Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1940-12-20
CHAPTER HI-Continued

and mouth that shut like trap
"are victims of the Phillips outfit"
Virgie kept silent. Very likely
these were some of the crowd who
had put up the money to back Phil
lips. Obviously they had no idea
who she was. They thought her a
quaint mountain character, proba
bly,, so she kept to the part, staring
duly and curiously at them, as
mountain people did.
Slamming her worn gears, she
drove on up the ridge, turning south
at her line and humping across
stony meadow, sun-washed and
pleasant
She found her foresters eating
their lunch, their legs dangling from
the muddy tail of their truck. She
shared their lukewarm coffee, in
spected the damp little hillocks
where baby spruce stood and shiv-
cred, feeling their cold, small be-
wildered roots cropping in strange,
chill darkness.
Il hope we get snow so they
don't dry out too fast" she said.
1--WE heard a car a while back"
one of the men said. See anybody
down that way, Mis- Morgan"
II was going TO speak about that"
Virgie screwed the lid on a thermos
bottle. Much obliged, you boys-I
meant to get home for lunch but l
got delayed, as usual. About that
carl saw 'em. And l want you
to quit early-you, too, Joe-knock
off before three, leave the truck
here, and go over the other side
down toward Little Fork There's a
piece of hardwood down there-a
hundred and sixty-odd acres. Take
a good look at it and call me up to-
night"
Fruits stuff, eh?" said Joe, who
knew these timbered slopes and
ridges as well as Virgie did.
1T used to be Pruitt' stuff. Some
things up. And I'm not going to let
Tom be gypped by another bunch of
slick takers with blue-prints in their
hands and black iniquity in their
minds. Don't call up till after sew
en-, hear? And don't talk to any,
body but me about this business"
Sure, boss-we understand. You
don't want it mentioned to Pruitt,
them"
''I'Q talk to Pruitt. Crank this old
caboose for me, will you?"
She was thinking so absorbedly
as she drove in at the gate of the
plant that she ran over a steam hose
and ripped a sizable silver from the
corner of the Toulouse before she
came to and stopped the truck.
Tom Pruitt heard the impact of
her arrival and came slouching out
of the back shed, picking gum off
the palms of his hands.
Anybody else bust up the prem
ises like that and you'd fire him."
he drawled amiably. That steering
gear busted?"
"Oh, shut up!" grumbled Virgie,
climbing down stiffly.
She was irritated by Tom. No
man SO huge should be so naive, so
helpless.
there in the way must have thought
we'd be hauling stuff in here in OK
carts forever" Virgie continued to
fume as she tramped into the office.
Tom opened the door for her. Il
reckon Dave put it there" he said,
calmly.
Come in here" Virgie ordered.
Tom followed her obediently and
began punching at the stove. Vir-
gle made complicated task out of
getting her hat off and her desk
opened. She did not look at Tom.
She was exasperated, and when her
temper got the upper hand her
tongue slipped, and she did not want
it to slip. She had to say the right
thing to Tom, who was so helpless
in the presence of law and finance
and the crisscross web men weave
of these two strands to hide the
simple intent of their acts.
''Sit down." directed Virgie, land
don't squirm. Lucy, you go out and
get the time slips. Pruitt and /
have got business to talk over"
Lucy rose meekly, put on her coat.
"How soon shall come back, Mrs.
Morgan"
Fifteen minutes is all / need.
And if you hang around that labora-
tory, walk in the air some before
you come back in here. There may
be worse smells than young Dam
iels invents, but Satan has got a
monopoly on EN-"
Tom draped his long legs over
stool and twisted his hat.
II reckon you found a seeder tree
cut that hadn't ought to be CUT" he
said Il expect done it."
Virgie swiveled her chair around.
The darkened leather cushion on
- back Of it still held the print of