The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-02-15
The MAN from YONDER

Six years ago i was made admins
| traitor Of this estate and to keep the
carrying charges from eating 1t up, I
started to operate. There wasn't q
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 1t 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 1t 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 ont
against him politically. But he's watch
ing and the probate court is watching
and unless | show some progress by
the first of the year I'm going to be
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 completed"
"And what makes you think" Elliott
asked, shat I've got a chance to put
| it over when other men have failed 2"
Able did not hesitate:
Because you have youth and lik-
ing for tough nuts!" He did not
smile; his eyes snapped and his voice
| rose.
"Son"-putting a hand on his shout
der-"Pd take Bridger's word on men
| quicker than I'd take the word of any
man / know. lie says you can do it 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!"
1t was just before whistle time next
morning at the Hoot Owl mill.
"Who's tn young Teller with Abie?"
the Zimmerman asked the filler.
New boss"
Him" The Zimmerman spat and
leaned further forward for q 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 Bull? Nd took a poke at
| Brandon?"
"Th' same"
swell I'll be id! Only kid. He
may be a good hand on a birlin' log
but won't Nick Brandon find him sweet
pickin'l 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 a full five minutes and then as
the cracked whistle atop the boiler
house cackled it's message that another
working day had begun, the carriage
swept forward and the saw snarled its
way into good maple log.
Elliott stirred on his feet. 1t was
the way mill should start. anyhow.
But after that beginning the pro-
cedure was not so good. The sawyer
was not quick in making decisions.
Twice in a half dozen logs his slabs
| were thick to the point of waste; he
did not turn one particularly good
piece as soon as he should to grade
his lumber to the highest point.
The setter. too, was mediocre. The
deck man loafed and let the bull chain
fill up and stop even when his deck
was half empty.
appeared to be men working for cause
they felt was lost.
Ben went with Butler, then, from
man to man and watched each do his
work.
In the yard they passed logs rolled
to one side. G
"Much veneer stuff good as that?''
Ben asked, cycling them.
mot much coming in now, but
there's a lot of 1t standing" Butler
answered. Buyer in here ten days ago
looking up Dird's-eye maple and veneer
birch. Harrington was saving 1t as 1t
came in; some of 1t. He had too many
things to think about, Harrington did.
The buyers due back any day. though.
Markets up. l guess. He'll probably
pay a fancy figure for what we have
4 to offer him."
Then he went to the particular prob
lem confronting them. With the loco
motive laid up the steady supply OF
logs from camp to mill would be cut
off. Snow was failing lightly. now.