The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1936-03-19
CHAPTER VII

A Job and some enemies, and at
least the beginnings of some friend
ships.
Young pondered those possessions
as he spent a drizzly afternoon max
ing his camp permanent And after
dark, as he sat in Nan Downer's of
fee and talked to her and Holt Stuart,
he wondered just where this quick
spoken, high-strung youth was going
to fit in with his scheme of things.
Holt appeared to him as one who
will normally come to rapid decisions
form, perhaps, snap judgments. And
yet Kerry had the feeling that in his
case the forester was holding back,
reserving his estimate and opinion.
When Hollis eyes rested on Nan,
a hunger of long standing appeared in
them. Not the lust that had been on
Tod Vests face yesterday afternoon
up river, but a clean, upright respect
:. and something deeper than that.
Stuart withdrew after a time, leav-
ing Nan and Kerry alone. The door
to the great lounging room of the
headquarters was open. Logs smoul-
dered on the hearth there.
ITS damp" the girl said; let's
finish our talk near the fire."
So she curled in a massive armchair
on one side of the hearth while Young
sat opposite her and continued the
talk of the job. Tip, with a sigh of
contentment, stretched on his side be-
fore the fire, and when a pause came
in their discussion of timber estimates
and mapping the girls eyes rested On
him.
What a lovely creature!" she MUIR
INJURED and the retriever, opening one
eye, raped his tail as if understand
ing and approaching the compliment
Nan and Kerry laughed and Tip
stretched and sighed luxuriously and
Topped his tail again.
1t was late when he left Nan, an
agreement reached and ready to re-
port in the morning to work at the big
drafting board.
A light rain was falling, and after
Nan had said her good-nights to Tip,
Kerry threw a balloon silk slicker
about his shoulders and walked away
in the darkness.
He had not gone far when he felt
Tip come a bit closer, and then a
vague figure detached itself from the
shadow of pine tree.
The hail, when it came, though eau
: tious and low. was not unfriendly.
young? That you, Young?"
"Yo! What's up?"
The other approached and then
Kerry halted.
ITS Jim Hinkle, Young"
"Oh, hullo, JimI How's the girl?"
'Fine! All right :" = looking about
cautiously. Il :. wonder if could
git you to stop here a minute? I got
somethin' got to say to you, Young ~
He was wholly sincere, and not at
all at ease. That belligerence which
had been on display early in the MORN
ing was wholly gone.
well, when a mans got to talk !.
why, he's just got to talk, hasn't he?
Won't you walk on down to my camp?
We'd be snug"
Lord, no! You see, that wouldn't
do, Young. T.. don't want certain
parties ever to know 1 hunted you up,
friendly-like.
I'D be skunk If didn't say It,
after what you done for us. I amt
even thanked you yet for givin' Elsie
back to u.s." His voice shook. That's
all I can say about that that I
thank you. =. A man can't say any,
thing else when it's his own kid,
Young"
"That's all right, Jim. You needn't
even have said that much"
"Oh, yes! I had to say that. But
that's the smallest part of it. I /.
got other things to say, Young"
"I'm no good, you know. I'm hell
and don't pay attention to my debts
like I ought. don't amount to nothin'.
But it's only when somethin' happens
like happened today that git thinkin'
about it much.
sand I got this to say because of
the things I've been thinkin' this after
noon: 1 was lower'n a snakes belly to
come to you like I did ND try to drive
you out of this countryr'
Pause.
"You see it's different, now. +.
That is, 1 come to you just after SUM-
up like / -. like I believed what the
rest Of 'em believe: that you framed
up somethin' on Tod"
And you knew all along that 1t
was real? That he did cheat?'
ITO BE CONTINUED