Show 9 0 P C y H M EGBERT W N U SEP VICE mark dirrell young american lumberman Is boss of 0 a lumber camp near st victor canada nat rage page Is his a assistant ssi stant madame Al madeleine adeleine hinr kinross 0 the young widow who own OD the rl ad Is trying to persuade mark to cancel the he lease her lawyer norace horace broussal Brous sac has of ered mark but mark refuses to give five up a good thing at a critical point in lumbering operations the french canadian workmen strike tor for double wages mark alark pays them off A log jim jam threatens to ruin rain his bis hopes but with the aid ol of the foreman larousse mark saves abts the umber timber dy by a clever strate gem em mark alark gets his men to offer to return to work lie suspects Drous sac was the fomenter ol of his labor troubles CHAPTER V tell them they made a mistake he be said im not going to reward them for making a mistake next fall when the work begins begin I 1 in earnest I 1 may consider a fifty cents raise it if they come back now they come back at two dollars louis interpreted rapidly if they want to come back mark continued tell them they can move back into their cabins as soon as possible and get that load of lumber put through the MUM mill but the men understood grins of gratitude had supplanted the looks of shame and eagerness louis his bis men to form them in column and march them away again louis had bad once been a corporal in france nat said as he watched the departing crowd 1 I think put that across mark 1 I had a hunch that money was going to talk even with broussal Drous Brous sac here said mark 1 I guess hell be on the lob job soon would you sell if he made you a real offer mark shook his head im here to stay he answered and then he knew that he was thinking of madeleine kinross broussal Brous sac delay he came next morning driving up in a rig with a spirited horse in the mill the dynamos were revolving the barkers whirring the chain drag traveling up the flume carrying ite ik load of logs Pi kemen standing on the rafts were spearing the logs and attaching them to the mechanism that started them on their journey millward broussal Brous sac got out of his rig and came forward hand outstretched mark hesitated an instant and then took it again the lawyer entered the office and dropped into a chair he looked at mark with a cynical smile upon his lips you appear to have won mr darrell he said my understanding was that there would be no opposition from you said mark violence corrected broussal Brous sac 1 I guaranteed that st victor should treat you with the consideration due to you I 1 should make it plain to yoa you that it is not my own opposition you had to encounter but that of the whole town which is loyal to the wife of its late seigneur mark sitting silent looked into the keen intelligent face of the lawyer broussal Brous sac had bad come to make some offer of course but why what was the element behind his opposition that mark understand 1 I want to ask you a question said broussal Brous sac just why do you attach so much value to your leasehold rights if adequate compensation for them were allowed you 1 I might ask you mark returned why you attach so much importance to getting me out of st victor but I 1 am not going to ask you that question I 1 prefer to answer yours I 1 have undertaken a job and I 1 have a liking tor for staying on it monsieur broussal Brous sac ali ah said broussal Brous sac 1 I thought you americans regarded everything from the monetary point of view but let me make my own position clearer I 1 was raised a poor boy in the slums of quebec all ali my life I 1 haye sought position wealth ease a settled place in the world I 1 have gained these tor for I 1 am going to marry madeleine kinross mark alark refuses a tempting offer mark felt something like a stab at his heart as he be looked into the lawyers face he had guessed it but that make it any the easier to take you see mr darrell brous sac went on we want the rights back rights that were leased to you under rather desperate financial circumstances at first when you refused my offer I 1 thought you were bluffing in the american way but I 1 no longer think you were bluffing I 1 think you are an obstinate young man mr darrell I 1 want you to leave st victor and I 1 have come to make you another offer fifteen thousand dollars plus the proceeds from the sale of that lumber mark shook his head frarilda Fr frankly arild y no h answered my backers have authorized me to go ahead they would not understand any such arrangement and they would withdraw their support from me no monsieur broussal Brous sac I 1 am not prepared to accept your offer or er any other Brous sacs mouth opened he stared then nodded his head gravely rose and went back to his rig in another minute he was driving furiously back toward st victor mark left nat to take charge ot of the operations he packed a blanket and a little food and started out alone to look over his limits with the intention of spending a night or two in the open mark wondered whether brous sacs explanation of his motives was actually true and then he discovered that he thinking about that he was thinking about brous sacs declared intention of marrying madeleine kinross his enemy who had nevertheless saved his lumber for him barely sixteen when she married kinross halt half an hour before the seigneur sailed to his death aboard his sealing schooner mark remembered the white face she had turned upon him when he staggered ashore after louis had pulled him out of the foaming water im glad im glad gladsie she had cried then mark had known he loved her but unconsciously he had known it from the first night when he saw her big gray eyes fixed upon his in anger mark thought much about love tor for three or four years of 3 00 1 a I 1 I 1 av the woods had become an absorbing passion with him course he had bad gone through his experiences beuthe woods had become an absorbing passion with him the desire to tame the wilds as a horseman tames some wild steed all his suppressed instincts had bad come flooding back when she cried im bladl im bladl at nightfall in the warm spring evening mark laid down his blanket under a big spruce and curled up in it in a few minutes he w was