Canyon City news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1903-1908, 1905-01-13

pected ac,imen in the disposal OF the
seasons cut 10 Wholesale dealers in
Chicago. Thereafter he was often In
the woods both for pleasure and to get
his partners ideas on what the firm
would have TO offer The entire respon-
sibility of the city end of the business
was in his hands.
Injun Charley continued to hunt and
trap In the country round about. Once
or twice Il month the lumberman would
snowshop down 70 the little cabin at
the forks Entering he would nod brief
ly and seat himself on a cracker box.
How do. Charley said he.
How do?" replied Charley.
They filed pipes and smoked. At
rare intervals one Of them made a re-
mark tersely:
Catch um beaver las week" re-
marked Charley.
Good haul" commented Thorpe.
Or:
II saw a mink track by the big bowl
der" offered Thorpe.
HIM responded Charley In long
drawn talSett0 WINNIE.
Yet somehow the men came to know
each other better and better, and each
! felt that in an emergency he could de-
pend on the other to the uttermost in
spite of the difference in race.
AS for Philip. he was like some
strange. shy animal. retaining all its
wild instincts. but led by affection to
/ become domestic. He drew the water.
| cut the wood-none better. In the even
ing he played atrociously his violin
none worse-bending his great white
| brow forward with the wolf glare in
! his eyes swaying his shoulders with a
fierce delight in the subtle dissonances
of the horrible tunes he played. And
! often he went into the forest and gaZed
wondering Mt occult things. Above all
be worshiped Thorpe. And in turn the
lumberman accorded him a good ma
tured affection.
Financially the company was rated
high and yet was heavily in debt. This
condition of affairs by no means con-
stitutes an anomaly in the numbering
| business
! The profits of the first five years had
been Immediately reinvested in the
! business. Thorpe intended to establish
in u few years more big plant which
| would be returning benefces in pro-
portion not only to the capital original
| ly invested. but also in ratio to the en-
ergy. time and genius he had himself
expended
Every autumn the company found it
! self suddenly in easy circumstances
| At any moment that Thorpe had clio.
/ sen to be content with the progress
made he could have, 50 to speak, de-
clared dividends with his partner In
stead of undertaking more improve
ments, for part of which he borrowed
some money. he could have divided the
profits Of the seasons cut. But this he
was not yet ready to do.
He had established five more camps:
he had acquired over l50.000,000 more
of timber lying contiguous to his own;
he had built and equipped modern
high efficiency mill; he had constructed
a harbor breakwater and the .neces
sary booms; he had bought tug: built
boarding house All this cost mon
ey. He wished now to construct log
ging railroad. Then he promised him
self and Wallace that they would be
ready to commence paying operations.
He had made all the estimates and
even the preliminary survey. He was
therefore the more grievously disap-
pointed when Wallace Carpenter made
it impossible for him to do so.
1t was about the middle of July. He
was sitting back idly in the clean
painted mill Office with the big square
desk and the three chairs. Through
the door he could see Collins perched
on high stool before the shelf.like
desk. From the open window came the
clear. musical note of the circular saw,
the fresh. aromatic smell Of new lum-
Der, the bracing air from Superior spar
king in the offing. He felt tired. In
rare moments such as these. when the
muscles of his striving relaxed, his
mind turned to the past. Old sorrows
rose before him and looked at him with
their sad eyes. He wondered where
his sister was. She would be twenty
two years old now. A tenderness,
haunting, fearful invaded his heart.
At such moments the hard shell of his
rough woods life seemed to rend apart.
He longed with great longing for
sympathy. for love.
The outer door. beyond the cage be-
hind which Collins and his shelf desk
were placed, few open. Thorpe heard
brief greeting. and Wallace Carpen-
ter stood before him.
"Why, Wallace. didn't know you
were comingv' began Thorpe, and stop
ped The boy. usually so fresh and
happily buoyant looked ten years old
er. Wrinkles had gathered between
his eyes. "Why, what's the matter?"
cried Thorpe.
He rose and swiftly shut the door in
to the outer Office. Wallace seated
himself mechanically.
Everything. Everything" he said
in despair. 1--WE been "a fool. I've
been blind"
So bitter was his tone that Thorpe
was startled. The lumberman sat
down on the other side of the desk