Show w eunill V haf Q y Y TT k H M EGBERT W N U mark darrell young american Amerl cn lumberman Is boss of a lumber camp near st EL victor canada lie ile and his assist ant nat pate pace toon soon discover that they are re very unpopular in the french can dlan adian village when they seek feck lodging at uie hotel they are told it Is full an mery try mob gathers fathers pd one man at tacks licks I 1 mark lark with a k knife nife madame kinross a hulets the men then asks mark to ros cancel anc the lease mark refuses A moment later horace broussal Brous sac madame kinross lawyer arrives arrive lie he offers mark for rescind rescinding ing the lease but lark hark again refuses Drous sac Is visibly angered at this but promises that he be will rill not interfere with the lumbering operations CHAPTER ill III mark had arranged for a supply ot of money three thousand dollars in tact fact to be sent by registered mail monsieur eitard who was also the postmaster would ensure its safety two schooners ners were to arrive in a weeks time to receive the two thousand cords of lumber stacked at the spillways spill ways the next week would show pretty well what marks prospects were on the morning after their arrival mark and nat made an inspection of the mill it stood on a stretch of flat terrain between the base of the cliffs and the st lawrence where the st victor emptied into the gulf a strong log boora boom had been constructed forming an artificial lake for the reception of the lumber some three hundred yards above it was a rather primitive dam meant to hold back the flood waters end and ease the logs over it into the lake below not much of a min mill said mark to nat as they stood looking at the silent client barkers cheap dynamos cheap everything we need grinders couche rolls and presses to turn out the finished product which means plenty of money more afore than weve got to risk but shipping the logs one turns the bulk of the profits over to the paper makers up the gulf however if broussal Brous sac really has two thousand cords at the skid ways that gives us a leeway maybe next season we can begin to think of couche rolls and papermaking paper making Brous sacs got something up his sleeve heu hell have to bring it down the mill office was a sound substantial substructure with two bedrooms above and well heated by stoves 1 I guess well move in tomorrow said laid mark 1 I think we could be comfortable here nat agreed Pi a fawning weedy young fellow who appeared to be bookkeeper and also to run the tiny store tore assured them that that was the case he Pi would be responsible for that also he would procure a woman to cook and sweep tor for them he unlocked the safe and produced the books mark spent an hour studying them there appeared to be no reason why the little mill had been a f failure allure hands unless the lawyer was unable to procure the money to develop it having looked through the books mark took the trail with nat up one side of the st bt victor to inspect the spillways spill ways foreman larousse goes back to work mark was surprised that brous sac cac seemed to have told the truth about those two thousand cords men were at work finishing the clack stacking ing sawyers were cutting trees into lengths and the grating of saws rang everywhere through the woods A little group of workmen gathered about the two im your new boss said mark 1 1 I I want to tell you that im prepared to carry on tor for the next year and anybody who wants his bis job can keep it if youve any complaints bring them to me im going to try to fix up your homes to make them more comfortable they eyed him silently with an all the suspicion of the habitant As in st victor mark saw furtive glances exchanged how many of you are from st victor he asked mark had understood that brous tac sac had had to employ outside labor he was surprised when all the group but two admitted to being st victor men well chos your foreman he be asked he does docs not work for you any more you have discharged him volunteered one of the group discharged him I 1 discharged anyone I 1 hope I 1 wont have to his name louis larousse monsieur A light dawned upon mark the big bigman man with the knife whom he had had to pummel outside the hotel where does he live he asked the white and black house facing the mill ill go and see him I 1 discharged him yet youve done fine work mark added it I 1 get these logs safely shipped well be all set tor for the summer he think it advisable to mention that he was contemplating raising their two dollars a day to two fifty itself less than the standard to in the more settled parts of the province one had bad to go slow with these fellows striding back down the trail with vat nat mark glanced back and saw that the group had drawn together and were watching him and whispering if that crowd Is st victor men well have to watch them closely said nat on the other hand weve got them where we want them brous sacs been underpaying underplaying under paying them and im planning to raise them fifty cents a day I 1 think said mark weve got them larousse recognized mark and his face which was badly bruised grew sullen one eye was entirely closed and his up was swollen badly he glowered at mark in silence 1 I understand youre the foreman of the gang said mark alark why arent you at work because you have discharged M me e larousse grunted how do you get that when a man beats me in the face he discharges me I 1 will not work for him I 1 am not a dog I 1 am a man said larousse sullenly the frowsy drowsy woman came to the doorway and burst into a patois of shrill ex postulations that mark could hardly understand he gathered however that she was shrill tap A mark alark put the men to work upon n the boom ing invective against her husband for being out of work ork and ordering him to make his peace with ith mark well you came at me with a knife said mark lets forget it it he continued 1 I want you to stay on the job the job meant three dollars a day to larousse a nice little income in st victor mark put out his hand band lets forget it he said again you mean you you want me to remain as foreman stammered larousse why youre still foreman answered mark and your wages are going on ah Monsie url the big mans face worked convulsively