The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-06-19
THIS BEGINS THE STORY


 estate of Jonathan IA. McGuire.
 McGuire is being bIackmaiIed by
 one Hawk Kennedy. Kennedy
 Says Mcclure killed man
 named Ben Cameron, their part
 ner in gold prospecting in the
 West years before. Mcclure says
 Kennedy did the killing. Peter
 believes Mcclure and sets about
 to cihcumvent Kennedy. Mc-
 Guire learns that Beth Cameron,
 girl living in the neighbOrhOOd,
 IS the daughter O1 his former
 partner, and promises Peter to
 pay her a million dollars the mo-
 mcnt the menace of Kennedy is
 removed. Kennedy returns to the
 Mcclure estate to visit Peter, and
 there meets Beth Cameron and
 learns who she Is. He believes
 Peter is double-crossfng, and car
 rieS the girl off. Peter has re-
 ceiVed word from Princess GaIltt-
 zin, a friend in Europe, that the
 BolSheviki are on his track, and
 the fact is brought home to him
 by the presence among his men
 of a number of ma1contentS, hired
 by Shad Wells, his first assistant.
 Wells Is jealous of him. Both arc
 in love with Beth Cameron.
 There seems to be danger in the
 camp of immediate trouble.
 AND HERE IT CONTINUES
 At first Peter had thought that in dividuaIly many of the men liked him. He had done what he could for their comfort and paid them the highest price justif1able but gradually he found that his influence was being und ermined and that the good-natur- ed Tagging which Peter had at first tried to tolerate had turned to loaf ing on the job, and finally to overt acts of rebellion. More men had been sent away and others with even less conscience had taken their places Some or them had enunci ated Bolshevist doctrines as wild as any of F'1ynn's or Jacobi's. Jona- than K Mcclure stood a type which represented the hierachy of wealth and was therefore their her editary enemy. Peter in a quiet talk at the bunk-house one night had told them that once Jonathan K. McGuire had been as poor as, if not poorer than. any one of them. But even as he spoke he had felt that his words had made no impression. It was what Mcclure was now that matter ed, they told him. All this land, all this lumber was the peoples, and they'd get it, too, in time. With great earnestness, born of a personal eperience of which they could not dream, what had happened and was now happening in Russia and painted narrowing picture of helplessness and starvation, but they smoked their pipes in silence and answered him not at all. They were not to be reasoned with If the Soviet came to America they were willing to try it. They would try anything once,
 But Shad Wells was ''canny" and Peter had never succeeded in tracing any of the accid dents or any of the dissessions directly to his door. With out evidence against him Peter did not think ft wise to send him out Of camp, for many of the men were friendly to Shad and his dismissal was sure to mean an upheaVaI or sorts Peter knew that Shad hated him for what had happened at the cabin. but that in his heart he feared to come out into the open where a repetitfon of his undoing in public might destroy his influence forever. So to Peters face he was sullenly obedient, taking care to give the ap- Dearance of carrying out ihds orders. while as soon as Peters back was turned he laughed, loafed and en- couraged others to do the same.
 And for the last week Peter had not liked the looks of things. At
  most at a standstilI and the sawmills were silent. Jesse Brown had told him that Flynn and Jacobi had been at the bunkhouse and that the men had voted him down when the fore man had tried to send them away. It was clear that some radical step would have to be taken at once to restore discipline or Peters author ity and usefulness as superintend- he nr1I Of It was of all of these things that Peter thought as he bumped h-s way in the "hivver'' over the corduroy road through the swamp land which led to the lower reserve. and as he 1 neared the scene of these material | all thought of Hawk Ken | ne1v passed from ilds mind. There was the other danger, too, 1 that had been one of the many sub 1 iects of the letter of -Anastasie Gal l itzin, for Peter had no doubt now that | the foreigner with the dark mustache l who had followed him down from | New York and who some weeks ago ! had been sent out of the camp was | no other than the agent of the So- viets. who had forwarded to London the information as to his where abouts Peter had not seen this man since the day of his dismissal, | but he suspected that he was in the | plot with Flynn. Jacobi and perhaps Shad Wells to make mischief in the | lumber camp
 The opportunity that Peter sought to bring matters to Q focus was not long in coming, for when he reached | the sawmills. which had resumed desultory operations. he found Flynn and Jacobi. the Reds calmly seat ed in the office. smoking and talking with Shad Wells. Peter had left his 'h;vver' up the road. and his sudden entrance was a surprise The men gor up sulIerry and would have siouched out of the door. but Peter closed it, put his back to 1t, and faced hem He was cold with anger and held himself in with difficulty, but | he had taken their measure and ! meant to bring on a crisis. which would settle their status and his own once and for all time
 What are you doing here2' he began shortly. eyeing Flynn.