send her on her way to town but in a half hour and with her manner so clearly hostile for no reason at all she impressed him as a young woman most desirable to know well and also as one whose confidence would be slow in acquiring lost eh he asked and laughed oddly matter of fact I 1 came out without a compass myself that wits was truth lie needed no compass for a short abort swing such as he had made today his sound woods mans instinct would hold him safe well that complicates matters mathers matr ers the girl said ive got to get ger out of this timber and im not good for much more travel in this sort of going I 1 been on webs in several years and ive gone further than I 1 should have by george too baal he be said and hoped that none of his men who would be trekking into camp by now would shout or sing so their voices would break down the illusion of empty distances surrounding them which evidently possessed the girl too baal its getting dark sure enough but it very late if you could sit down and get your wind now 7 but what good will that do it if we stay here until its really dark abere may be no getting out until morning g all I 1 have with me Is a cake 0 of chocolate and the prospect of a hungry cold night in the woods with you alluring hen ben rubbed his chin im sorry it if the impression I 1 make Is as bad as 1 I meant nothing personal bur I 1 dont know you I 1 dont fancy being lost with alth anyone let alone a stranger ile he thought she almost smiled as it if relent relenting ln a bit from her brusqueness looka he be said pointing aloft to where a break in the clouds near the unith let about the last of the daylight through its going to clear well have stars directly let me build it a little shelter aud and a fire here A few minutes of rest will do a lot of good and with stars we can get anywhere she hesitated seeming to consider all right I 1 must admit the last halt half hours going has been hard out came his belt ax as off went the lower limbs of young hemlocks in less than it would take an aa ordinary man to lop the branches he had bad it bench beach of trampled snow enow on a knoll covered with aromatic boughs and a thick windbreak of them behind it IL then attacking a huge birch stub he be peeled off a quantity of lose bark this he lighted from a match carried in a tightly corked bottle and as the quickly burning stuff shed a comfortable glou glott on the bower he had built he knocked dead branches from a be hemlock allock fed them to the flame and then turned to a nearby dry top of a fallen maple knocking off substantial faggots maggots fag gots by the tlene time lie he finished this the girl had shaken off her snowshoes stuck them on end in the snow and was sitting on the couch he had built tor for her she eyed the fire as he stood erect cawing draing off its his gloves and spreading lla his big hands to the warmth strange she said that you should be lost from the way you make yourself comfortable in the woods id say been born in timber prow irom the way you know woodcraft when you see it id say its as strange that you should be lost what I 1 know of the woods t i tas as learned years ago one gets rusty ive discovered who are you and hot hat are you doing here tier her directness quite dune took his breath well my names ben ellliott El llott if that means anything to you and I 1 was looking ter for somebody who has no business to be here who are you and what brings you into this timber lie he was bound now to break through tier her aloofness that she replied however Is largely my own affair but mr elliott if you should guess that tha t I 1 was simply trying to lose a certain unpleasant mood in the woods where I 1 once was quite happy you be far from right she spoke incisively and unhesitatingly but it seemed to him behind this was something quite different something he be could not fathom he was about to remind tier her that she had not yet revealed her identity when she went on looking for someone wl who io has no business here you said just who are they what are they doing As to the first I 1 cant tell you for the second their purpose probably would be to attempt to hold up a timber operation in which im rather interested te not so far from here her eyes were on him with a curious expression which might possibly have e been personal interest to hold you up how flow are arc you from tincup 1 I 1 am you know people there and what seems to be the towns most famous tradition 1 I dont understand it that nicholas brandon finishes what he be starts out to do that whatever be says goes come what inny may tier her eyes dropped ive heard that said people like to talk right but im managing an outfit encouraging rough going frim some source all sorts of things are arc happening and im trying to head oft off certain of them 1 I see she phe looked away and puckered her delp table lips as though to whistle ber ben rubbed his chin again she was not even interested in learning more about aboul him but where many young men would have been piqued at that he only laugh d softly whits the joke she asked almost defiantly 1 1 I I was just thinking that its a funny situation when a man gets into a scrap and it looks so big to him that he thinks the whole darned country must be watching it and him mid and then along aling comes a nice girl abos been in a position to hear all about it and who interested a dimes worth she looked up at him slowly you mean that you want to talk balk about it perfectly natural that I 1 should im in one whale of a light and having the time of my life its the first job ive found in a coons age that was hard enough and complicated enough to be worth working over what ive heard beard about you yon youve oh so you have heard beard about me of course I 1 live in tincup few have any secrets in a town of tin cups size ben chuckled again well then if youve heard that much about me and my lob job maybe there anything I 1 could tell you that would be interesting maybe not she said with an air of dismissal ben watched her closely as she slowly broke a twig to bits with her slim fingers deer used to yard in the swamp iwama back of here she said when I 1 was a little girl I 1 used to come out and try to make friends with them why I 1 came out today wondering if started to yard yet its too early for them to yard yes but the snow way may get deep enough any day to bunch them lie he said and shrugged if it ir gets deep in a burry the deer will yard all rl right ait and maybe ill be licked and a little girl done out of all she has in the world all she lias has in the world meaning just what it if you live in tincup and know the town you must know about the owner of this property this Is the hoot boot owl timber A queer