Show M af C w A II 11 40 the heart of ly lingie E roe jj 1 11 I 1 41 46 1 night IN wind W 1 ri cl illustrations by ray walters fi I 1 I 1 A STORY OF THE GREAT NORTHWEST by bodd mead and company CHAPTER 1 I 1 out of the vine maples siletz sat gat her knees drawn up to her chin on the flat top ot of a fir stump beside her lay Coos nah heavy muzzle on huge paws his eyes as pale as 28 tile the girls were dark they were hill bred both perhaps that accounted for the delight both found in the solitude of 0 this aerie where they could look down toward the west on the feathery green sea of close packed pine and fir ot of spruce and hemlock and toward the east cast on the narrow strip ot of tidewater tide water slough and the unpainted shacks ot of the lumber camp huddled above its it was the magnificent timber country ot of the great I 1 northwest siletz was wondering as she always did how tar far the mountains ran to the south how far it was to that frisco ot of which she had heard so much from the tramp loggers who came and went with the seasons their turkeys on their backs and the joyous liberty ot of the irresponsible forever tugging at their eccentric souls over the facing ridge she knew oat the cold pacific roared and coaxed on the ships to play with them in the hell of 0 vancouver coast she could hear it sometimes when the pines were still yet she had never alseen it she had pictures ot of it in her mind many pictures she knew well how it would look when she should see it a gray floor a world of 0 it shot through with the reds and purples ot of a tardy sun sui of the cities she had i no clear pictures they were artificial man made therefore alien to her who knew only nature though she had 1 listened intently to roamers reamers from every corner of 0 the globe tor for bailys lumber camp had seen a queer lot it all resolved itself into these dreams when ahen she sat on the edge of a fir stump or better yet in the exalted cloud high airiness ot of the very apex ot of the hog back there had been no sun neither today nor for many days and yet there awas as surely prescience ot of approaching night as it if shadows forewarned siletz had hoped tor for a break one of ithone short pageants when the sun should shoot tor for a moment into the gloom transfiguring trans figuring the world now as she scanned the west the dog sud rose from rom beside her peering down with his huge head thrust forward his pendulous ears swaying A hundred feet below in a tangle ot of vine maple something was laboring pres bently the slim trees parted and out ot of their tangle struggled a horse a magnificent black beast with flaring baring nostrils and full excited eyes after every few steps it turned its head bead to right or lett left with the instinct of the mountain breed to zigzag and as often the man in the saddle pulled it sharply back with the first sight ot of the intruders the girl on the high stump had sprung up leaning forward a growing excite ment in her face it was the horse that caused it something was as stirring within her all suddenly and her heart beat hard she gripped her braids tight in both hands and swallowed blunderer she said aloud oh the blunderer then she cupped her hands at her lips and called down let him alone ile he knows how bow to climb let him alone the man looked up startled and tightened his grip on the rein the gallant allman went down upon its side rolli rolling tig completely over to lodge feet downward against a stone the man swung sidewise out of 0 the saddle saving himself with a splendid quickness before he could gather him self for or action the girl tore down upon him what have you done she cried wildly what have you done to it ft she dropped on her knees and her hands went fluttering over the black head in a very passion ot of pity touching the white star on the forehead smoothing the quivering nostrils why you let him climb his own way he knew hes a bunch grasser nothing could go straight up she raised her eyes to him and he saw they were burning behind a film of tears ile he saw also what gave him a strange eeling feeling ot of shock shack a faint blue tracery extending from the lett left corner ot of her lips downward nearly to the point ot of the chin a sharply broken fragment of a tattooed design her eyes wert were very tery dark and her hair parted after the first fashion of worn an was straight and very dark also th tha accusing words irritated him youre right he be said coldly noth ing could in such a country stani back please siletz looked up at him and instinctively rose to her feet though i slim body was alert with an unconscious readiness tor for prevention of goffi something tom ething but tile the man only stepped to the blacks head bead tightened the rein a bit and clucked encouragingly come up he said sharply up boy the horse stretched its bead forward arched its neck gathered its feet and lurched mightily upward finding difficulty and floundering a little by reason of 0 the stone which had saved it from rolling down the moun tan tain it placed its teet feet gingerly bracing against the declivity shook itself vigorously drew a good long breath and turned its soft nose to investigate the girl with a little gurgling cry her hands went out again to caress it hungrily forgetful of the man her face alight with the