Show TG T tfX 7 wr F B 1 hi jl J JL ul W JL acl jcl 0 A romance of the north woods HAROLD TITUS copyright 1922 by anu gervice CHAPTER V continued 0 o it t that I 1 dont want to win john t she protested 1 I want it more than ive wanted anything else it was my fathers heart that went into this operation my fathers memory Is here in my heart I 1 owe it to him to finish what beset out to do that natural dont you have that same feeling of high regard for the things your father wanted to do or wants to do he looked away my imy father yes yea I 1 hes right iles hes always been right 1 hell always bo be right 1 his vehemence startled the girl and tie lie looked deep into her eyes ile he wanted to tell it all then and there wanted to cleanse her mind of the impression pres slon it held wanted to say my father Is the man you suspect of throwing all these obstacles in your path my father Is the man I 1 you yon loathe but he Is right he Is guiltless I 1 know because I 1 am his soul he wanted to say those things but he could not when nil all the evidence available on this side of the atlantic atlant lc was against him hi ml I 1 what he said was were going to keep on but bui im going to keep on worrying about apu unless clear out ont of this mess and chase the look out of your eyes been there since a week ago when we piled up the plow ploll I 1 cant you get away you go down the river with old wolf for a few days he wants you she laughed wanly away now when things are arc P yes now bowl I 1 the jobs important but you I 1 why youre something else again oh how bow can I 1 tell you here and now hands slipping down from her shoulders to her hands youre something more than a part of the job ellen I 1 he was leaning close to her drawing her towards him lifting her hands bands youre something bigger and more splendid than I 1 ever thought life held youre all that there Is or has been or ever will bo be under the sun or the M johnl she whispered he spoke her name but before their lips could touch the door opened and they had scant time to break apart before wolf richards burst in he be said holding up fragments of a glass what I 1 found out yonder johnny 1 found lern em in th ashes right in th middle of th barn jug im tellin you I 1 I 1 jug a jug doln into dle die of a barn eh whisky likely youre right he was drunk nd ind touched her off he stopped talking and eyed ellen closely as john took the fragments of glass from him her kace face was flushed from his untimely intrusion and the old man chuckled to himself As john left the office a man whom he had seen repeatedly in town approached pro ached steele St cele he hb said bradshaw hullo sheriff I 1 knew who you were of course I 1 now ellen excuse us the sherlf sheriffs rs errand exactly pleasant marli ill get things going right off stranger eh the sheriff said as he pulled back the blanket and looked into the face of the dead man stranger to all your boys none of lem em ever saw him the other nodded step by step john went over the story speaking lowly of the certainty that he and two others had smelt burning gasoline telling of the jug fragments just now discovered he traced the mark of a horseshoe on the skull pointed out the clear impression of a calk began to argue abit a bit as the sheriff squatted there unresponsive chewing on a cigar stub almost bland almost disinterested my guess Is this he said the ithe same people that have been badgering us for weeks pulled this they sent th this ls poor devil in inhere here with a jug of af gasoline lne ile he shook hay out I 1 along tile the barn floor poured the gas on it and touched it off hed naturally rally start her to the rear first and as he be bent d overt to tuset U t guing going besimi the 96 tillin him old fellow got I 1 r the sheriff scratched a mach and lighted his hii frayed cigar alim conro Vo laJo i tell the curious just what everybody else out here but you seems to t hinka he aa said id im goin to td tell them that here was nassome some bum wal for a job ile he gets to camp sees every blodys in the hay and knows knows hes likely to catch cabb h I 1 if he wakes benj em up bp so he slips into the barni barn which Is warm enough tor for anybody to sleep in lights lits his pipe goes to sleep and I 1 t there you arel ave been wat watch chin ln what went on ona here bere a long time I 1 been you and what youve dona don 3 alne you took hold bold its enough what ive seen enough to judge you and to make a pretty good guess at what else went OR on your friend here jerking his thumb towards the figure beneath the invent to work orvator tor burke Buike fit at the belknap gorbel camp eastmon day the ne devil I 1 teah ye ahr he stripped the foil foll from another s cigar elgar 1 I guess steele we understand each other I 1 EVENTS LEADING UP TO THIS installment tom belknap Bol knap big timber operator ordered by his physicians to take complete rest plans a three months trip abroad promises of advancement he has made to hla his son john are broken and the young man Is indignant paul gorbet gorbel Bel belknapp Belk knaps napa partner Is a bone of 0 contention father and a son 0 n part without an understanding at shoestring his train delayed by a wreck J john oh n Is mobbed after a fist fl t fight his attackers realize it Is a case ot of mistaken identity john