The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1920-12-03

to fight; / had a great curiosity to see
the stuff that was In him." she ex-
| planned.
Next day Bryce Cardigan, riding the
top log on the end truck Of long
train just in from Cardigan's woods
in Township Nine, dropped from the
end of the log as the train crawled
through the mill yard on it's way to
the log dump. He hailed Buck Ogilvy,
where the latter stood in the door of
the Office.
big doings up on Little Laurel
creek this morning, Buck"
do tellr' Mr.. Ogilvy murmured
morosely.
at was great" Bryce continued.
"Old Duncan McTavish returned 1
knew he would. His year on the
mourner's bench expired yesterday,
and he came back to claim his cid job
of woods boss"
Hes one year too late" Ogilvy de-
clared. Il wouldn't let that big Cana
dian Jules Rondeau quit for a farm.
Some woods boss, that-and his first
job with this company was the dirtiest
you could hand him-smearing grease
on the skid road at dollar and half
a day and found. He's made too good
to lose out now. i don't care what his
private morals may be. He can get
out the logs, hang his rascally hide
and I'm for him"
I'm afraid you haven't anything to
say about it, Buck" Bryce replied
dryly.
Il haven't Ell? Well, any time you
deny me the privilege of hiring and
firing you're going to be out the serv-
ice of rattling good general mana
ger, my son. Yes, sir! If you hold
me responsible for results I must Sc
lect the tools want to work with"
'Oh, very WE'LL" Bryce laughed.
Have it your own way. Only if you
can drive Duncan McTavish out of
Cardigan's woods I'd like to see you
do 1T. Possession is nine points of
the law, Buck-and Old Duncan is in
possession"
what do you mean-in possession?"
II mean that at ten o'clock this
morning Duncan McTavish appeared
at our log landing. The whisky fat
was all gone from him and he APP
| peared forty years old instead Of the
sixty that he is. With whoop he
came jumping over the logs, straight
| for Jules ROndeau. The big Canuck
saw him coming and knew what his
visit portended-so. he wasn't taken
unawares. 1t was case of fight for
his job-and Rondeau fought"
'The devil you sayl"
81 do-and there was the devil to
pay. 1t was a.rough and tumble and
no grips barred-just the kind of a
fight ROndeau likes. Nevertheless Old
Duncan fioored him. While he's been
away somebody taught him the ham,
mer lock and the crotch hold and
few more fancy ones, and he got to
work on Rondeau in a hurry. In
fact he had to, for if the tussle had
gone over five minutes Rondeau's
youth would have decided the ISSUE"
"And Rondeau was whipped?"
"To whisper, Mac fioored him,
and 'choked him until he beat the
ground with his free hand in token of
him up, and Rondeau went to his
shanty and packed his turkey. The
last I saw Of him he was headed over
the hill to Camp Two on Laguna
Grande. He'll probably chase that as
sistant woods boss I hired after the
consolidation out of Shirleys woods
and help himself to the fellows job.
don't care if he does. What interests
me is the fact that the old Cardigan
woods boss Is back on the job in Car
digan's woods, and I'm mighty glad of
1t. The old horsethief has had his
lesson and will remain sober here
after. I think he's cured"
"The Infamous old outlaw"
"Mac knows the San Hedrin as /
know my own pocket. He'll be tower
of strength when we open up that
tract after the railroad builds In. By
the way, has my dad been down this
'morning?"
"Yes. Moir1 read the mail to him
and then took him up TO the Valley of
the Giants. He said he wanted to do
a little quiet figuring on that new
steam schooner you're thinking of
building. He thinks she ought to be
bigger-big enough to carry two mil
lion feet"
Bryce glanced at his watch "Tt's
half after eleven" he said Guess I'll
run up to the Giants and bring him
home to luncheon"
He stepped into the Napier standing
outside the Office and drove away.
Buck Ogilvy waited until Bryce was
out of sight; then with sudden deter
mination he entered the office.
"Moira," he said abruptly, approach
ing the desk where she worked, '"your
dad is back, and what's more, Bryce
Cardigan has let him have his old job
as woods boss. And I'm here to an
nounce that you're not going back to
the woods to keep house for him. I'm
derstand? Now, look here, MORA. I've
shilly-shallied around you for months, |
protesting my love, and I haven't got
ten anywhere. Today I'm going to ask
you for the last time. Will you marry
me? I need you worse than that ras-
cal of a father of yours does, and tell
you I'll not have you go back to the
woods to take care of him. Come,
now, MORA. Do give me definite an
swer"
I'm afraid / don't love you well |
enough to marry you, Mr.. Ogilvy,"
MORA pleaded. I'm truly fond of you,
but"
1.-The last boats gone" cried Mr.. |
Ogilvy desperately. I'm answered. |