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

ing him somehow. What made him
hasten to be out in the wholesome
air again was the awareness that he
had been ready to hear Withers'
schemes.
He had no inner hypocrisy. He
knew that no loyalty would ever
blind him to his own advantage.
But he did not like being maneu-
vered, so he sat little stiffly and
replied in polite monosyllables to
Withers' remarks, as they drove the
rutty road to the highway.
He walked rapidly till he reached
the outskirts of the village, his nos
trils singing in the frosty air. The
town lay on slope where the river
widened, and as Daniels approached
it the linked lights made it look like
some jeweled ornament on the
breast of the mountain.
He would go down to the mill, he
decided. The air was keen and he
should be certain that his tests were
all right. A freeze would ruin sew
eral days work.
At the mill he moved in authority
and this pleased his young vanity.
The men he spoke TO had to listen.
The forms that went out of his lab
oratory were commands; on them
depended the quality of the Morgan
pulp.
Only few men were at the mill
the few who tended the processes
that went on night and day. Dam
iels unlocked his laboratory,
tacked-on structure half brick, half
wood, sheeted with metal. He
snapped on the light, unlocked the
cupboard where he kept his appara-
tus. His test-tubes, he saw, were
all in good order, the thermometer
stood at safe temperature, and the
rusty steam-pipe running along the
wall was warm.
He put out the light again, locked
the place. Then he saw that light
was burning in the office. 1t was
after ten. Mrs. Morgan must be
there. Lucy would not come down
at night alone. She never came at
night.
He stepped up to the Office win
dow and saw that the person inside
was old Tom Pruitt.
Fruits status at the mill had al
ways puzzled young Daniels. He
knew that Pruitt had worked there
since the plant was built, that he
was always carrying messages from
Virgie Morgan, giving orders that
she initiated, yet he had apparently
no definite position and no authority.
Daniels opened the office door.
Hello, Tom," he said, anything
wrong?"
Tom Pruitt looked up from Vir-
gie's desk, where was spread out
loose array of legal-looking papers.
He looked baffled, his hair was
standing up, but he grinned at Dam
iels. "Nope-nothing special. I'm
studying out this here. Never did
see such fine printing nor so much
writing that didn't make head nor
tail. You know anything about this
here business?"
Lets look at it." Stanley Daniels
slid out of his overcoat.
You gotta know something about
law, l reckon" Tom got up CRATE
fully, surrendered his chair. I've
kept shy of the law for so years but
now it looks like it caught up with
me at last. l own stuff and don't
own it. Take a look at all them
and see what you make out of it.
I've done give up"
Daniels sat down at the desk
briskly and unfolded one document
after another, read them through,
with Tom looking over his shoulder,
his amazement growing.
How about these contracts, Pru-
lit? They paid you, did they?"
Not since '26, they didn't. They
didn't pay in five years, nor in sew
en- neither. They amt paid nothing
since that paper was wrote"
"You should file suit then-get
your land back"
"Yeah-she said that, too-Mis'
Morgan. She said I'd ought to 60 to
law. She wants me to hire that fell
Ter Willis Pratt. l was just study
ing about it. Pratt will want lot
of money for nothing, l reckon
them lawyers always do"
"But-that land must have been
worth money. How much have you
got, anyway"
Upwards of thousand acres
mountain land. Never could raise
nothing on it."
"And these"-Daniels snapped a
rubber band about the thick bundle
of certificates-''ought to be in a
safety deposit box in the bank. I
didn't know you owned this big block
of stock in the mill. You're a rich
man, Pruitt-I'm glad know you"
Erich? Me?" Old Tom rubbed his
ear. 81 just got me a piece of this
mill, that's all. Dave Morgan and
me worked mighty hard to keep this