Adventure Magazine, Mid-September 1917 — page 90: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

88 he entered Bradley’s office he was outwardly in a high state of boyish good humor. “Hello, Bradley; what’s the good word?” he greeted. The magnate motioned invitingly to a chair. “Won’t you sit down, Mr. Thorson?” ‘“Come on,’”’ said Gaston, seating himself, ‘‘what’s the proposition?” Bradley leaned back in his chair, playing with a pencil. “Well, it’s this, Mr. Thorson—the timber game here is going to be a bigger proposition than I suspected. We're going to need millions of feet, and I don’t like the idea of buying when we should be making it ourselves. Have you boys ever thought of selling out?” ‘“Never,” said Gaston. “T calculated that you hadn’t,” continued Bradley blandly. He studied the young man before him as impersonally as if he had been a sample of quartz. His strong face was expression- less; he had not decided how this particular quartz was to be milled. “T understand you’re one of the pioneers of the camp, Mr. Thorson?” - “No,” replied Gaston, wondering whither this tack was to lead, “I wouldn’t say that. The first rush came up in early Summer; we didn’t get here until late last Winter. But of all the gang that came first only a few of us have stuck. The few lucky ones who made strikes sold their claims and went out; the rest, which was most of them, didn’t make strikes and soon found this wasn’t a poor man’s camp and drifted away. “Tom andI sawit, too; but we stuck, even after we saw our luck wasn’t going to hand usastrike. We’re logging men, and every- body else was too crazy about gold to see that the bush around here could be made intolumber. So we gota lot of good timber leases cheap. No, we aren’t exactly pio- neers, but we’re among the few old-timers who stuck.” ‘Yes. SoTI understood. I’ve wondered just why you did stick, Mr. Thorson, seeing that you realized it was not a poor man’s camp?” Gaston looked out of the window at the black, untamed forest that stretched north- ward from the Syndicate office. A wind was bending the tops of the jack-pine, and the sun was bright in the heavens. He appeared to be dreaming, but in reality he Adventure was trying in vain to fathom the purpose of Bradley’s conversation. “Because,” said he, smiting his knee, ‘it’s a man’s job to make a go of it here.” ‘““Yes.”” The other’s nod indicated that he understood, though he did not sympa- thize with the young man’s outburst. ‘And besides that, you expect to make a lot of money out of it.” “‘Considerable, anyhow. Folks are hol- lering for whip-sawed stuff at any price right now, and that ain’t a marker to what it will be when the district really develops. There’ll be half a dozen towns built around this lake, and sawing the lumber to build ’em will be a big job.” “Yes. How much do you call your prospects worth?” “Prospects? We're past prospecting, Mr. Bradley; the rock is proved up and we’re milling now. And we’ve got timber enough to keep the saws running for two years.”’ “If you ever get it to the saws.” “Bh?” ‘‘You don’t own the land this timber is on, I understand?” “No. We've got the timber rights.” ‘‘And the owners have perfect titles to the property?” ‘We paid George Hollenbeck, our lawyer, to make sure of that.” Haas! noted the lawyer’s name on @ pad. ‘“‘And your water-rights, for driving the logs to the mill, are all clear?” “Come,” said the young man curtly, “let's have it—what are you trying to get at.’ “I am merely pointing out the difficulties that might lie in the way of your becoming the lumber barons of Wolverene.” “Difficulties are breakfast food for me and my partner. That’s one reason we like our job so. We nearly froze to death up in Shuniah Valley when we were cruising it; so we're naturally set on seeing the thing through.” “Something might stop you from seeing it through.” | “For instance?” “Money.” Bradley tapped the open check book on his desk. “I want your timber. How much?” . The Jogger stared at Bradley, at the check-book; and then again he looked out of the window. “I wonder! I wonder if money would pay oO CoOMmiclsoo S ©