The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1919-07-05

never learn younger.
She took the wheel and Charlie
stood by. directing her. In twenty
minutes they were out where the run
OF the sea from the south had fair
sweep. The wind was whistling now
All the roughened surface was spot.
ted with whitecaps. The Chickamln
would hang on the crest OF wave
and shoot forward like IA racer. her
wheel humming. and again the roller
would run out from under her, and
she would labor heavily In the
trough
IL began to grow insufferably hot
in the pilot house. The wind drove
with them, pressing the heat from
the boiler and fire box into the for.
ward portion OF the boat. where Stella
stood at the wheel. There were
puffs of smoke when Davis opened
the fire box to ply II with fuel. All
the sour smells that rose from an
unclean bilgc eddied about them.
The heat and the smell and the surg.
ing motion began to nauseate Stella.
II must get outside. where ! can
breathe" she gaspcd. at length. Its
suffocating. ! don't see how you
stand it,"
at does get stuffy In here when
we run with the wind" Benton ad.
mitted. Cuts off our ventilation.
I'm used 10 It, Crawl out the win.
dow and sitWn the forward deck.
Don't try 10 get aft You might slip
off. tho way she's iurching."
Curled in the hollow OF faxed.
down hawser. with the clean air fan.
ming her. Stella recovered herself
The giddiness left her. She pitied
Sam Davis back In that sinking
hole beside the fire box. But she
supposed he. like her brother. was
used to IT," Apparently one could
get used 20 anything. II she could
judge by the amazing change in
Charlie.
Far ahead doomed a ridge running
down to the lake shore and cutting
off In bold promontory. That was
Halfway Point. Charlie told her. and
under its shadow lay his camp. with.
out any previous knowledge OF
NshI's Eht was aPPi tIlls oIit
with less eager anticipation than
when she began her long journey.
She began TO fear that II might be
totally unlike anything she had been
able to imagine. disagreeably so.
Charlie. she decided. had grown hard
and coarsened In the evolution of his
ambition to get on. 10 make his pile.
She a lint four DO
he. and she had always thought of
herself as being older and wiser and
steadier. She had conceived the idea
that her presence would have a good
influence on him. that they would
pull together-now that there were
but the two OF them. But four hours
In his company had dispeiled that
Illusion. She had the wit to perceive
that Charlie Benton had emerged
from the chrysalis stage. that he had
the win and the ability TO mold his
life after his elected fashion. and
that her coming was a relatively un.
important incident.
In due course the Chickamin bore
In under Halfway Point. opened out
a sheltered blight where the watery
commotion outside raised but a faint
ripple. and drew In alongside a float
The girl swept lake shore. bay and
sloping forest with a quickening eye.
Here was no trim-psinted cottage
and velvet lawn. In the waters be.
side and lining the beach floated in.
Vulnerable logs. confined by boom
sticks. hundreds OF trunks OF fir,
forty and sixty feet long. four and
six feet across the butt. timber
enough. when II had passed thru the
sawmills. to build four such towns
as Hopyard. Just back from the
shore. amid stumps and Uttered
branches, rose the roofs OF divers
buildings. One was long and low.
Hard by II stood another OF like type.
but Of lesser dimension. Two or
three more shanties lifted level with
great stumps-crude. implanted build. |
ings. Smoke issued from the pipe OF
the larger. and n white-aproned man
stood in the doorway.
Somewhere In the screen OF woods
a whistle shrilled. Benton looked
at his watch.
I'VE made good time. in spite OF
the little roll" said he. That's the |
donkey blowing quitting time-six
o'clock. Well. come on UP to the |
shack. Sis. Sam. you get wheel. |
barrow and run those trunks up-after |
supper. will you?"
Away in the banked timber beyond |
the naples and alder which Stella |
now saw masked the bank OF a small |
stream flowing by the cabins, a faint |
call rose, long-drawn:
m.ber-r.r.rr'
They moved along a path beaten
thru fern and clawing blackberry
vine toward the camp. Benton carry.
ing the two grips. A loud, sharp |
crack split the stiffness; then a mild |
swishing sound arose. Hard on the |
heels of that followed a rending. tear. |
ing crash, thud that sent tremors
thru the solid earth under their feet |
The girl started.
Failing gang dropped a big fir"
Charlie laughed. you'll get used 10 |
that. You'll hear 1t a good many |
times a day here"
Good Heavens. IL sounded like the |
end of the world" she said.
Wei, you can't fell stick of |
timber two hundred feet high and six |
or eight feet thru without making a |
pretty considerable noise" her
brother remarked complacently. 81
like that sound myself. Every big |
tree that goes down means a bunch |
of money"
He led the way past the mess |
house. from the doorway OF which |
the aproned cook eyed her with frank |
curiosity, hailing his employer with |
nonchalant air, cigaret resting in |
one corner of his mouth. Benton |
opened the door of the second build. |
Ing, Stella fn1lOtya6 hf,., In