madame larousse came stumbling forward peering into marks face monsieur Monsie url its Is quite an all right said mark take rake the day off larousse get on the job tomorrow im going to need you badly when the ice goes out weve got to put those logs through the mill ive got a couple of schooners ners coming up in about a weeks time im depending on you do you understand on youl mark alark gets acquainted with his workmen larousse stood staring at mark apparently tongue tied but his wife seized marks hand in hers and kissed it okay said mark come along nat lets move our things mark put the gang to work upon the boom the spillways spill ways were fun full the few trunks remaining to be sawed amount to much it was the boons boom that seemed the weak point of the outfit the snows were melting fast and water was pouring over the dam from a score of freshets fresh ets within a week the ice would go out of the st victor then the gorge would be filled with a torrent of 0 seething water and it would be necessary to release the logs carefully from the skids to prevent a jam that might break suddenly and hurl the whole mass of lumber against the boom the wooden boom was strong but it as strong as freshet water for three days mark drove his crew plugging the boom and tightening weak spots in it with logs and chains larousse back on the job took direct charge of these operations the crew worked well but there was the same furtive attitude on their part and mark had an uneasy feeling that something was brewing on the third evening of his taking up his residence at the office he was surprised by a visit from monsieur lacombe the portly cure 1 I trust I 1 do not intrude monsieur asked the priest when ushered him up to marks room no father sit down said mark its a pleasure to see you they talked vaguely for a or two then father lacombe looked mark straight in the eyes 1 I have come Alon monsieur darrell to advise you to relinquish your lease of the st victor property he be said why mark shot back the cure sat bolt upright his hands upon his knees you see monsieur when the lease was agreed upon madame kinross was in great need of money he said now she has enough and she has that sentiment about her husband broussal Brous sac told me he was s drowned at sea when them the ice floe became detached he was never heard of again that was live five years ago yes monsieur agreed the cure nevertheless madame kinross has that settled conviction monomania if you like that her husband Is still alive and she feels that she has done wrong to alienate part of his property you see she was a kinross too a distant connection of the seigneurs seigne urs she married him when she was barely sixteen halt half an hour before the seal ing fleet sailed it was not an ordinary marriage 1 I dont sec said mark that I 1 am called upon to cancel a business undertaking without more solid reason after all I 1 am bringing money into the ile he was convinced the cure cu re was being made a by broussal Brous sac who had received a more advantageous offer but it would do no good to go into that so you are not willing to reconsider monsieur asked the priest 1 I should advise it urge it you cannot succeed against the sentiment of the people here mark shook his head father lacombe sighed and rose ah well I 1 have said all that I 1 came to say he observed he shook hands there was a look of sadness on his finely chiseled features it flashed bashed through marks mind that father lacombe told him as much as be might have done im glad you called father and I 1 hope were going to be good friends he said the freshets fresh ets had already started there was still ice in the gorge but it was rapidly fining filling with water held back by the dam through whose spillways spill ways cascades were now pouring down into the dam lake beneath one of the two schooners ners that nat had hired was already anchored in the deep water off the end of the flume it was time to begin to release the logs from the skids mark leaving the office soon after sunrise after nat and he had made themselves a pot of coffee was surprised to see his men gathered in front of the cabins apparently unprepared to start tor for their work A woman was shrilly screaming from a cabin others were at their doors it looked as if something of consequence was happening larousse was seated sullenly on his bis doorsill door sill a pipe stuck into a corner of his mouth As mark moved toward him the crowd closed up behind well the trouble asked mark stand up when I 1 speak to youl he added seeing that larousse looked as it if he be was again set tor for trouble A strike threatens to ruin everything larousse got slowly to his feet the men say they will not work tor for two dollars a day to make you outsiders rich he announced sullenly they say they are poor men and they toil all day tor for just enough money to support their families A strike queried mark yes we strike we an all strike shouted larousse we want lave five dollars a day and six tor for me because I 1 am foreman if you dont want to pay you can lose your lumber the demand was a preposterous one it was evidently made in the anticipation of refusal mark found himself mentally computing how much broussal Brous sac was staking on the issue of his speculation mark laughed into the sullen faces about him you will have to move out of the cabins then he said 1 I shall get labor from outside and you lose two thousand cords of good spruce lumber larousse demanded mark nodded nat who had bad understood der stood the drift of the conversation pulled him by the arm listen mark you cant afford to do that he said in a low voice give in to thern them tin till that load Is shipped then can the whole lot of them asking for it asking tor for what going to get retorted mark all right ill pay you off tonight he told the men you can stay on here tor for a while but ill need your cabins tor for my new crew the meaning of his decision was unmistakable half a dozen women had joined the party and a series of angry recriminations began it was evident that the feminine part of the community had no sympathy with the strike on the faces of the men there was however sullen satisfaction is mark knew that they saw no further ahead than the indian TO BE CONTINUED |