Show C 7 w ae ivee Z J fling ar hu V TT H HM M i E EGBERT W N U VICE CHAPTER I 1 mark darrell crouched beside his timber cruiser nat page at the en engine gi e 0 ot f the motorboat motor boat peering out through u agh the storm through brough the great clouds of spray that went sweeping past them everything lent ery th thing r g was alternately as black as pitch and suddenly illumined again by the one two one two of the lighthouse beam as it clove the night the foghorn which had been intermittently sounding its dull note for the past hour had ceased evidently the tog fog had lifted though that tact fact was not apparent to the two men in the boat cutting her swath through mountainous seas that threatened each instant to capsize her the drenching rain showed no sign ot of lessening and the howling of the wind had become an inferno as they approached the lighthouse point a long ridge of land projecting from the black rugged coastline of the northern st SL lawrence the little boat apparently heading straight tor for the rocks beneath the lighthouse seemed doomed to swift destruction nat page turned and shouted in marks ear no hope of rounding founding the point but theres the little cove among the rocks at the point well make her well make her mark shouted back and neither man believed it tor for here off the point the seas were frightful frightful huddled up in their drenched furs the two watched the treacherous black shifting panorama of shore and rocks while the boat already growing waterlogged water logged rolled crazily in the troughs and barely seemed to surmount the towering crests above her it had been a foolish act to start across the st lawrence that treacherous noon in spring when the ice had only lately gone out of the river and the first ocean liners had but a week before forged their way upstream to montreal but those logs in the icebound st victor would be ready for running in a week or so and that would mean a little more cash tor for the new enterprise and horace Brous sacs curt note from montreal demanding that the sale of the mill and lumber rights be canceled had disturbed mark a good deal it was disturbing mark even now though their lives seemed a matter of seconds rather than of minutes the thud of the breakers on the rocks was louder than the wind straight ahead visible only when the one two of the light gleamed was the tall lighthouse tower all about it the black implacable silence of the cliffs underneath the rush and roar of the cross currents bout the point the dash of the baves the back suction of the undertow the blinding spray mark gripped the side of the boat as a great ledge of rocks rose almost beside them they had escaped that by a miracle of luck at the wheel nat page was fighting with all his might to keep the little craft headon head on to save her from being battered against the rocks like a swirling log in the st victor profits in interest mark with six years experience working for a company on the second growth logging lands higher up the st lawrence with the increasing price of pulpwood mark had realized that the time had come to take toll of the huge untapped forest resources further east a hundred miles beyond tadoussac Tadous sac and the nay where summer tourists fish and play golf with his little capital and two backers who believed 11 e ved in him he had seen th the e profits to be made out of the timber lease on the kinross and there was something more to it than the profits there was the sense of mastery in the taming of the great forests and harnessing of the streams driving runways building corduroys sending the logs swirling down the rapids rapid into the flume it meant accomplishment it meant life itself the lease of that waterfront water ant section of the kinross had been in the market tor for three years none of the big companies had bad been ready to negotiate the tall fall previously mark had closed with horace broussal Brous sac the quebec lawyer acting on behalf of his ward the widow of the late seigneur who had been drowned at sea with the sealing fleet ove five years before broussal Brous sac smooth suave ingratiating had struck mark as the type of customer who required watching but mark rk had satisfied himself that the rights were indisputable and had seen madame kinross signature authorizing her guardian ho race broussal Brous sac to make the lease on her behalf she had bad been a widow five years and she was not yet twenty onel one 1 mark seen her the previous fall fail when he visited st victor she lived near the lighthouse of which her late father had had charge she see him and mark had bad sensed an indescribable hostility among the sullen habitants they lived by fishing and each spring they joined the sealing squadrons off newfoundland they were not woodsmen woodsman woods men like the people of the upper st lawrence probably resented the presence of an american even though mark could speak french with fair air fluency the landlord of 0 the tiny hotel patronized zed only by traveling salesmen had been dour and uncommunicative a frenchman of scots ancestry like so many of the people but broussal Brous sac had been with mark and broussal Brous sac had been effusive conciliatory and evidently the one man whose word counted in the tiny settlement where he had a summer home the cheap little milling outfit would serve as a start loggers brought from higher up the river were hard at work along the banks of the st victor broussal Brous sac had promised two thousand cords of logs at the runways before spring mark was satisfied with his purchase still more so with the fine growth of heavy timber for the first time in his life he was his own master it was Brous sacs curt letter from montreal that had decided mark to take ake nat page to st victor at once a and nd look into the situation there was no transportation in april except by motorboat motor boat from the south shore they should have reached a 1 0 34 4 ool w aj V I 1 M dr 0 aw 04 tons of green white water burled him forward the wharf before dark except tor for the sudden storm now there was