The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-01-25

pectation of his employers.
| He had almost forgotten his
| luondam companion when. in run
ming new line through an immense
stand of sky-scraping white pines, he
came upon fresh timber "slash"-a
broad, destructive piece of work,
which had laid low many thousands
of the giants.
Very sharply now he remembered
Frederick Zalmeier. and the gentle
mans anxiety to send him upon a for
! eign errand. He understood in flash
| that, had he done that business, he
would have been left. minus boat and
supplies, to make his way hoineward;
and in the meantime Il company of
| timber thieves would have got to
Rainy Lake river with their booty
Perhaps they had already done so.
secoin hurredly followed the slash
to the river, where he discovered a
recently abandoned camp in the edge
of the timber. Following the river
several miles. he discovered that the
thieves were driving logs not great
distance below. Once they got this
timber to Rainly Lake river there
would be no means of identifying
log of it, and they could drift it at
leisure to the shore OF Lake Superior.
The cruiser returned in much ex-
ritement to his camp which, day or
two before, he had advanced beyond
the tanaracll swamp. 1t was dark,
but on lighting a fire he saw bulky
white envelope pinned to Il nearby
!ree-trunll. llc'tore it from it's fast
'nings, and found it contained an
elaborate lumbcrman's estimate, in
duplicate, covering by forties every
section of the tract lie had been sent
out to traverse. \ smaller envelope
contained letter which read:
Mr.. Secoin: You will please sign both
these estimates, return one to your folks.
md leave one with us. You will also
ind herewith The certified check of John
tones payable on demand by Oscar
Steiner. room II, Superior building, Du-
'uth. and money enough to pay your fare
from Beltrami to Duluth. A word to
The wise, and SO forth. Lalmcier,
The check WAS for $1,000 and was
accompanied by a worn $40 ILL., The
young cruiser sat choking with
wrath, yet not daring to act upon inn
pulse. The thief might be watching,
md must be led to think that the
large bait he had flung was taken.
Secoin had no doubt that The check
would be made good upon his signing
and returning Il false cstimate-an
| underestimate. which would easily
discourage his employers from fur
Iher venture; the thieves would re-
tain the duplicate estimate, bearing
his signature, as Il warranty that he
would fulfil his part of the fraud.
They could we'll afford to pay a con-
siderable sum for the certainty of
cleaning fortune out of this remote
wilderness.
The cruiser carefully bestowed the
envelope in an inside pocket, and
calmly set about getting his supper.
He was not s,lrprsed.to discover that
all his supplies of food, except bare
ly enough to last four or five days,
had been stolen.
After he had eaten, he rolled him
self in his blanket, not to sleep, but
to think.
East of him. as he knew from his
cruisers map. lay the Chippewa res
ervation of Moose lake, and he deter
mined to reach the agency there at
the earliest possible moment.
He lay in perfect quiet until the last
ember of his little fire had flickered
out. Then, putting his hand-ax in it's
sheath, he crawled cautiously for 100
yards or more in the direction in
which he wished to go. Then he rose,
and with Il trained instinct for points
of the compass set out upon his night
journey.
For several miles he hurried among
the great trunks of white and Norway
pines, then across rolling jack-pfnc
lands, until he reached the Moose
lake levels. Then he became cn-
Hanged in Il tamaracll swamp; he
could see no stars, and his sense of
direction nvaled little. He lay in the
damp bog until daylight, and then
cut his way out. He reached Moose
lake agency at II o'clock in the morn
ing. The agent was in his office, but
httl Iiltlc ptilttilSt lpI toCColl SboTy
and appeal for assistance.
II can't help ynn." lie said. 81 can't
let an employee or an Indian leave
the reservation upon your company's
errands.'
Weary and somewhat discouraged,
the cruiser set out to seek Informal
ton from some one among the ma
tives, and at the very least to secure
u gun and ammunition; but the In
dinns and half-breeds scattered about
in cabins and bark lodges regarded
with suspicion all his efforts to inter-
est them.
After vain attempt to exchange
his ready money and his AK for an
effective breech-loader, he met on the
agency road young man of about his
own age, carving Il medicine case.
This was the agency physician. new
| nttache at Moose lake. Sccoin intro
duced himself, and the young doctor,
glad to see n stranger, invited him
into his office.
There Secoin again told his story
and his necessities, setting forth his
plan of action should he be able to
SecuSe n messenger and Il good gun
for himself.
$50" said the doctor. his face
flushed with excitement, you propose
to tackle those fellows, If necessary
in that way!" His eyes shone with
admiration for the cruisers pluck
II wish could go with you, but my