learns his father Is 13 believed to be out to wreck the richards lumber company bewildered and unbelieving he seeks employment with that company at the office he finds gorbel bullying a young girl and throws him out corbel does not recognize him the girl Is ellen richards owner of the coin company pany A letter he carries gives given johns name as john steele the belknap being dropped inadvertently and john knowing the against his father allows ellen to believe that Is hla his name ellen engages john as her superintendent A series of attempts to handicap operations of the richards company culminates in the wrecking of a snow plow john admiring ellens bravery begins to have a sentimental at the girl which Is returned tiie the richards barn and stables burn in the blazing structure john finds the dead body of 0 a stranger et rangen ile he realizes the fire was set but refuses to believe his father could be a party to such an act ile he winked a bit grimly go to it III john said under his breath 0 0 0 sounds of saw and hammer filled the air men moved methodically from place to place on the ashes itches of yesterdays barn bain a new rough structure grew and ellen richards as she stood on a stump and watched the framework grow watched the roof go on watched sheeting slapped into place and held and nailed home smiled with misted eyes who seeing your men work that way I 1 and seeing one of them move inov e about quiet assured competent directing it all for you I 1 the barn would be habitable for the teams that night a few hours of work by a dozen men tomorrow would complete it it a track problem at the crossing had become pressing and john welcomed the chance to ride that far wit with h ellen ile be would return on a speeder they were at the crossing a time while tiny tinkered and john watched ellen viewing the long strings of loads taxing the storage capacities of waiting to be moved into kamp fest he saw raw her look at the short little train of her own logs they had bad dragged up the grade and her shoulders slacked significantly A feast for them she commented and for us I 1 I 1 I 1 famine III 1 the look in her eyes wrenched his heart her hands closed on his tightly and then she was gone he stood for a time watching the train rock on towards shoestring steam shut off now as they slid down the stiff grades that led into town feast or a famine I 1 not his fathers doing this gobbels corbels Cor Gor bels probably but the situation was re real al and acute 5 1 1 I guess steele we understand each other and he be could not recover from the look on the girls face fac e he walked along a switch filled with loaded cars awaiting removaldo remo valto the belknap gorbel corbel mill not since the blizzard had the branch been cleaned out only enough cars were moved to make room for more coming in from the belknap gorbel camps even a switch theretofore used only bythe by the empties had been I 1 commandeered ile he counted count edthe the cars standing there 4 twenty two there were seven thousand feet t to 0 a load enough for a four day cut lf it those belonged to ellen now the chr car were eie blocked because the switch ran into the shoestring line on the downgrade down grade he eyed ane one of abose those charted charred chunks which supplemented lipen ted the hold of hand handset set brakes as though pe he pad bad never ingver seep such a device used before then US he went on whistling tunelessly to himself he hd laughed after a moment ando and said aloud fire fire fires alres best beit fought with fire farel III ile he talked with the crossing tender of the track difficulties outlined temporary repairs the roan man asked for the khe next net night off apologetically hla his wife wanted an evening of movies john told him to io plan on it a bit more heartily than even he was wont to grant favors to men he had a plan bad john lie he had bad noticed that th the e belknap Gorb elip fw ho VL AT juat in the I 1 caboose was hanging g about b fue e cro crossing ss lie he walked aw with pronounced limb and as john and the tender started for the little house where the gas car was stored he approached jim aint they making a run nin from kampfert Kam this evening he asked no had trouble in the yards the tender sallil said my hard bard luck lack pen I 1 the man said td id ought to ve telephoned and found out he looked at john Is there any chance getting back to camp tonight ride in on the speeder with me if you want that was agreeable to the stranger A mile out of the crossing RS as they rolled through the twilight towards timber on the horizon ho his passenger put a hand on johns shoulder and asked would you shut shift her oft off a minute I 1 got something to talk about john threw off the switch the motor went dead and they rolled to a stop there in the solitude of snow blanketed amr mr steele the passenger said the othe sheriff told me about your fire I 1 heard him talking to the train crew about it and how he thinks that tile the man taking to shoestring wandered into your barn vi while little he was drunk and set the place off trying to smoke lie he paused 1 I try to be a decent citizen I 1 try to be loyal to the man that hires and i pays me but I 1 like horses I 1 like em better than I 1 like humans my wife says I 1 I 1 used to be a barn boss for kampfert Kam