The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1912-01-25
COPYRIGHT. 1904. BY DOUBLEDAY. PAGE
& co.

AFTER MIN. The boy drew quiverinl
breath. Then he whipped Off his ole
hat and beat the dust from IL care
fully. With his left hand he caught
she right sleeve, wiped his sweaty
face, and tried TO straighten his hail
with his fingers. He broke q spray OF
Ironwort beside him and used the pur
Pile blossoms to beat the dust from
his shoulders and limbs.
Mclean was a Scotchman. The men
Of his camps had never known him to
be In a hurry or to lose his temper.
Discipline was infiexible, but the boss
always was kind. He shared camp
! life with his gangs. The only visible
signs of his great wealth consisted of
n big shlmmering diamond stone of
ice and fire that glittered and burned
on one of his fingers and the dainty,
beautiful, thoroughbred mare he rode.
No man of McLean's gangs could
honestly say that he had ever been
overdriven or underpaid. They all
knew that up In the great timber city
several millions stood to his credit.
He was the only son of that Nc
Lean who had sent out the finest ships
ever built in Scotland. That his son
should carry on this business after his
death had been the fathers ambition.
He sent the boy through Edinburgh
university and oxford and allowed
him several years travel.
Then he was ordered through south
ern Canada and Michigan to purchase
consignment of tall. straight timber
for masts and down into Indiana for
oak beams. The young man entered
these mighty forests, parts of which
still lay untouched since the dawn of
the morning of time. The intense ST
lence, like that of great empty cathe
dral, fascinated him. He gradually
learned that TO the shy wood crea-
lures that darted across his path or
peeped inquiringly from leafy ambush
he was brother. He found himself
approaching, with a feeling of rever-
ence. those majestic trees that had
stood through ages of sun, wind and
snow. Soon IL became a difficult
thing TO fell them. When he had fill
ed his order aud returned home he
was amazed TO find that in the swamps
and forests he had lost his heart, and
IL was calling, forever calling him.
When he inherited his fathers prop
erty he promptly disposed of it and,
with his mother, founded IA home in a
splendid residence in the outskirts of
Grand Rapids. With three partners
he organized a lumber company. His
work was TO purchase, fell and ship
the timber to the mills. Marshall
the milling process and pass
ed the lumber ON to the factory. From
the lumber Barthol made beautiful
and useful furniture which UptegrOve
scattered all over the world from a
big wholesale house.
Mclean faced a young man, still I'M
der twenty. tall, spare, heavily framed, |
thickly freckled and red haired, with
Il homely Irish face. but In the steady |
gray eyes. straightly meeting his |
ones of blue, there were UNI
swerving caudor and a look of long |
ing not TO be ignored.
"You are looking for work." ques
Toned Mclean.
"Yis," answered Freckles.
81 am very sorry" said the boss,
but there is only one man want at
Iresent-a good, big fellow with
tout heart and strong body. l hoped
hat you would do, but | am afraid
'ou are too young and hardly strong
"And what was II you thought |
night be dOingp asked Freckles.
The boss could scarcely repress
tart Somewhere back of accident
nd poverty had been an ancestor who
sed cultivated English even with an
ccent The boy spoke in a mellow
IRISH voice, sweet and pure. II was
carcely definite enough to be called
rogue, yet there was trick in the
lrning of the sentence, the wrong
ound of letter here and there, that
'as almost Irresistible 10 Mclean.
lie was Of foreign birth, and. despite
ears of alienation. in times of strong
ceiling he fell into inherited sins of
ccent and construction.
ITS no Child's job" answered Me
can. Il am the field manager of
lmber company. We have just leased
OOO acres of the I.imberlost. Many
these trees are OF great value. We
mt leave our camp, six miles south
n almost year yet, So we have
azed a trail and strung barbed wires
about the extent OF this lease.
cfOre we return to our work | must
It this Limberlost lease In the hands
reliable. brave, strong man who
IN guard IL every hour of the day
I'd sleep with one eye open at night.
should require the entire length OF
e trail to be walked at least twice !
cry day, TO make sure that our lines 1
ere up and no one had been tres
lssing" I
"But why wouldn't that be the finest /,
b In the world for me?" pleaded
rockies. 81 am never sick. | could
ak the trail twice, three times every
~, and I'd be watching sharp all the
hile."
ITS because you are little more than :
boy. and this will be a trying job
r work hardened man. answered :,
clean. You would be afraid. In
retchlng our lines we kuisJ six rat