Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-02-14

| now, Oeen AO4e 70 engineer U18 VAR
Gus calamities that had descended
On the plant In the past few days.
there remained to be discovered
the means by which he had worked.
Wills was not satisfied. He meant
to do some sleuthing on his own.
He waited till the whistle blew At
night and Lucy had put on her shah
by green coat and gone out. then
went to the office where virgie sat
studying a map on her desk. Out
side murky lights burned in the
yard and steam drifted down to Lie
in torn, cold wreaths along the
ground.
Virgie looked up at him, and it ap-
peared to Branford Wills that there
was something deeper than weari-
ness in her strong face. She looked
a little stricken, as though some
thing had been taken away from her
that could not be returned.
She showed him the map. This
is what worries me-" she said, "this
land that belonged to Tom Pruitt.
This is what Withers is counting on
this timber acreage. He and
Payne and those other fellowship
fellow Tom shot-have got a court
order allowing them to cut timber
enough to satisfy their claims. And
you know what that means. The
court can't 60 up there and scale
up stuff. They'll strip it and with
what timber is standing there they
can set up mill and run it for
three or four years. Long enough
to worry me, anyway"
"And you're convinced that With
ers is at the bottom of all your
troubles?"
what else can think? He came
to my house last night and made
threats. Maybe they're just using
him to handle local contracts and
connections that outsiders couldn't
put over. Mountain people are Pc
culiar. They're suspicious Of stran-
ger but home-talent crook can do
quite lot with 'em. I reckon Wal
lace thinks he's in"
LET me see that map again."
Wills said. He had been a maker of
maps, Virgie remembered. He an
chored the colored sheet with an
inkbottle and slide rule and stud
led it.
81 filed an injunction to keep them
off this morning." virgie said.
Filled it for Tom, of course. It
may not work. They may have the
Judge sewed up. Tom does what
tell him usually-but don't always
get there quite soon enough. went
over at daybreak-but I should have
gone yesterday"
They'd been there ahead of you?
But surely he wouldn't listen to
them?"
Il don't know. It's worrying me-"
She breathed YEARLY. like a spent
runner. "They sent 4 lawyer to
scare Tom, late yesterday. They told
him that Cragg was fling suit
against him for fifty thousand dol
lars damages. Perhaps they can
do it, in law-I haven't looked into
it. That's not the point. They gave
Tom good scare-and then they Of
fered to settle. So he signed some
he signed"
$50 everything you have done for
him may be lost? Doesn't he under
stand that you're looking out for his
interest?"
"You couldn't understand noun
tain man, I'm afraid. Up to a GER
tain poin: they'll listen. Beyond that
they're rampant individualists, as
young Daniels says. Tom has al
ways been a helpless old body-Da-
vid looked after him. But no noun
tain man believes that a woman
could know more than he does"
SIS there blueprint of Fruits
tract anywhere?"
"It's here in the safe. Do you
want it,"
Il want it-and l want to see the
land. Could have a car and some
one who knows the way to 60 over
there tomorrow"
"I'n send you a Garland a driv-
er. What do you want to see it for?
Even if keep those men out of it,
it will 60 back to Tom. I'll never
timber it."
81 think" Wills said, that was
once lost in that region. The out
line on this map is somehow famil-
lar. 1t gives me an idea. I'd rath-
er not talk about it till I'm sure
Of it."
Most young chaps," virgie was
dry, want to talk first and do some
thing about it afterward."
At home that night virgie
stretched her slippered feet to the
6re and faced her daughter reso-
lutely.
Il said you were goingi" she stat
ed grimly. who else can I trust3
This ID more important than your
silly personal prejudices.
Marian stood stormily, staring out
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