Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1922-09-21


reached the portage. Then he stopped
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 fling herself on
her knees beside him.
He clenched 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 astonished to see the
tears upon her face. When she kneeled
down he put his hand clumsily upon
her hair.
what has happened, lass" he
asked. "Was it viii Carruthers ye
quarreled with?"
"He will never come here again."
said Molly.
A dull fire burned In the factors
eyes. He seemed to be struggling be-
fort his daughter; the other, his graft
ficatiOn.
"Ah weel, lass, yell 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 a
cOrduroy-he would drive the men all
the summer if need be, for JOe's sake.
Poor Joe! The presence of the dead
man seemed to fill the camp just as
this work. He had loved Joe more
truly than it seemed possible to love
any woman.
He completed the few routine duties
of the office and went to bed. He had
dozed off 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 it came again. Some
one had very softly clicked back the
catch of one Of the windows.
He had the sense of listener be-
meath it, 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. 1t was the window
between the safe and his bedroom
door. In the moonlight Wilton, could
see that it was opening by INCHES. o..
His own door was slightly ajar, and,
inch by inch. he pushed it open, too.
He saw a pair Of hands, white, not
work-roughened, placed against the
bottom of the windowframe. 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 leaped 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 ballastlng. The trestlng
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 q
flying visit to Clayton. He had not
seen Kitty, and Kitty had not returned
to the camp, but he had had 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 1t was to Bowyer's interest that
| Wilton should try again and fail That
would put the Missatbi promptly into
| liuui1atiOn