Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 110: what you’re looking at

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

580 King for instructions. He wants to de- termine the fall of some river, I suppose.” Leonard mulled the information in his mind, but it meant nothing to him, and he decided to try again. “Must be a nice job,” he opined. *Wisht I had a job like that instead of runnin’ this here damn tractor.” The men laughed. ‘“ I guess every one feels at times as though he would like to have the other fellow’s job,” said the one who had answered the first question. “ But our work is no cinch, ramming around the woods with the snow belly deep to a giraffe, digging down to hard ground to set up, and pulling off your mittens to adjust your in- strument.” ““ Guess that’s right, at that, ” admitted Leonard. ‘ An’ what’s it good fer when you git it done?”’ ~ “Well,” smiled the men, “ if you were figuring on putting in a dam, you would have to determine first the fall of the river. Then you could tell how high to build the dam, and how much land would be flooded by your pool.” “That’s right,” admitted Leonard, and immediately turned the conversation into other channels. That night in the little office he asked abruptly of Neely: ‘“ What would old Blodgett be puttin’ in a dam fer?” ‘““A dam? Where?” “On the river, of course. Where in hell else would a guy build a dam?” “What makes you think he’s goin’ to put in a dam?” “Them guys that rode up to Number Nine with me says Blodgett sent ’em up here to run levels. Said they didn’t know what fer. but prob’ly it was to tell the fall of the river so’s old Blodgett could tell how high to make his dam, an’ how much coun- try it would flood over. Said they was to get orders from King.” 7 Neely pondered over the information for some time. Then, suddenly, he slapped his leg with his palm. ‘I bet that’s what his game is, all right!” 3 “ Who’s game, an’ what is it?” — “ Blodgett’s or Sam King’s, most likely. That’s what Blodgett hired him fer.” “{ don’t make you.” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “ Didn’t I tell you I figgered Blodgett — hired King to come up here an’ figger a way to beat MacAlister out of his timber? Well, wunst Blodgett gits a dam in, he’s as good as got MacAlister’s timber.” ** How’s that?” Without answering, Neely aed another question. ‘“ You’ve be’n into MacAlister’s timber—how high does it lay above the river?” *“ What do you mean, how high?” “The ground—is it high ground—hilly? Or does it lay like this tract, kind of flat an’ level?” “Yes, that’s the way it lays. The bank you go up at the landin’ ain’t over three or four foot high.” Neely nodded. “TI thought so. King, he’s be’n over there, too. S’pose Blodgett would put in a dam jest below MacAlis- ter. What would happen? He’d flood MacAlister out, wouldn’t he?” + eure he would,” agreed Leonard. * But— * But what?” “He'd flood his own self out, too. ‘This here land don’t lay no higher than what MacAlister’s does.” | Neely grinned. ‘“‘ They can’t build this here dam till summer. What ’ll be left on this tract for Blodgett to flood? Nothin’ but a lot of slash.” * But, hell,” cried Leonard, “ ain’t there no laws? A man ain’t got a right to dam up a river an’ flood every one out of the country, has he?” “Sure there’s laws. But Blodgett will git the law on his side. All he’s got to do is to git a bill through the legislature per- mittin’ him to dam the Wild Goose River. Then he puts up a bond that he’ll pay all the claims for damages.” “Then he’d have to pay MacAlister fer his timber—is that right?” <4 Yup.” Leonard pondered the situation for sev- eral minutes while the boss watched him out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly the greener looked up. “But, say,” he cried, “‘ who figgers out what he’s got to pay? MacAlister?” Neely laughed. “‘ I was jest wonderin’ if you’d overlook that. That’s where the Eomichooks.co