Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1922-08-24


and looked back. The door OF the store
was closed. The light still burned In
the factors room and he saw Molly
cross toward him and ding herself on
her knees beside him.
he cienched his fists; but somehow
the violence that relieved his feelings
usually seemed to 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 astonisbed to see the
tears upon her face. When she kneeied
down he put his hand ciumsily upon
her hair.
what has happened. lassf" he
asked. "Was 1t VIII Carruthers ye
Quarreled within
@He will 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 COM
fort his daughter; the other. his graft
ncation.
"Ah weel. Lass. yen ,nd another he
said.
But he abased his head before her
indignant glance. At hat moment the
girl felt that her father and she were
farther apart than they had ever been.
When Wilton reached his shack he
took OF his cost 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 I'LL the camp Just as
Of old. Joe was the guiding spirit Of
this work. He had loved Joe moro
truly than IT seemed possible to love
any woman.
He completed the few routine duties
OF the Office and went 10 bed. He had
doxed OF TO sleep when something
made him start up In bed and listen In
tently. he thought he had heard q
slight sound In the ONCE.
1t was so slight that even his trained
ears sent the message to his brain
doubtfully. But 1t came again. Sons
n 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 10
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 IL 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. Will
o recognized Lee Chambers.
Satisned, apparently, that Wilton
wss asleep m the next room, Chambers
began 20 climb over the sill. Wilton
waited tM lie was balanced there, and
then, ieaping forward, he drove his fist
with all his force into bis fscc. He
felt the bone Of the nose smash under
his hsnd.
Wkh a mufrIed cry Lee Chambers
fiung up his hands, slipped backward
and fell. As Wilton ran to TIE window
the ex-engineer leaped W and raced
toward the trees. The thought Of hts
treachery came Into wiitc1's mind ami
turned his sardonic hunor into red
He reached tnce hss desk drawer
and pulled out the beaded revolver
which he kept there. 1ut by the rhne
he was at the window sgain Chambers
was gone
Three moaeks later an engine pushed
two ballast trucks erom the west to
the o sisore Of Big Muskeg. The
was sparrsc4- The corouroy
had been laid upon che~ sink-hoies, and
had borne tire bal4ssing. The tresaing
ran from baak to bank and carried the
metals nrnty, bat cAe foundation ras
only IS jet tsEd halfway. and the falai
proof had yex to be made.
However, Whites lad no doubts OF
the result. He had tried out the dan
TIE tre1fe would contain
the ballast His work had been accs<n-
After the subsidenos he had paid %
lying visit to cIagtos. He had nx
'eeB Kitty. and Kitfy had not returued
the camp. but he hsd bad a stormy
meeting with the directors and. as he
lad foreSeen. had bees given his
'hance TO try once more. There was.
indeed, nothing else 90 be done. Bow
'er had made the most Of the disaster
ut II was to Bowyer,s Interest that
Wilton should try again and fail. That
FouId put the hissatibi promptly into
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