Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-08-30
Of actual exhaustion. Haste became
the cry. and comfort fed.

they took their packs upon their
shoulders and marched up the beach
to Willis Marsh's plant. Larsen, the
day-foreman, acted as their spokes-
man, and Boyd recognized. too late,
the result of that conversation he had
Interrupted on the night Of his visit
to Cherry.
This detection diminished his boat
crew by more than half, and while the
shoremen stoutly maintained their 10y
atty, the chance of putting up pack
seemed lost. Success or failure in the
| Behring Sea fisheries may depend
upon the loss of day. Emerson found
himself facing situation more des-
perate than any heretofore, MARSH
had delayed the execution OF his plans
until the run had started, and there
| was no possibility Of recruiting a new
force. Alarmed beyond measure, BOYD
swallowed his pride and went straight
way to his enemy. He found Marsh
we'll recovered from his flesh-Wound
| of a week or more before, yet ex-
tremely cautious for his safety, as ne
evidenced by conducting the inter-
view before witnesses.
"We are short-handed, and gave IN
! structions to secure every available
man." he announced at the conclusion
of Emersons story. 1T Is not my fault
| II your men prefer to work for me.
"Then you force me to retaliate,
said Boyd. 81 shall hire your men out
from under YOU"
Marsh laughed provokingly. :.
"Try 1t! l am q good organizer II
nothing else. If you send emissaries 70
| will
lence--and l think you had better
avoid that, for we outnumber you zen
to one"
Stormy accusations and retorts fol-
lowed, till Emerson left the place IN
helpless disgust.
Nor had he hit upon any method of
relief when Cherry came down to the
plant on the following morning. though
he and Big George had spent the night
in conference. She lost no time in f,lr
tile Indignation, but inquired straight
way:
what are you doing about it? The
fish have begun to run, and you cant
afford to lose an hour
II have sent man to each OF the
| other plants to hire fishermen at any
price, but have no hope that they VIII
succeed. Marsh has his crews too well
in hand for that"
!, Cherry nodded. "They wouldn't dare
quit him now. He'd never let them re-
turn toPthis country if they did. Mean
while, the rest of your force is on the
banks, presume"
Eyes"
How many boats have you?"
Ten
! Heavens! And this is the first day
OF the run! 1t looks bad, doesn't IT?
Bas the trap begun to fill?"
"No. George is down there now. !
guess Marsh succeeded in corking 1T.
Meanwhile all the other plants are
working while my Chinks are playing
! fahtan.''
4 Cherry gazed curiously at her com
panion, to see how he accepted this
latest shift of fortune. She knew that
:. it spelled disaster; for light catch,
with the tremendous financial loss en-
tailed, would not only mean difficulty
with billiards. loan, but other compli-
cations impossible to forecast Her
! mind sped onward to the effect OF q
failure upon Boyd's private affairs. He
had told her in unmistakable terms
! that this was his last chance, the final
Hope upon which hung the realization
of his dreams. Some way his power
to hold Mildred Wayland was bound
ND with his financial success. If he
should lose her, where would he turn?
she asked herself, and something
within her answered that he would
Hook for consolation to the woman who
had stood at his shoulder all these
] weary months. Sudden emotion swept
over her at the thought. What cared
she for his success or failure? He was
i the one man she had ever Known, the
Innate for whom she had been moulded.
If this were his last chance. 1t prom.
/ ised to be the opportunity she had so
long awaited: for once that other was
out of his mind. Cherry felt that he
would turn to her. She knew 1T intu-
/ itively knew it from the light she had
seen in his eyes that night at her
house. knew it by the promptings OF
her own heart at this moment. She
began to tremble, and felt her breast
swelling with glad determination;
but he interrupted her fight Of fancy
i with a sigh of such hopeless WEAKNESS
that her pity rose instinctively. He
gave her sad little smile as he said:
81 seem to bring misfortune upon
every one connected with me, don't |?
I'm afraid I'm poor sort"
How boyish he was, the girl thought
tepderly. yet how splendidly brave he
had chen throughout the fight! There
was voiceless maternal yearning in
4 her heart as she asked him, gravely:
"If you fail now, it will mean-the
end of everything, will it not?"
"Yes." He squared his tired should
ers. "But am not beaten yet. You
/ taught me never to give up, Cherry.
If have to back home without catch
and see billiard take this plant over,
why-I'll begin once more at some
thing new, and some day ! will sue.
coed. But shan't give I'D. I'll can what
salmon we catch and then begin all
over again next season."
"And-suppose you don't succeed
Suppose Hilliard won't carry you?"
"Then I shall try something else:
maybe shall go to mining again. |
/ don't know. Anyhow she would not let