joy of its escape from injury she smiled and passed her hands along the high neck over the shoulder down to the knee bending to finger with a deft swiftness the fetlock and pastern when she looked up again she smiled at the man frankly her anger gone hes all right but you want to give him the rein ile ho knows how to go up all right all oregon horses can climb it if ou give them their time and 11 way he slipped the bridle over his arm im looking tor for bailys lumber camp can you tell me how to get there and how near I 1 am its right over the ridge 8 see ee it from the top i thanks he said lifted his soft gray hat perfunctorily and turned up the slope he took the ashenf ascent straight with a C ertain certain grimness of purpose Ee soon he felt a slight pull on the reins toward the left which slackened immediately to repeat itself to the right the black was trying to zigzag in the narrow blunderer Blunder erl she said aloud play of the confining bridle after an interval that tried him severely in muscle and breath the stranger reached the sharp crest of the ridge below him lay the valley the winding slough the yellow huddle of the camp the toy railway with its tiny engine the donkey whose puffing rose in a white spiral the rollways roll ways and the huge log trail winding up the other slope like a giant serpent even as he looked there came the staccato toots of the whistle bob whose invisible line crept away into the hills above the cables the engine got down to work with a volley of coughs the spools screamed and the great steel rope heavily along the trail presently a long gra gray y shape ghostly and sinister came creeping over the lower ridge gliding down the face of the hills silent relentless a veritable thing of life ile he leaned forward watching it come to rest above the halt a little while the men darted here and there and then roll sidewise into position against the stays when the small play of the woods was over just as he be started down he lanced involuntarily back along the way say he had come the girs gir still stood by the boulder bowlder looking up her face illumined by that light ho he had noticed and he was quick enough to comprehend that it was passionate longing for the I 1 big lg black behind him she had forgot forgotten ten his presence out of the terns ferns had crept the mammoth mongrel they two stood together in a subtle comradeship which struck him by its isolated sufficiency CHAPTER 11 II an amazing arrival it was quitting time quitting time in the coast country which means whatever time the light fades presently the loggers came creeping down the trail sturdy men in spiked boots laced to the knee blue flannel shirts and for the most part corduroys they trooped down to the cook shack a long building of unpainted pine its two side doors leading tile the one into the dining room the other sheltered by a rude porch into the kitchen inside ma dally daily a white haired general of meals and men in their order creaked heavily from oven to pine sink her placid face flaming with the heat of 0 the great steel range the eating room was long and narrow its pine floor innocent of covering 1 n 9 from end to end ran two long tables neat in white oilcloth with intervals of catchup bottles pepper sauce sugar bowls cream pitchers and solidly built receptacles for salt and pepper along both edges stood an army of 0 white earthenware plates flanked by bone handled knives and forks and tin spoons at the west beside an open door was a high pine desk littered with papers a telephone hung at one side aside A small table stood before a window with a rocking chair in proximity one of those low old fashioned rocking chairs that old women use and that invariably hold a patchwork cushion with green fringe and a white knitted tidy that rocker was art ot of bailys camp it had followed the march of progress as the camp cut its way into the hills its my one comfort ma bla was wont to say though land knows I 1 dont get to set in it moren a quarter what id like As the loggers slid noisily on to the benches their caulks giving up the mud they had bad held purposely tor for the swept floor siletz came and went setting the substantial viands in the open spaces left in the expanse of white oilcloth she exchanged a word here and there here always a se sensible sible word something of the work the day or the men themselves she was putting a plate of cookies sugar sanded with currants on top between jim akworthy An worthy and a black haired pole when a foot struck the step at the west door there was something in the sound that drew every head around at once A stranger stood against the misty darkness between the jambs cambs ile he was young apparently about twenty five or six well set up with straight shoulders above narrow hips and a poise that claimed instant attention he removed his soft hat bat holding it in his hand while his hia bright blue eyes looked impersonally over the room over his shoulder a pair of big dark ones peered anxiously while a black kunle with a small white patch nosed his elbow aside john dally daily it was a call that demanded not a question from the head of the nearest table a giant of a man easy natured lax featured loose joints banded together by steel sinews rose im him he said the man in the door brought hi hib eyes