The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-07-31

was I?' he brooded after Steve had finished. "Who-who did you say you thought might be behind the man who would have had your plans had it not been for MT. Devereau?'
 T didn't say" replied Steve. and for the first time since his entrance there was mirth in the unison of their laugh ter.
 'It all brings us back to the point from which we started" the younger man went on when they were grave again. "It's a plain enough issue so far as we are concerned. We've got to be at the mouth of that lower valley by May. We're going to be! And as I sec it, wasting time and energy in shall we call it sleuthing. MT. Elliott? won't help us much. We thought that lack of time and the general na- ture of this country were going to be ey is in and IT never did like to be beaten, Can't we let 1t stand like that, at least until some one else makes a plainer move? We know the cards we hold. If others care to sit in perhaps we'll all come to a showdown next spring at Thirty Mile. It'll be easy enough to explain just how we did it. Alibis based on yelled opposition would not interest the Reserve people much if we left their timber there to rot. =" And I'm trying not to over look any bets, Mir. Elliott"
 Hastily the iron gray man thrust his hat back from his forehead. He came to his feet and crossed and clapped one hand upon Steve's shoulder.
 Next May"' he parked. "O'Mara, I'm glad you came down this morning. I've been carrying a lot of those ideas around in my head until they had be- come nightmarish. But I'm through now. You won't hear me crcak again. I staked what I had on you months ago. I'd do 1t again this minute. Whats the odds. after all, who it is that's playing us to lose? It's only the fact that somebody may be fight ing us that needs to occupy our atten- ton. I'm done worrying. Do you hear? But what about those men who are quitting us? You are sure it would be unwise to import labor? It's cheap CT, you know"
 Steve, too, had risen.
 Wed have the prettiest kind of a scrap on our hands the first day we tried to use them," he explained. cit would be dead enough before we got through. l guess I'd better run right out and have a tnlk with Mclean. He knows these men even better than do, and I'm almost one of them, you know. And I'll get a line on some of these delinquents who are crying ca lamity for the countryside. I'd better, because we'll need them. They sim ply haven't become thoroughly inter ested yet; that's all. It will take some thing to jolt them, something to set them on fire. And then-then just watch my plaid shirted boys go! They'll eat up your sledge swingers!'
 Something of that promised fire was reflected now in Hardwick Elliott's eyes.
 "By Cad" he exclaimed; ''by Cad. if it wasn't for Ainnesley, I'd say the thing was worth it, win or lose, just for the game itself! You go ahead and see Mclean. I'll be out there later myself. I promised Allison that I'd show the works to some of the young folks up there on the hill. His daugh- ter-but I keep forgetting that you've known her longer than have. There's quite party of them. She announced her engagement to MT. Wickersham last night, believe. Heard that this morning. Was too busy to go up last night myself. Maybe you'll find time to help me play the host"
 Steve turned toward the door. "So I heard," he replied, without facing around. |"I'll try to be on hand"