Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1922-10-04


was closed. The light still burned In
the factors room and he saw Molly
cross toward him and fling herself or
her knees beside him.
He clenched his fists; but somehow
the violence that relieved his feelings
usually seemed 10 have no place here
He couldn't understand. He went
home slowly across the portage.
The factor looked up when Molly en-
tered. and was astonlshed to see the
tears upon her face. When she kneeled
down he put his hand clumslly upon
her hair.
"what has happened. lassr he
asked. "was It WIN Carruthers ys
quarreled WITH"
"He viii never come here again"
said Molly.
A dull fire burned In the factors
eyes. He seemed to be struggling be
tween two impulses: One was to CON-
fort his daughter; the other, his graft.
fication.
"Ah weel, lass, yen find another" he
said.
But he abased his head before her
indignant glance. At that moment the
girl felt that her father and she were
farther apart than they had ever been.
When Wilton reached his shack he
took off his coat and flung himself
down on his bed. He would not specu-
late on Molly's motives. He would not
think of her at all. He would neither
condemn her nor pity himself.
He forced his mind back to his task.
The trestle-he would lay down q
corduroy-he would drive the men all
the summer, II need be, for Joe's sake.
Poor Joel The presence OF the dead
man seemed TO all the camp just as
OF old. Joe was the guiding spirit OF
this work. He had loved Joe more
truly than 1t seemed possible to love
any woman.
He completed the few routine duties
OF the Office and went to bed. He had
dOzed of TO sleep when something
made him start up in bed and listen In
tently. He thought he had heard a
slight sound in the Office.
1t was so slight that even his trained
ears sent the message TO his brain
doubtfully. But II came again. Some
one had very softly clicked back the
catch of one Of the windows.
He had the sense Of a listener be-
meath II, and, all alert, Wilton crept
nOiselessly TO his feet and stood listen
ing In the darkness. Now there was no
doubt. The window was being pushed
very softly open. II was the window
between the safe and his bedroom
door. In the moonlight Wilton could
see that II was opening by inches.
His own door was slightly ajar, and,
inch by inch, he pushed II open, too.
He saw a pair of hands, white, not
work-roughened. placed against the
bottom of the window-frame. A face
appeared and was thrust cautiously in
side the room In reconnaissance. VIII
ton recognized Lee Chambers.
Satisfied. apparently, that Wilton
was asleep In the next room, Chambers
began to climb over the sill. Wilton
waited till he was balanced there, and
| then leaping forward, he drove his fist
with all his force into his face. He
| felt the bone OF the nose smash under
his hand.
With a muffled cry Lee Chambers
flung up his hands, slipped backward
and fell. AS Wilton ran to the window
the ex-engineer Ieaped up and raced
toward the trees. The thought Of his
treachery came into Wilton's mind and
turned his sardonic humor into red
rage. He reached into his desk drawer
and pulled out the loaded revolver
which he kept there. But by the time
he was at the window again Chambers
was gone.
/
Three months later an engine pushed
two ballast trucks from the west TO
the east shore Of Big Muskeg. The
swamp was spanned. The corduroy
had been laid upon the sink-holes, and
had borne the ballasting. The trestling
ran from bank TO bank and carried the
metals firmly, but the foundation was
only as yet laid halfway, and the final
proof had yet to be made.
However, Wilton had no doubts OF
the result. He had tried out the dan
ger-spots. The trestle would contain
the ballast. His work had been accom-
plished.
After the subsistence he had paid a
flying visit TO Clayton. He had not
seen Kitty. and Kitty had not returned
to the camp, but he had had a stormy
meeting with the directors and, as he
had foreseen, had been given his
chance to try once more. There was,
indeed, nothing else TO be done. Bow
yer had made the most Of the disaster;
but Il was to Bowyer's interest that
Wilton should try again and fail That
would put the Missatibi promptly into
liquidation.
i Ill sn. g. - iii