smile twitched at the girls lips sometimes I 1 think I 1 do as often I 1 wonder what ashes like really like I 1 happen to be dawn me Mcl mantis lanus ben elliott opened his mouth as if to speak then closed it ag gila and made a foolishly helpless in nith one hand lie he staged nt at lier all I 1 mj began to stammer why I 1 wily you wily why able said I 1 lie ile laughed outright then as his misconception became clear oh it if id given it a see second thought id have known I 1 able first told me about you as a little girl it stuck in my head a little girl irl but that was years ago of course gee why then youre lost in your bad back yard tard as you might g say 1 I was she corrected but a few minutes ago I 1 heard some one sing out and just now the cool cook called the crew to supper then why you because I 1 was rather curious to discover what sort of man Is standing between me and poverty per perhaps hillis ironically tills this and of course I 1 knew you lost elliott flus flushed lied on that 1 I played at being lost myself so id have it chance to talk to you im glad I 1 did unless it has offended you 11 no im im only ready to go in now she adjusted the harness of her shoes dexterously and they set out on the way to camp ben bell tried to co talk to her further but her responses were brief and committal noncommittal non rion her interest at appeared to be only poorly aroused e even V en on such a vital matter as the operation of her property and so finally he gave up trying to make talk and broke trail thinking that now the job would have an added zest that a girl like dawn own mcmanus was an ever greater incentive than alian the thought of a small child alone with her timber at the mercy of hard schemers and depending on him to make safe her heritage in camp blackmore the veneer buyer was waiting for ben and after eating silently in the cook shanty with those two dawn set out for tincup with blackmore leaving ben with considerable sid erable to think about besides revamping varn ping the mill and getting out choice logs CHAPTER VI the new piston head for tile the locomotive arrived and elliott was at th the station when the train bearing it pulled in more he was close beside the express car when it halted and carried the part himself to his waiting sleigh the veneer logs wore were ready to come out to the siding standard cars had been set off at hoot owl that day fill ai 0 10 JU pool rooms a good place for you to be limpy morrow bright and early they would start loading and by night his contract with Black blackmore wore would be filled lie ile would receive a large check a substantial stant lal part of it clear profit in return ills his men were growing restless under the driving whispers in camp had it that the job was broke beyond repair and he be knew that to pass a pay day would send his crew scattering a handicap which lie he could never overcome in time but with the men held on the job and the mill ready to saw in another week he be would be ready to give the hoot owl a fresh start a new hold on hope after reaching camp he plunged into his blankets for a rights nights rest and about the time lie he burrowed into the pillow nicholas brandon sat in his office talking to a pale slender young man whose eliose blue eyes smiled genially genially yes but in that quality was a flaw one might have observed on close scrutiny Famil familiarity larity with dimpy holbrook might not breed contempt but surely in an alert man it would stir an a awareness for the need of caution soon or later brandon now nodded slowly all right dont start until dark and ilo flo just as ive told you dont forget to give yourself plenty of time you cant travel fast 1 I get you sir mr brandon lave have you thatis has he ever seen you ile he came into the pool room and I 1 sold him tobacco the other day we ive visited a min minute tite friendly nothing but bill ali briw open smile had I 1 the cast of it a ler leir i I 1 1 imir i i the pool rooms a good place for you to lie be lampy great center tor for news well all you keep on reporting everything said there good night holbrook limped out and crandon brandon alone puffed for a rime on his cl cigar ar next nest lie opened a lower drawer and drew out a bottle of whisky only one drink remained in it ile he frowned A year ago he lind procured that liquor for nearly twelve months it had been scarcely touched but since the night that old don stuart died its contents had been drawn upon frequently HIS hands shook a bit as lie lifted the hot tie to his lips now but after drinking new strength began to surge t through rough his body and he smiled ue he looked at his watch after a time rn and then out into the street after a it time ne he rose and walked to the wall tele telephone hone give me miss coburne Co burns house will you he asked the operator hello miss co ali ah dawn dawal I 1 its im uncle nick talking want to go to th the e movie tonight she seemed to hesitate and he tilted his head sharply lips parted then her voice came its nice of you to think of me mr brandon but I 1 dont think I 1 care to go with WI ill y you ou tonight oh sorry lie he said genially enough but his brows gathered another time then perhaps nor her receiver clicked up and he turned anny from the instrument scowling thoughtfully mister brandon eh 7 lie he said softly and no excuse well the last word was spoken with a snap as though a chapter were closed he paced the floor slowly he was brooding planning and by the look on his face it was evident that he planned good for no miln man except possibly nicholas crandon brandon perhaps he was thinking of the matter that was to confront ben elliott within twenty four hours that young man was in high feather as the crew came in to supper his locomotive had shunted tile the standard cars up from hoot owl before daylight and the veneer logs scattered along the steel had commenced going up tip at once able had come driving out from town in mid enid afternoon dawn beside him and with an added thrill because of her presence ben directed the loading of the last car conscious that the girls eyes were olten often on him hill with an a expression which belled belied her apparent indifference when he tried to en engage age her in conversation it was dark when the jammer man swung the last log into place and toggles were made fast able and dawn rode with ben in the locomotive as they trundled down the track to camp you boys have had a long day ben said to the engineer and fireman it wont get any darker you eat your suppers here and well run era em in tills this everling evening he burned to able our contract calls for delivery in time to meet the local ashes been coming through a little before eight in the |