as asleep not dreaming even of madeleine kinross he awoke at dawn stretched himself and realized how good life was and how petty were the things thai that had been troubling him he built a fire cooked a few strips of bacon made tea and ate the stale bread that he had brought with him afterward he ascended a slope above him to get his bearings the river ran on his right foaming down to the flume on his left to his surprise he saw the natural bridge that connected the with the all but island on which stood the lighthouse and beyond this through a dense growth of trees mark could see the slender shaft of the lighthouse on its base of rocks Al madeleine adeleine tells cousin broussal Brous sac to get out suddenly again the remembrance of madeleine kinross flooded him with tenderness the idea came to mark to go and see the girl and try to make his peace with her there was no doubt that she was influenced by broussal Brous sac and hit his own tenure of the lands would be but tor for tour four or five years during which she would be getting sturn stumpage page money from him there any reason tor for the opposition she had shown him it he could make his peace with her that would mean the end of the fight with broussal Brous sac that was the nature of marks reasoning actually well he knew he just wanted to see the girl again he made his way along the trail toward the rock bridge which towered lowered ever higher as he be approached it the sun was well up in the sky before he set foot upon it then down the roughly terraced steps toward the lighthouse and cottage then a roughly dressed figure emerged from the scrub and stood confronting him an ancient pistol in its hand it was andre gall deault the lighthouse keeper his face convulsed with fury you do not come here beret you go backi nobody wants you herel the old man shouted suppose you tell me the matter mark suggested you go you spy you quebec detective the seigneur is d dead e ad he died in the tog fog when the piece of ice broke away and he was left on it I 1 protect the lady of the seigne urill he leveled the old pistol at M marks arks heart mark saw his finger trembling upon the trigger and leaped there followed the roar ol of the discharge and the heavy ball whirred whirled over marks shoulder mark tore the weapon irom from the old mans hands and sent it crashing into the scrub you are an old fool andre 11 he said if you had killed me have swung by the neck in quebec jall jail old andres face was convulsed with terror ali ah mon dieul dieu be muttered the seigneur Is dead and you you come here to to mark passed on leaving the old man muttering by the roadside the cause of his hostility was utterly meaningless to him but it made it the more imperative to try to come to an understanding with madeleine kinross Brous sacs smart rig was standing at the door of her cottage brous sac and madeleine were standing in the doorway they were so absorbed in conversation that neither was aware of marks approach you married kinross in order to save your fathers little property came Brous sacs taunting voice now you can marry me to save the 11 1 I tell you no no nol no cried the girl A thousand times no beverl I 1 trusted you as my guardian because you were related to the seigneur and now you come to me like this 11 Brous sacs hands shot forth and caught the girls wrists youre all wrong madeleine he said in a taunting voice youre going to marry me this summer the crunch of marks feet upon the gravel before the door startled them broussal Brous sac let hands fall and swung about for a moment his face was devilish in its sneer of hate and malice im sorry to interfere said mark 1 I called to see madame kinross it might occur to you that madame kinross and I 1 have some important business to discuss sneered broussal Brous sac not no cried the girl 1 I have nothing more to discuss with you cousin horace I 1 ask you to go then I 1 guess im not interfering as much as I 1 thought I 1 might be said mark broussal Brous sac whirled upon him you have done nothing but interfere he shouted you are not wanted in st victor I 1 have offered you a good sum of money to rescind the contract I 1 shall not go any higher now you are interferon inter interfering ferin g in a wholly private matter concerning madame kinross and myself you will go I 1 you will go at ancell once shouted the lawyer of course id go said mark only ive got an idea that madame kinross want you and that Is truell true cried the girl 1 I am through cousin horace you can do anything you please I 1 only ask that you will go then you see it Is you who will go mark addressed the lawyer and at once pl please easel broussal Brous sac lost all control of himself he shook his fest in marks face you order me away he shouted you interloper interlope rl you will regret that you ever set foot in st victor you will be fortunate if you escape from it alive why madeleine adeleine lI believes her husband still lives meanwhile said mark indicating c his decision with a very vigorous gesture of his fists broussal Brous sac leaped into his bis rig and slapped the reins across the back of the horse which started off up the hill mark watched the lawyer drive away turned back toward madeleine kinross who was staring at him with frightened eyes im sorry he said grimly but I 1 seem eem to have come at an appropriate time he made love to me he wanted me to be his bis wife and I 1 had trusted him ive got to admit said mark 1 I cant altogether blame him bun tor for that you dont understand this IS summer he threatened me that I 1 should lose everything I 1 have youre twenty one arent you asked mark last winter then if he be was your guardian it was his bis duty to give you an accounting for your property he give you one he gave me nothing everything Is involved you see the seigneur had lost a great sum of money speculating on the quebec market ever since his death horace broussal Brous sac has been trying to regain what my husband lost you see he is not dead deada mark looked at her in silence it if he had died I 1 should have felt ell it here herel he is not dead he was rescued from that ice floe he became insane and he Is if being cared lor for somewhere mark was still silent I 1 TO BE CONTINUED |