sharply to focus on his face reading it with lightning rapidity im the killingworth Dilling worth lumber company or most of it he said clearly and ive come to stay where shall I 1 put my horse there was a startled startle 4 silence after these amazing words an unexpressed ejaculation went from face to face up and down the tables then john dally showed why he was the best foreman in that region he got himself loose from the end bench and walked over to the door all right mr air he waited easily as it it was perfectly natural tor for strangers to drop from a hilltop and announce themselves the ruling power of the country or more strictly speaking one of the ruling powers tor for there were two sandry finished the other walter sandry from new york come in al air r sandry youra just in time dally daily turned back to the lighted room hilti Sil tI give mr sandry my place harrison ill have to take your filing shed tor for tonight tomorrow well fix things in better shape the saw flier filer an important personage and one to be concil conciliated frowned in his plate but the foreman oreman had lost of sight lit of him he reached out a huge hard hand and took the bridle rein from the newcomer already this man was standing inside the rudo rude building with a high headed air ot of force ot of personality that made itself felt in the most stolid nature present he glanced down the double line ot of faces aces and for a second just a fractional fleeting moment seemed to hesitate then he laid his hat on the small table walked round to bailys empty seat swung a leather puttee and a well built shoe over the bench and sat down ile he was in place and a vague feeling of adjustment of solidity accompanied him as it if he was there as he said to stay every man in the room felt it and one of 0 those strange sensations ot of portent communicated itself to them as when the everyday affairs ot of life come to a turn in the road bailys was on the eve of a change the girl was putting a thick white plate hot from boiling water before him deftly laying the simple cutlery pushing back an intruding dish 40 j I 1 kl 1 I Z ar I 1 t it was a call that demanded there was an air of detachment about her no portion of her garments touched him she was always so aloof in a quiet way now as she tended the stranger silently one of her long braids slipped over her shoulder and tell fell across his hand he drew away from the contact sharply and a dozen pairs of eyes saw the action hell heill murmured a man at the other side in mild amazement but not even the importance of the arrival of the Dilling killingworth worth lumber company could keep silent this bunch of men from the ends of the earth they were tree iree lances following wherever fancy and the lumber camps led them through the mountains and the big woods contented in this place or moving on bound by no rules as independent and un as the very birds of the air in three minutes the laughter was sweeping gustily gustely again accompanied by the solid clink of cook shack dishes the clatter of knives for the most part used as very adequate shovels and walter sandry was forgotten or passed over an hour later he stood alone in the middle of a tiny room at the south of the building looking fixedly at the yellow flame of 0 a glass hand lamp on a stand under the lamp was a woolly mat of bright red yarn a wonderful creation under that a thin white scarf beautifully clean the ironed creases standing out stiffly beside the lamp lay a pink lipped conch shell and a bible sandry looked longest at the bible beside the lamp and presently he took it up curiously fingering it with a quizzical weary smile its edges were thin and frayed and he be noticed that it was greatly worn walter sandry smiled and glanced at random through the book motherhood he be said halt half aloud Is there nowhere a tather father a dear old chap of the earth a gentle old man with white hair one who has raised a son As it if in answer to the whimsical words the fragile leaves separated at the tragic record of king david and the words of that ancient father heart stared up at him oh absalom my son my son vital in their anguish with a snap he closed the book holding it tightly clasped in his hands while he stared into tho the flame ot of the lamp with knit brows and twitching lips it was as it the fateful cry had touched some sore spot in his heart set throbbing some halt half healed pain for a moment a shadow as ot of a vague remorse darkened his expressive face then a resolute strength tight tightened enod his lips and he laid the bible gently down and blew out the light it was cold in tho the little room and the rain was dripping from the eaves CHAPTER III the wondrous hills at dawn he was awakened next morning by the thunder of 0 heavily shod men storming in from the bunkhouse the amel ot of cooking was in the air and the crack under his door showed lamplight the rain was still dripping softly from the eaves As sandry came into the eating room the old woman of the kitchen was looking over the crowd of men as impersonally as he himself had done the night before with a poise as assured and a subtle force as strongly indicated her bright old eyes blue as his own met his lifted glance as he hesitated set down in the place you had last night mr air sandry she said in |