Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1934-04-20
writing in office files and betray the

He did not attempt too much decep-
ton: II was drunk as fool for two
weeks" he began, feeling that Kate
was the sort who would prefer blunt
truth. "But am on the job now, and
things aren't as bad as they might be-"
He proceeded with truthful account
of the situation as he had found it.
Her response touched him deeply:
''You seem so changed. You don't
| write as you used to. What's hap
| pened, Duffer? Has the iron, like
Dads. finally come out? Have you
finally got the old hooch appetite
whipped? I'm praying for 1t every
hour, of course. can't help but feel
that the man who wrote this letter has
something to STEP up and deliver.
Well fight it through together until
the old Dad comes up from the rear
and begins to lead again. That's a
promise!"
He wrote other letters and. at night.
at odd times during the day when the
mind of man engaged with such a
| job should have been busted with
| sterner matters, he found himself
thinking of Kate Flynn.
| At the beginning he had left her
| photograph on the table in his cabin ;
now, he carried it in his shirt pocket
and when alone in the woods often
looked at it almost furtively. Now
and again, thinking of the girl he
would mutter:
It'll pull it through. Well pull him
through for you. :"
Steve and McNally were together
one day, caching new fire fighting
equipment in strategic places.
"Seen Franz the last few days?"
Steve asked.
McNally shook his head. Nope,
but that amt unusual. Times we don't
see him for weeks, but he's always
in the country"
bad sort to have loose, wouldn't
you say?"
"You bet! He don't like Polaris
and, course, he don't like you, Jimmy.
Still. it'd take fox to watch him.
Might be down at the Laird's."
Chow does he get his drag with the
old fellow?"
Got me, unless it's because he's
young. Macdonald amt ever warmed
up to any of us old hands never made
friends with anybody in town or out
here in the bush. Seems as If he
don't care If he never sees anybody
but his Injuns and Franz.
"You got to hand it to Franz! He's
as slick as they get He even fooled
Katie good and plenty. It looked for
time that summer two years back
that she was goin' to fall plumb in
love with him. But she found him out
and afore any the rest of US did. He
was real cut up when she told him to
git, he was!"
sharp Jingle Of jealousy ran
through Drake and he smiled. Jealous
of man who had once known the
favor of a girl he had never seen,
whose voice he had never heard!
McNally went on: 'But bout him
nd the Laird, dunno. If he is after
tn Laird's timber for Benson looks
like he had the inside track. It amt
price, you see. Three hundred md
twenty thousand was what your daddy
estimated it was worth; that's what
! he offered. Macdonald said it was
fair price but he just naturally didn't
want to sell. The thing is that
cf1yff of fofr ~ ~
banks might loosen up little"
yeah. The banks. It'd give us time
to turn around"
IND times what you need, Jimmy
It's gettin' almighty short"
The Older man talked on, outlining
the possible, the even probable disas-
ter which was to overtake the Flynn
interests, while Steve turned his
thoughts to the Laird. He had learned
all he could of the old recluse but, re-
viewing it ALL only one really sig.
nficant thing had ever been said to
him about the man and this by La
Fame. Some men, the dog handler had
said, are so constituted that they will
yield no measure of admiration to
another until he can best them at
something they want to do. Was that
the key to MacDonald's friendship?
Did LaFane know or was he guessing?
He did not strike Steve as man who
guessed often.
Miles away, before meager shelter
made of single tarpaulin, LaFane
was making coffee.
To one side sat Young Jim Flynn.
A half hour before he had delivered
an ultimatum, declared that he was
going to take the trail back to the
Mad Woman, launch his canoe and 20
his own way.
"No. You are not going" LaFane
had said.
"Who'll stop me?"
II will"
"Then be about it"
In great rage the boy had hurled
himself at the older man. His assault
was furious, backed by returning
strength. LaFane had slapped him
but that did no good, this time. So
he struck, just once, sending the boy
sprawling. Then he stood over him,