ab about out one chance in ten that they mi might make the little cove at the point never round that point well make herl her nat shouted once more his voice was exultant a defiant challenge to death A swirl of white water halt half engulfed them the boat righted herself and sped on another ledge of rocks another leaning up needle fanged out ot of the white water darkness the eye the double eye of the light above them then miraculously the little sandy beach among the rocks at the point but never make it they were approaching it diagonally ago nally and a ledge of rocks on either side shut off the direct approach and the boat was be being ing S sucked sidewise into a vortex of boiling water A miraculous Es escape cape from drowning brownin r shout was cut off by the crash of the little craft as the un tin der fangs ripped the bottom out of her she sank like a stone and in an instant mark and nat were fighting blindly in that frightful surge of seething water and tor for some seconds mark knew nothing except the tense vivid joy of physical combat with the tons of green white water that hurled him forward sucked him back then raised raise d him like a roller coaster and sent him plunging forward his hands clutched gravel he drew in a deep breath and clung while the undertow grasped him and buffeted him then another surge swept him forward again and in the double light of the eye overhead he be saw figure doubled up on the shingle ahead of him on hands and knees he crawled forward over the groaning shingle still wave swept dazed feeling as it if his whole body had been beaten into pulp but nat was on his feet now and staggering toward him his hand grasped his the two young men stood silent motionless ti suddenly aware of the miracle that had befallen them but voices were shouting out of the rain swept darkness an el derly man and a boy clothed in sleek dripping slickers were approaching pro aching them a coll call ol of tope rope in their hands behind them clothed also in a slicker a girl was standing they are all right Ma damel the elderly man shouted to her bring them up to the cottage she turned and next moment mark and nat were being assisted up a long gravel trail then up two flights of concrete steps to the plateau on which the lighthouse stood here were other structures too presumably housing the stores the dynamo and the apparatus for the tha foghorn and opposite them was a long single story cottage with a light shining in one room the girl turned holding up a lantern and inspecting the two young men she looked about one and twenty her dark hair was tumbled about her face her hood dripped and mark noticed by the lantern light the firm setting of at the corners of her mouth odd in so young and beautiful a girl bring them here andre I 1 will question them she said again mark thought that odd she addressed mark in french monsieur we have been watching your boat half the afternoon and were afraid you would never make the landing you owe your thanks to god she said there I 1 is but one question Is either of you the monsieur darrell who was here last tall fall it Is he this onel one cried old andre suddenly 1 I am mark darrell and this is mr page mark replied you must be madame kinross whose lands I 1 have leased A growl like a bears came from old andres throat for a moment he looked a as it if he was about to hurl himself at mark madeline kinross quiet level tones restrained him be quiet andre she commanded these men are guests they cannot go back until tomorrow put some more logs into the stove in the spare room and bring them dry clothes 1 I messieurs shall heat you some soup and coffee she disappeared into the back of the house and old andre viciously flung open the door of the room that occupied the other wing of the one story house it was damp and cold inside but a flicker of fire came from a stove andre lit a candle and placed it on a table he thrust two logs into the stove and turned grinning malevolently at dan and nat through his gray beard it was the devil saved you from the sea he growled tomorrow you can go back to him there were two cots in the room from a closet the old man pulled some clothes trousers pullovers pul lovers mackin mackinaws aws and socks it is because she told me to do so he be snarled we do not want you herel well theres a nice pleasant customer tor for you mark grinned nat as the old man stamped out of the room 1 I had a hunch folks so friendly hereabouts when I 1 looked over your timber last tall fall but if ff all uke like hirn him madame kinross Is also unfriendly well find out what its about tomorrow answered mark they had just changed into their dry clothes and hung the wet ones over the stove when madeline kinross clear voice was heard outside the door it if you gentlemen will go back into the kitchen you will find what I 1 have been able to provide in the way ot of food for you she call called e d mark opened the door slightly may we not thank you madame kinross he inquired not now or ever she answered curtly and turning back into her own room closed the door doo r mark and nat made their way back into the kitchen where by the light of candles they found steaming soup and collee coffee fresh bread canned beet beef and lam jam battered and weary as they were they tell fell to with the gusto of youth nat grinned as he mouthed his food queerer than I 1 thought he added seeing that the lady leased her lands to you through broussal Brous sac must be some explanation Brous sacs the sort of fellow try to cancel a deal if he got a better offer answered mark ive got an idea hell find some means of getting up here pretty quick I 1 wired him I 1 was starting tor for st victor after I 1 got that note from him they ate and yawned dawned warm now and dog tired both were goo good d look ing young men of the virile clean cut type marks lightbrown light bro brown n head and nat pages darker one nodded over the food 1 I feel as if I 1 could sleep a million years said mark staggering to his feet im going to bed you never said anything better lo 10 answered his friend TO BE CONTINUED |