Show BE LOW jua MLA XV jim A Roma romance fice of the V A I 1 V 5 7 titus VV IZ ty IM C Z CHAPTER XIII continued 14 but a man with ajob a job of work to do cant fall can liel hel not when failure means tia tragedy gedy ca can n he john belknap struck hard the blow landed squarely equa rely on gorzela corbels Gor Cor bela bels mouth and john was free with the sweet air floddin flooding 9 his ats throat with the buzzing dying out but as lie he rolled rolle d over the other kicked ills pac too toe caught john in the side threw him against the wall knocking r down an ax which was leaning 1 there ile ie was free but gorbel corbel also was free and scrambling towards the stove stooping over oer to retrieve the pistol ile gave a crow of triumph its as he whirled weapon in his hand he brought the muzzle to its mark but ns as he pulled he ducked because an ax was swinging towards him lung flung hastily and none too surely A man A on his knees cannot sele seize an ax and fling it all in one movement and be sure en re but it was good enough the tongue of fla flame me spurted wide and corbel fell Y heavily as the ax head caught him full on the chin john was on his limp body in an instant lie ile had the hands crossed on the small of the mans back pinned there by a knee as he stripped his own belt from his waist ile he felt the other struggle slightly as he took tile the first hitch about those hands and lie he struggled harder in a second but it did him no good he might curse and abd threaten and thresh the hoor floor with hla his body he was bound see securely arely he was through I 1 CHAPTER XIV john found her cowering against the wall he lifted her slowly to her feet ats its all right ellen III 1 he said gently its all over III 1 he led her out into the wrecked room which showed paul gorbel I 1 bound hand and foot in a chair lean izig ing forward sobbing straining with futile movements against his bonds the man looked up then he stared fat it them with glazed eyes byes what you want wanted edl 1 he croaked what you wanted nodding at them as they stood john supporting the girl by bj an arm about her shoulders why you ca came mech eh 7 no corbel gochel I 1 know or it would have been why I 1 came with a warrant that nat bradshaw tried to bekie serve and therell be another bior for you by tiow how for murder maybe gorbel I 1 murder derl Blur murder der his voice wa was s shrill and he wrenched ped his wrists against the unyielding belt no nol no I 1 ahat that cant be no murder mis alls bakel mistake I 1 tell you belknapp BelLna Belkna pl J 1 n m mistake stake I 1 1 tell i you licking his lips ill tell you ill trade with you belknap john ill trade you got her now sties yours when she knows ill trade you what I 1 know for this warrant you talk about I 1 he was pati panting ting as if just ingrom an exhausting foot race tell you john ill trade yes ashes N nhat you want ashes more than any wang ih ang else to fo you more afore in n a warrant more in n anything let me loose loom ill tell you everything im not going to untie you gorbel lohn john said evenly while he watched as one ona fascinated the play of desperation on that wretched countenance and felt ellen press closer elaser to hi him in oh yes you will tears sprang to 6 corbels corbeels Cor bels eyes ill give you nil all you want now for just a moments start I 1 ill ili go away ill stay ill never bother you again you can go to your father then and tell him you found out what he be great man old tom smart but be smarter than he n ile he licked his lips again see give you prestige what you want now after ellen there prestige with the old danl man t yes it I 1 you can tell him how I 1 crossed him up north star lumber company ever hear bear of it me paul gorbel dummy company in st paul I 1 got the good grades of lumber at cull prices see k I 1 paid with notes at the belknap gorbel corbel bank in kampfert Kam I 1 took it all every dime of it I 1 papers no good worthless belknap garbel id d have been insolvent in another year if it been for you when old tom got suspicious we forged inspectors spec tors reports and changed chr car numbers on him lie he check up north star looks great on paper st paul banks like us but it was me all m mel see your finding outly make a hit with him ile he laughed ahr illy arid and it old tom who was after ellen there it 11 got you in mich dutch with her thinking it was no me big again aln paul gorbell corbeil see lie he laughed aspen spent t years building up 6 reputation for fair dealings going to feih on htwa it in a hurry fi ury 1 wasl go on as tn ti ruin ap pp corbel and get aret out without a scratch going to own the richards company too yes es I 1 I 1 i 1 I 1 did it all and put the bee on old tom 1 understand that ile he never knew a whisper sperl I 1 he never guessed waited until he was od on his cia way to europe and then I 1 squeezed nodding squeezed Squeeze dt I 1 I 1 wrecked trains and burned barris barns and the poor devil that arson arson john got that warrant give it to me now ive come clean abu give me a break 11 oh dont L I 1 dont let him go on I 1 E ellen 1 I ten whispered she burled her face on johns chest and he gathered her close turning his bis back bach to gorbel corbel whose chin now DOW sagged low as he sobbed hoarsely hold it iti I 1 lie he whispered mouth against her car hold it old fellow 1 its an ordeal but wll but worth itt it 1 she caught up tip his word and lifted tier her face to took look into his an worth it to know oli oh john johnl johni how could bever I 1 ever have believed it what a silly blind girl I 1 not thail he broke in tensely shaking her if it been for that he might have gone unpunished understand that its only a few days a few weeks out of our lives dont you understand that ellen and were young I 1 we still have so many days so many weeks before us its I 1 but I 1 want them all I 1 dont want to lose even a second I 1 she said she might v have said more had his lips not stopped her words they stood so in that first long kiss they did not hear bear the opening of the door did not see wolf It Illch Ichards arda amazed and truculent gaze sweep his boorn room with its ita littered floor the smashed chair did not see him stare at paul pau goehl nor at them but as he stepped in and stamped snow from hla feet they sprang apart wheeling towards him S all right III he yelped IS S all right I 1 dont mind me young uns insl I 1 11 1 to pay here I 1 seel sect place paul gorbel under my roof where rd id never have him film tied up too which means rut but Is s all right 1 IS S all right I 1 matters hut what alls ails you two fot for surel noth in else m utters matters atall