The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-10

and judge every Qay IS valuable
 .>So valuable that we can't afford to lose one by making a mistake,'' said his employer meaningly.
 Leave it to me. never forget a country once I've been through it.
 Bdt Dan Appleton was not mistaken. A tive hours <ow across the nairror-Hke surface of Omar lake brought the par ty out through q hidden gap in the mountains and afforded them a view across the level delta. To their left the range they had just penetrated retreat ed toward the canyon where the Sal mon river burst it's way ont from the interior, and beyond that point it con tinued in a eastward swing to KyaK, their destination Between lay 8 fat, trackless tundra. cut by slouglls and glacial streams, with here and there long tongues of timber reaching down from the high ground and dwindhng away toward the seaward marshes. Ht was a desolatc region. the breeding place of sea fowl, the hunting ground for the great brown bear.
 O,Neil had never before been so near the canyon as this, and the wild stories be had heard of it recurred to him with interest. He surveyed the place cu- riously as the boats glided along, but could see nothing more than a tumble of small hills and buttes and beyond them the dead gray backs of the twin glaciers coming down from the slopes to east and west. Beyond the foothills and the glaciers themselves the main range was gashed by a deep valley. through which he judged the river must come, and beyond that he knew was a country of agricultural promise, extending clear to the fabulous copper belt. whfther the railroads from Cortez were headed. Still farther inland lay the Panama, and then the Yukon. with their riches untouched.
 What a pity, what mockery, it was that this obvious entrance ito the coun- try had been blocked by nature! Just at his back was Omar, with it's deep and sheltered harbor; the lake he had crossed gave a passage through the guardian range, and this tundra O'NeiK estimated that he could lay a mile of track a day over tiled right up to the glaciers. Once through the coast range building would be easy, for the upper Salmon was navigable, and it's banks presented no difficulties to track laying.
 He turned abruptly to Appleton, who was pulling an oar.
 What do you know about that can yon ?'' he asked.
 t'Not much. Nobody knows much, for those fellows who went through in the gold rush have all left the country Gordon's right of way comes in above, and so does the trusts From there on know every foot of the ground ;
 Camp was pitched late that night far out on the flats. During the prepara- ton of supper Murray sat staring fix edly before him, deaf to all sounds and insensible to the activities of his com panions. zHe had lost his customary breeziness and his good nature. He was curt, saturnfne, unsmiIing. Ap- pleton undertook to arouse him from this abstraction. but Slater drew the young man aside hurried1y with a warning:
 Don't do that, son, or you'n wear splints for the rest of the trip.'
 What's the matter with him, any how ?" Dan inCSlired. He was boil ing over with enthusiasm all day, but now-why, he's asleep sitting up! He hasn't moved for twenty minutes
 Tom shook his head, dis1odging a swarm of mosquitoes.
 
 on your toes. I smell something cook l ing, and it ain't supper
 When food was served O'Nei1 made a pretense of eating, but rose suddenly | in the midst of it with the words:
 ssI'H stretch my legs a bit.'' His voice was strangely listless. In his eyes was the same abstraction which Ind troubled Appleton during the aft ernoon. He left the camp and disap peared up the bsnk of the stream
 Mice place to take walkr' the en gineer observed. Hell bog down il half a mile or get lost among the sloughs."
 l Darkness had settled when O'Neil re appeared. He came plunging out O 1 the brush, drenched, muddy, stained by contact with the thickets, but hi former mood had disappeared, and il it's place was a harsh, explosive en ergy.
 Tom he cried, "you and Appleton and will leave at daylight. The mel will wait here until we get back Hi voice was incisive. Its tone forbad question.
 The youthful engineer stared at hiI In dismay, for only his anxiety ha triumphed over his fatigue, and day light was but four hours away. O'Ne noted the expression and said nor gently:
 You're tired, Appleton, know, bt in working for me you'll be calle upon for extraordinary effort now an then. may not demand more tha an extra hour from you; then again
 may demand a week straight withoI sleep. I'll Eever ask it unless it's ne
 essary and unless I'm ready to do m
 share"
 T .sYes. sir.,'