Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1916-01-05
CHAPTER xI.
An unreeorded pssd.

but seldom and then with quaint pre-
cision. beauty of speech and thought
that amazed the man from the East
But they were old thoughts, San2ry
found at last, thoughts formulated in
the fire and enthusiasm of youth, hence
stsH burning when youth had fed end
age had brought its empty seeming.
And it is there" he said to himself,
that S'letz gets her manner of speech,
though her visions are her own, born
OF her eentered SOUL
At the end of the week Sandry went
to Salem When he returned his face
was drawn IS If from loss of sleep,
and he summoned Daily to the office
Sandry pulled open a drawer in his
desk and took out the deed to the East
Belt.
This" he said tensely. has never
been recorded. searched the records
at the land office and our deed is not
there. Instead there Is brand new
homestead fling in the name of r. ].
o'Connel Daily. either old Frazer was
crooked or fool"
There was strained note in the
owners voice. His foreman sat in the
tip-tilted Office chair. open-mouthed
and round-eyed
Then Hampden's got tn strangle-
holt-damn his soul to HE'LL He
knows about the contraclx an he'll blk
1t If he can. But Frazer wasn't crook
ed, MIR. Sandry, I'd stake my life on
that"
Then why did he sell me the East
Belt stumpage-the prize card in the
Dillingworth pack-without record
ed deed? This isn't worth its paper"
He waved the folded slip.
"And why didn't you verify all pa
pers, Mr.. Sandry, when you made the
deal?"
Daily was entirely earnest and I'M
conscious of the effrontery of his
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. Or 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 moments
thought, wen 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
Der 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. II it 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
Pinesl Eff it amt plumb disgustin'!
"Quit?" cried Jim Anworthy, 'let a
bunch o. cutthroats call US quittersY
What's eatin' you. John?"
Orders" said the foreman warning
ly, and the men buzzed like nest OF
hornets. Among the cid hands at the
camp il was almost a personal affair
and they took 1t TO heart, criticizing
with that freedom which characterized
their kind and laying the blame upon
the new owner. the tende-foot from
the East. Feeling at the abrupt CIV
ing up of operations at Hampden' 8
threats ran so high that three old
timers-including Smith the hook
tender, 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 q trifie forward
on his bullet head, "it's gettin' too cul-
tured. Well be asked to stop swearin'
next, an eatin' with our spoons. Me
fer tn timber right. don't like civili-
cation"
Let them CO." said Sandry grimiy.
"I1I learn how and tend hook myself
| IL necessary"
Days slipped by SO swiftly that San
dry scarce found time to count them.
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 a
dream.
The dampness freshened his cheeks
and curled his hair into a riot under
his gray felt hat; and siletz, glancing
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