Gilpin observer., 1916-05-11

3
pers. Mr.. Sandry. when you made the
deal?"
Daily was entirely earnest and IN
conscious of the effrontery OF mis-
words Sandry's boyish face flushed
painfully.
"Inexperience." he said bluntly;
faith in men. though by all the signs
! should have lost that. and lastly no
conception that such thing could be
done. Our first move now. however.
is to find Frazer"
Daily shook his head
That new bucker we took on yes
terday In the bunch Of new men told
me last night that Frazer was in
Frisco two weeks ago. and was goin'
south. Sailed on the mail boat for
Panama"
Sandry regarded his foreman grimly
out of sparkling blue eyes.
"Then." he said. after a moments
thought. well save our contract first
and fight for our stumpage later"
He rose and began gathering up the
papers on his desk.
AT noon." said he. thinking rapidly
and with astonishing ease in this. his
first business crisis. you will take
every man off the present work. We
will build no more trail toward the
East Belt now. Instead we will lay
track as fast as possible into the tim
ber at the head of the valley there to
the north. You know that contract
calls for six million feet of logs to be
in raft at Yaquina bay by the sixteenth
of March If 1t is not there we lose
our big profits and the connection with
this powerful company. Now get busy"
| Speculation and comment were rife
in camp when Daily announced at
noon that all work along present lines
was to be dropped and that all hands
were to fall to laying track to the
north.
by jingo." grumbled Collins openly,
we're gettin' scairt out by tn Yella
Pines! Eff it amt plumb disgustin'!"
"Quit?" cried Jim Anworthy. "let
bunch o. cutthroats call us cutters?
What's eatin' you, John?"
Orders" said the foreman warning
ly, and the men buzzed like nest of
hornets. Among the old hands at the
camp it was almost a personal affair
and they took it to heart. criticizing
with that freedom which characterized
their kind and laying the blame upon
the new owner. the tenderfoot from
the East. Feeling at the abrupt CIV
ing up of operations at Hampden's
threats ran SO high that three old
mers-including Smith the hook
tender a jewel in the crown of any
logging camp-rolled down their
sleeves and called for their time.
Cant stand the atmosphere" said
little Smith. settling his round. mar
row-brimmed felt hat tritie forward
on his bullet head, Its gettin' too cul-
tured. Well be asked to stop swearin'
| next, an eatin' with our spoons. Me
fer TIL timber right. I don't like civili-
| zation."
Let them CO." said Sandry grimly.
I'll learn how and tend hook myself
II necessary"
Days slipped by so swiftly that San
and they were all too short. He was
out before day had even crept up the
eastern slopes of the great Cascades.
and was still going when 1t died half
across the Pacific to the west. He
ate like a logger and slept without
dream.
The dampness freshened his cheeks
and curled his hair into a riot under
his gray felt hat; and SiletZ. glancing
sidewise from under her level brows,
flushed darkly beneath her dusky skin
| NJ hn f,,1 hoe o,,tx <,f ~
She could not forget the day in the
fern glade when he had stopped to
her for that passing kiss. She felt
constant pulling of all her nature to
fall in a little way behind and follow
him. This feeling puzzled her and
several times she caught herself al
most In the act when he passed
through the big room. or paced the
length of the porch.
She fed sugar to Black Bolt. sat on
the seven-foot fir stump on the ridge
with an arm over the staid shoulders
of Coosnah. watched the wonderful
gold lights in Miss Ordway's hair. and
dreamed more than ever. Upon the
Preacher she waited hand and foot.
with a devotion beautiful in it's un-
consciousness.
Ma Daily went about her business
in an unusual silence; and she. too.
took In all the details of the author
from the East. but with far different
eye
Don't like her SMILE" she solilo-
quized in the steam of her important
realm. "'tain't thick. It's spread on
mighty thin-like a step-ma's JAM"
But to Sandry. when he found one
Of his rare half-hours Of cessation
from the rushing work. that same
smile. brilliant and well.poised and
Of the distant world. was a refreshing
wind.
You're working too hard. Mr.. San.