Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-10-29

~ JAIL o4OA NCAoA- ~ ~ -
be taken out entirely an new ones
set"
Il didn't know" returned Sandry
frankly; went they hold back the
work."
"A day or so, mebbe. We can take
the fallers out an put them on with
Collins an the rest. There's enough
down to keep the buckers busy a day
or two, anyway. We won't lose much"
do you think this is the work of
the Yellow Pines people, Daily?"
Sure said Daily with certainty,
they've done. worse than this before
now. Cut our best cable two years
6 and twice they've run the dinkey
off the track into the slough. They're
bad actors"
but what's the use? What do they
gain?"
They want to run us out of the
hills. Been at it for ten years. They're
just givin' you a hint as the new
owner"
The repairing Of the damaged roll
way was another revelation to the
easterner. New timbers were brought
down and the slanting floor was thick
ly underpinned. Then with pick and
shovel the men went at the work of
digging out the damaged timbers. The
work was heavier, more dangerous and
disagreeable by reason of the water,
four feet deep at low tide, eight at
high, which tapped their bases.
Daily put them at the digging from
the slope side at low tide; but on the
second day he stood long running his
blunt fingers through his hair, as was
his custom when perplexed.
Sandry had come down from the
Office and now stood IN the track
above the rollway looking over the
wet country below. At the rollway's
foot the sluggish ribbon of tidewater,
sullen and discolored, wound up from
the south. To the north the valley
lifted gently toward the camp and the
wilderness beyond.
Suddenly, DAILY" he said, what
are you going to do about it,"
"T don't just know. The men can't
work in the water, and them piles have
got to come out. But there's a way of
dom it, of course"
"Of course" said the fastener. and
why not go at it from above?"
The foreman looked at him inquir.
ingly.
THAT left bank of the slough up
there is in the form of a ridge. Don't
you think we could set a crew at 1t at
low tide and dig it through, turning
the water into the field yonder? That
would leave the slough empty here for
the time between high tides. Could
you get the timbers out in a few
hours?"
Daily's experienced eye had already
taken in every detail of the possibili-
ties as Sandry talked.
That's a good scheme, Mr.. Sandry,'
he said slowly. Il believe it'll work"
So it was that the first practical sug-
gestion of the new owner was set into
action.
The whole crew of the camp was
brought out of the hills and set to
work and the damaged rollway was re-
paired as good as new the break in
the west bank filed, the slough run
ming full again and nothing to show
for the trouble but the flooded field of
tules.
Under Walter Sandry's cool de-
meanor there was a small glow of
satisfaction, a sense of having in a
way redeemed himself.
At supper time Siletz, moving be-
tween the tables, laughed to herself,
softly, and her dark yes under the
little shadow of her parted hair held
a sparkling CLEAN as If she had seen
that conflict and enjoyed it.
"Siletz," said the owner, coming in
suddenly from the east porch after the
men had tramped heavily away to the
clubhouse, whom do you know out
side this camp?"
She was alone in the big spotless
kitchen, her sleeves rolled up from her
arms, slim and brown with a smooth
color that was of the suns giving.
Outside the camp?" she asked, turn
ing to him for a moment, stopped in
some task of the aftermath of the
meal, 'why-nobody."
Don't you ever go down to ToledoY'
Sandry was leaning in the doorway,
his bright blue eyes upon her.
Sometimes"
"Have you no friends there? No
girl friends?"
She shook her head and he noticed
the clean profile, the shape of the
small pointed chin, the good forehead
conflicting with a vague suggestion of
f1eeting wild things in the velvety
eyes.
"Is there no one with whom you as
sociate outside the camp?, Think"
Suddenly there passed over her fea-
lures a quick change. He could liken
it to nothing but a wind on the surface
of water, just a breath of change.
"Only the Preacher" she said with
a swift slurring of %softness in her
voice.