Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1922-09-23

her knees beside him.
He cenched 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 win Carruthers ys
quarreled with?"
''iIe VIII never come here again.
said Molly.
a duh fire burned in the factors
eyes. He seemed to be struggling he
tween two impulses: one was to com.
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 OF his coat and flung himself
down on his bed. He would not specu-
late on Molly's motives. He would not
thinR of her at all He would neither
condemn her nor pity himself
He forced his mind back t. 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 Joel The presence of the dead
man seemed to fill 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.
lie 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
Slight sound in the Office
It was so Slight that even his trained
ears sent the message to his brain
| doubuully. But it 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 X, and, all alert. Wilton Crept
noisclessly to his feet and stood listen
ing in the darkness. Now there was no
doubt The window was being pushed
very softly open. It was the window
| between the safe and his bedroom
/ door. In the moonlight Wilton could
see that it was opening by inches.
His own door was slightly ajar, and,
inch by inch, he pushed 1t open. too.
/ He saw a pair of hands. white, not
work-rouehened, placed against the
| bottom Of the wind0wframe. face
appeared and was thrust cautiously in
| side the room in reconnoiss ance. 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 le0ped up and raced
| toward the trees. The thought Of his
treachery came into Wiltons mind and
/ turned his sardonic humOr into red
rage. lie reached into his desk drawer
/ and pulled out the loaded revolver
which he kept there. Bat by the time
/ he was at the window again Chambers
was gone.
Three months later an engine pushec
TWO ballast trucks from the west to
/ the east sho.- - Big Nuskog The
swamp was spanned The corduroy
had been laid upon the Sink-holes and
had borne the balastIug. Tie trestiug
ran from bank 10 bank and carried the
metals firmly. but The foundation was
only as yet laid halfway, ana the final
/ proof had yet 70 be made,
However Wilton had no doubts OF
the result He had tried out the dan
I -er.spots The trestle would contain
! the ballast. His work had been accom-
p.ished.
After the s+.uSiGcoce he had paid
lying visit 10 Clayton. he had not
seen Klttr. arr Kitty had me- returned
20 tie camp, but he had ha1 stormy
meeting with the directors and, as he
lad foreseen. had been given his
chance 10 try once more There was,
.rJpaG rfot1.fritr elisa IN ne done EDly-