a tall halll III III 0 it was evening when that strange procession made its way into kamp test fest john belknap in the lead wolf richards behind him dogs and toboggan with its bundled burden next and ellen walking in the trail they made the town swarmed about them until john had to call on others to clear the way night then and wires commenced to sing and the next mornings newspapers told the story in bold headlines for hareln harrington agton to read in the belknap lumber company of offices flees for others to read the world over some in a paris hotel harrington could not get john the first dozen times he called because beca nse the boy with hllen ellen in the corridor outside sat at the bedside where nat bradshaw fought for his life tell them ill answer no phone calls he whispered to ellen that i goes until nat Is until a change comes and so other telephone calls had time to be made even calls which spanned the ocean it was evening before the doctor who had leaned over the bed with such concentration for so many minutes this time straightened with a sigh well he said it looks like a got go 1 ca V mean hes going to make lt it john whispered the head on the pillow pl moved the eyes opened and looked up at them blinking course johnny nat whispered sure thing and then a boy could be free to ease case a distracted central centra 1 to sit in the hospital office and converse converse in har flar ring tons methodical way of conversation 1 I guess the newspapers had it all then he said after he had listened for long im all right going to live were all set here and I 1 guess youve spent enough on tolls bollal walt until you see the toll bill for a talk ivo ive had with your father today I 1 what I 1 you talked to Is he back ima rack nothing I 1 hes in parts paris and read the bulletin in the heralds edition over there he ele got me on the wire and luckily the afternoon editions were coming off so I 1 could give gi vo him tome some details he says first that hes on his way home an on the next boat next he wants nants me to read you a letter that he be left with me ire to b ne opened incase well in case a cathedral fell on him was the way he put it its dated in december the day he left he wrote it just before you calein came in from witch hill 1 I gue gudaa 33 this Is it dear johnny if you yon read thin it if will be because the doctora overlooked a lot of shakes and blow downs when they cruised my insides two weeks ago ive kept my lay mouth shut about being under the weather time enough to worry warry folks when theres a cause especially your mother they tell me that tl ree months of rest will put me spry again I 1 hope right for a lot of reasons but only one of them frets my mv much this Is because if I 1 hit the grade for the last time now you are going to beat me to finding out just how big a monkey ive been made in the kamp test fest operation yes son things are wrong up thare the re I 1 guess you were right in your estimate of corbel for over a year ive been certain that a plenty Is being put over on us I 1 cant run it down now that Is a job for a well man im going off to get well so I 1 can fix what I 1 broke if theres one thing ive prided myself on it was wag the picking of men I 1 took corbel 1 on first because he had ft a hold on just the layout you and I 1 needed for the big job and second because spite of all of you he be looked good to me there are some men who can admit mistakes but a belknap hates to when we have to though we want to do it ourselves and not have baver somebody else finding out what fools weve been besides any man with a eon like you wants to be able to turn over the works to him without any messes to clean up u p I 1 dont donl even wont want you to guess gues that theres a mess until I 1 get it fixed up then I 1 can tell you and save my face that Is straining a point perhaps but if you ever have the sort of a son you should have such a son as you are to me get the idea that the admiration and respect of a boy will keep his old dad hustling to be worthy of them the thing that I 1 especially want to keep Is the look that used to be in your eyes when I 1 used to drag you by the hand around through mill yards find and along skid roads you were only about hopper grass high then get hot in summer and cold in winter the hies flies would bite you and he be tired and hungry but it was always all right with you anything I 1 did was all right you believed in me F for or you I 1 was burned near infallible and able to do anything I 1 set out to do ive got to hang on to that johnny its the real treasure ive had in life be in soon for the second time im going fosteer to steer you away from kampfert Kam its going to break your heart and mine too but youre not going to show it neither am 1 I the reason Is that were belknapp Bel knaps and the breed show hurts or affections much it feels a lot though and so if the doctors are wrong and you have to get your explanation this way please believe that im hurting you so I 1 can have a chance to wash the clothes clothe sIve ive dirtied and by doing so keep your respect 11 and above all you must realize this that an old man has a devil of a time playing up tip to what a father of a son like you should be im so proud of you it keeps me awake nights good luck god bless you TOM harrington paused his voice had shaken a trifle on the last john blinked his eyes and cleared his throat with a brave long hurr hur r rump I 1 ill 11 II he began 1 I guess ill bo be d d weakly but you should have heard him cheer clear deross across the I 1 told him what the afternoon papers said about all the double crossing f forced 0 reed Gor belto confess and he said for you to 0 stay right there in kampfert Kam and run the job and that lie he was wag coming co mingto to ask for a chance to help teats just what he said to ask for a chance to help as fast as boats and trains can bring him says that he feels fit as a fiddle and had already booked passage passage two weeks earlier than hod hed intended to you cau can use your own judgment of course but I 1 dont know as id make any important changes until he gets here john reached out for ellens hand how long will it take hima him he asked commencing to smile why not long lond ten days say ten days I 1 dont you call that long that leaning closer to the phone as the wire went had bad for a moment oh the job sure the lob can stagger along tor for ter ten days without any changes hut but there are other things up here harrington rIng ton so important that tai they ey make the job took look like a joke and ten days man alan for these other things ten days Is ages and ages I 1 and ages age s it THE END |