but I 1 got this stiff leg and cant get around so much im filing for gorbel in camp now I 1 dont like to bite the tha hand that feeds me but I 1 im decent 1 something dogged about him then what ive got gok to say Is this that a man burn horses alive dont deserve loyal loyalty tyL he dont deserve anything but the worst he can get et I 1 why im going to tell you chat what I 1 know knot that man under the blanket in your way ear car worked in our camphor camp tor three days he was no ko good od he just made motions instead of working but yesterday afternoon gorbel came to camp ile he and this man stood outside the window of my shop a long time I 1 went out and then went back boget to get something it takes me a long time to walk a little ways I 1 aim to spy but when I 1 got back there mr steele these two men were over by the gasoline tank which sets oft off by itself drawing off gasoline I 1 johns heart leaped they drew a jug of it the man went out and walked down the track gorbel went in and ate and drove back to kampfert Kam that night we seen the man since he ended with a grim nod mod we found a broken jug jug in the ruins john said A plain glass gallon jug what they hadt had I 1 the ithe other othair whispered john swore softly we knew it was wag set he said were keeping still were going ta try to run this tiling thing down without any fuss now it if tell fell the s sheriff what youve told me his job would ho be easy the other hesitated then twisted his head in a nod of assent 1 I will he promised 1 I dont like to get any man into trouble but its the horses you see 1 I understand nobody likes to squawk but in a case like this its almost A a mans duty what I 1 figure too I 1 id made up my mind to quit working tor for gorbel tonight but maybe be better if I 1 stay on even if I 1 hate to take money from a man like that you stay on john said ill pass your story along to bradshaw and hell see you sometime when it wont give his hand away ill help all I 1 can even to sticking kInI on for belknap gorbell Gorbel grimly my names deyoung when you want me send word CHAPTER aik VI VI again something new tor for d a young man to consider as he rolled down alone towards camp until now this had been a fight without the taw law now the possibility loomed that a sovereign states authority might step in and help in thwarting the persecution which was being directed against ellen richards john was convinced now that this whole affair was without old toms knowledge or consent his rage against hla his father was wholly gone before a feeling that the old man was peculiarly dependent on him for aid in clearing his nanie name of the smirch that had been placed on it in this community gorbel was the man ho he told himself this waa corbeels corbels Cor bels doing from first to last his father after years of wisely picking his men had at last dinv inv involved alved himself with witha a rascal but setting 1 opinions aright the releasing of this urge tor for ellen rich alch ards which was growing so enormously in his heart could not command its his first attention paramount as they were other things crowded in before them he must above all keep the richards nic hards lumber company alive until lie he could force matters to clear themselves I 1 he went at once to jack talt tait and they stood outside the mhd barn and talked for long in the beginning the barn boss nodded mildly from time to time at the end he was spitting tobacco juice and his old eyes were ablaze with wholehearted whole hearted enthusiasm A team a white team came in oft off the job at noon the te teams amiter ter was put at other work the wood butcher had chopped stove length sticks in two and had charred them in the blacksmith shop as car blocks are treated at two jacl jack talt tait hitched the white horses to a light sleigh tossed the freshly made blocks in and drove off chewing rapidly john went out with the loads and when he dropped oft off at the crossing waybill way bill looked at him inquiringly jim and his wife here are going to paint shoestring tonight 1 john laughed 1 I just wanted to see that you got up the hump jack tails bringing in a team and ill ride back with him 1 I 1 have a good time jim and buy the missus popcorn I 1 where do you hide the key in pase case I 1 want to get warm on top the door casing to the left righta good luckl luck I 1 I 1 re he there as the train broke broka over to the down grade rocking in the late afternoon stillness towards shoestring it wa was svery very quiet a light snow was falling flakes large and feathery blotting out the tracks men had bad made not long before lie ile strolled down the main line down over the break on for twenty rods there he paused looked right and left and nodded grimly at dusk he heard jack talt tait coming and walked out to meet him well carry the blocks blacks over he said this snow might stop runner tracks be so good horse tracks are harder to trace while jack fed his team john went into jims house and telephoned A private line this with no chance of a central operator overhearing he called for the mill foremans office and when roberts answered said crisply its steele roberts how do things stand not so good I 1 1 weve only got thirty thousand in the yards tonight and its iti snowing here now listen and dont ask questions get |