Gilpin observer., 1917-05-03
FIRST EPISODE.

turtles earlier, the boldness, aggressive.
ness, predaciOusness, and cOld-blOoded
unscrupulousness which were his most
marked characteristics, would have
won him a fellowship in the company
of Cortez, Hawkins and Drake.
But instead of raiding the golden
cities of the Indies and the Spanish
Main, he raided the forests of the
American northwest. The operations
of the Northern Land & Lumber COM
pany, of which Marston was president
and whose activities he directed and
controlled, covered a quarter of the
continent. Eighty per cent of the vast
forests of Washington, Oregon, Idaho
and California were either owned by
the company or under its control.
When President MarstOn entered the
company's palatial offices ON an upper
floor of the Pioneer building in Seat
tie precisely at ten o'clock as was his
custom, his secretary, human auto
maton named johnson, handed him a
telegram. 1t was dated at a lumber
town in southern Oregon and read:
Mccarthy reports Holmes hard hit
by fires and won't be able to cut over
ten million feet at outside"
The message was signed Davidson"
.Marston uttered grunt which his
secretary correctly interpreted as an
expression of satisfaction.
Presently Mr.. Frasier, who was the
general manager of the Northern Land
Lumber company, and MarSton's
right-hand man, appeared.
"Frasier," said the president, speak
ing with more animation than was his
wont-'T think we've at last got
Rupert Holmes where we want him."
What makes you think so?" asked
the general manager.
Il suppose you know, don't you, that
we have a contract with Holmes to
deliver us 2O,0OO,OOO feet of lum-
Der by the thirteenth of next month";"
YES" said the other, II know it."
And do you know that there have
been some bad forest fires in Oregon
while you We're in the East?"
Il saw something of the sort in the
Chicago papers," replied Frasier.
but what have the fires to do with
our friend Holmes?"
"Only this" said Marston, unable
entirely to keep the elation from his
tone, they've pretty well cleaned him
out. That fellows got something that
I'd give a great deal for-something
that we've been trying to get for years,
and it looks now as If this was our
chance to get it."
"Meaning-?"
"The boom rights on the Calapooia"
raped out Marston, triumphantly.
"Your plan being take it," went
on Frasier, ito give him his choice be-
tween being sued for nonfulfillment of
contract and forced into bankruptcy
or of handing over the boom priv
ilege? Am right?"
Precisely" said Marston. TITS 60
ing to be as easy as taking candy from
child. Take my word for it, Frasier,
we've at last got Holmes just where
we want him and I'll send him a wire
to let him know that we know it
johnson, take letter."
'"To Mr.. Rupert Holiness" dictated
Marston, klamath Falls, Oregon.
Dear Sir We have learned with re-
gret that recent forest fires have
caused damage to your timber hold
lngs on the Calapooia. We trust that
your misfortune has not been extern
sive enough to interfere with the de-
livery on or before the 30th prox., of
the 20,OOO,000 feet for which we con-
tracted with you, as your failure to do
so would cause us heavy losses in
connection with certain export orders.
In the event of your failure to comply
with the terms of the contract we shall
be regretfully compelled, in order to
protect ourselves against loss, to insist
on the payment of the penalty for nom
fulfllment of contract.
Yours very truly,
Northern Land & Lumber Company.
Per, Henry Marston, President" /"
In their shrewdness, their predatory
instincts, their total lack Of CONNER
cial scruple and their mercilessness to-
ward all who opposed them, Henry
Marston and Rupert Holmes were
amazingly alike. But there the sim
ilarity ended. Marston had taken his
degree at great eastern university.
Holmes, on the other hand, had grad
uated from the hard school OF the
northern lumber camps and 1t had
made him. both physically and moral
ly, hard, hard man.
Rupert Holmes greed for wealth and
power was matched only by his long
Ing for son-a man child-who would
inherit the fortune ha droomad NJ
making and who would perpetuate his
name.
Two years before this story opens
he had married young southern
schoolteacher-a slender, dark haired
dark-eyed girl-and now she was about
to become the mother OF his child. His
wish was to be fulfilled.
But after a summer of l1nnrecadanf,