The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1935-02-01

meet interest and payroll and there's
no boss on the job"
Elliott looked at the old man.
you said 1t was as pretty piece
of hardwood as ever stood outdoors.
If so, why's it in this jam?"
Able Armitage lifted a hand In ges-
ture and whispered sharply one word:
"Brandonw
Ben put down the map, replaced the
pipe stem between his teeth and showed
his hands deep into pockets.
Brandon, eh?" He nodded. "Checks
out on the stories I'd heard. So
Brandon's put you on the toboggan
Why?"
Able shrugged. Probably because
it's kept itself out of his hands for
so long. And, besides, there are other
six years ago was made admins
traitor of this estate and to keep the
carrying charges from eating it up, l
started to operate. There wasn't
chance to sell the stumpage to any
body but Brandon. Nobody's going to
put their money into a devil-ridden
county like this There are too many
stories going round of what's happened
to others who have tried to work along
side Nick. We had to cut and mill or
sell the stumpage to Brandon at his
own price. Maybe, If it had been mine,
I'd have sold; but the owner of this
timber is an orphan girl and a
man doesn't like to quit under those
circumstances.
''But every man I've put on to run
the thing has been beaten, and I've had
some good ones there. They can't get
decent crews in the first place. Butler,
the millwright, Thomas, the camp cook,
and crazy Irishman named Bird-Eye
Blaine, who's barn boss, are the only
three men you can count on. Brandon
spies the good men who come along
and If they don't work for him he sees
to it that his Bull Duval drives 'em
out of the country. And this matter of
labor is only one item that he makes
hard to supply.
'Until now he hasn't been able to
touch me. I've managed to hold out
against him politically. But he's watch
ing and the probate court is watching
and unless I show some progress by
the first Of the year I'm going to be
booted out as administrator. With an
other administrator in control he'll buy
this timber for song, a girl will be
robbed and the shame Of this COM
munity will be complete!"
'And what makes you think" Elliott
asked, "that I've got chance to put
it over when other men have failed?"
Able did not hesitate:
Because you have youth and a lik-
ing for tough nuts!" He did not
smile; his eyes snapped and his voice
rose
"Son"-putting hand on his shout
der-"I'd take Bridger's word on men
quicker than I'd take the word of any
man know. He says you can do 1t If
you will I'm asking you, now, as an
old man with his back to the wall, will
you help me on this"
Ben Elliott did not reply at once.
He was staring at the floor as one will
when debating with himself and pre-
pairing for argument with another. He
twisted his head gravely and smiled.
Then he looked into Able's face.
"When do we start?" he asked.
The Justice swallowed.
"You ready now? Without knowing
any more about it?"
Il know enough. It's good timber
and it's Brandon who's messing up the
detail. Let's go. Judge!"
It was just before whistle time next
morning at the Hoot Owl mill.
"Who's tn young Teller with Abie?"
the Zimmerman asked the filer.
"New boss"
"Him?" The Zimmerman spat and
leaned further forward for a better
look at Ben Elliott as he stood talking
to the sawyer in the gloom Of early day.
"Say Amt he the lad that
ducked tn Bulli Nd took a poke at
Brandon?"
LII same.
"Well I'll be d-dl Only kid. He
may be a good hand on birlin' log
but won't Nick Brandon find him sweet
pickin'I He likes 'em young, Nick
does and specially after this
one took such pains to make himself
unpopular with Mister Nick!"
"Yup. He'll be duck soup for Bran.
don all right"
The hand of the millwright's watch
approached the hour. The sawyer
pulled the signal cord. The big shaft
commenced to turn and from machine
to machine went Butler while Able and
Ben watched. examining betting, grease
cups, seeing that live rollers ran stead
lily and true. The pulleys turned slow
ly for q full five minutes and then as
the cracked whistle atop the boiler
house cackled its message that another
working day had begun, the carriage
swept forward and the saw snarled its
way into a good maple log.
Elliott stirred on his feet. It was
the way a mill should start, anyhow.
But after that beginning the pro-
cedure was not so good. The sawyer