The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-11-02

 of q truck motor. The old timber man listened.
 'sBali was right" he muttered as he sent his horse toward the sound.
 Asper rode down the steep slope at an angle. He had gone a hundred yards when his horse broke through a thick growth of scrub oak and walked into a beaten trail, Asper halted to look around carefully. The trail was higher up than would have been reasonable for a horse or pack road. Any builder of trails would have crossed the divide lower than in the saddle to avoid the climb around the mountain unless he wanted to hide his path. The old timber king bent and checked the. black dust for horse tracks. Someone had gone down over that trail the night be- fore.
 Asper pulled aside into the brush and sat thinking. He had made a very important discovery but he did not know that Dona had done the same thing several days before. He was smiling over the signih-' canoe of his find when 8 snapping twig warned him someone was coming. He peered through the wide oak leaves and waited, his gun ready.
 Below him a black horse appear ed on the trail. Asper could see cowboy hat bent low to avoid branches and limbs. The rider was approaching unsuspectingly. "Ball, l Asper grunted. Walking right into my hands," He leveled his gun and waited.
 The man came on at an easy trot. His horse evidently knew the | twisting trail well. When the black was opposite him Asper pushed his horse into the clear and spoke sharply. "Put up your hands," The rider jerked suddenly, then his hands rose slowly and his face was revealed. Asper's eyes widened. He was staring into the face of his timber boss.
 ''swergin!" Asper exclaimed. but he did not lower his gun. "Put up that gun," swergin growled.
 Asper crowded close. "I'll take yours. first,' he said grimly, then added. Just to make sure" Swergin's face contorted into scowl. You sure got nerve." he l protested angriiy. Asper faced his foreman after re- | lieving him of his gun. "Now ex- plain the activity down in the can- | yon!"
 Swergin lowered his arms and l shifted his weight in the saddle. What activity" he asked. | "You know what I mean. And while you're at 1t you might ex- plain the black horse and the cow boy getup." way to take Ball i'm" Swergin's manner was surly.
 "What is going on down in the canyon You might as well spit 1t | out. I'm going down there to sec for myselfy' Asper was cold as steel He was timber boss again.
 Swergin twisted farther around in his saddle and his lips parted in a beefy smile. Asper caught a glint in the mans eyes that warned him of trouble but he was not quick enough to meet 1t. A rifle barrel damned into the small of his back and he. knew he had made a mistake. Swergin had friends with him.
 l Don't make a move," voice from behind ordered.
 1nward1y berating himself, ASpei
 sat still while Swergin recovered his gun and took Asper's gun away from him. Swergin was leering tri-
 umphantly now. M
 "Get rope and tie his hands in front of him." he ordered.
 The man who had showed the rife into Asper's back rode around in front and dismounted. Swergin covered his employer with his six gun while the man proceeded to tie Asper fast to his own saddle horn.
 l "You can't get away with this stuff," Asper growled.
 "If you'd have kept your nose out of Pass Creek for another day you would have saved yourself a lot of trouble" Swergin said as he tested the rope that held his boss.
 "You are as low as they come, Swergin!" Asper tuned.
 "Send him on ahead" The tim Der boss paid no attention to As per's wrath.
 l The three riders trailed slowly through the timber and finally left the trail where 1t crossed the ridge.
 Finally they halted before the cabin where Stan had been held prisoner. Asper noted grimly that he had not checked his country very well. The evidence of the cabin had been unknown to him.
 Swergin forced him to dismount and made him enter the log shack. With a rope, he tied Asper to the same wall he had tied Stan to. :.
 You better reconsider this,' Asper shouted angrily.
 "Well tell you what we aim to do, later," Swergtn answered as he strode away.
 Asper could hear him giving his man orders. Ride back down and tell the boys to clean up the last of the timber and head out with it."
 A few minutes later swergin re- | turned. He sat down on Q sawed stump and began pulling off his cowboy togs. As quickly as he had undressed he dressed again in | lumberman's togs which were | hanging on the log wall.
 Can't you let an old man sit down?" Asper demanded. Swergin kicked the stump he l had used as chair toward his l former boss. Squat on that and take 1t easy while you can." he sneered.