Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 113: what you’re looking at

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

3 the, "Wild Goose?” i interrupted Neely. WIT THOUT GLOVES. ¢¢ oT cruised that timber fer you, you mind, a 3 couple of years back, an’ I come out down the river in a canoe. She kin be drove all right.” Blodgett frowned. “That is exactly what I am planning to do—drive the river. But, remember —he paused and glanced meaningly into the eyes of the boss —‘ in its present eondition the Wild Goose cannot be driven. That is the important thing to be remembered. 3 | “ Sure it can’t,” admitted Neely. “ An’ neither could any other stream that size that I ever heard tell of. She’s got to be cleaned up—snags blow’d out, down stuff cut out, an’ some timber booms put in. A good crew could clean her up in fifty or sixty days.” Blodgett’s cowl deepened. ‘“ You are not a riverman, Neely. Your judgment i m this matter must defer to mine. As a mat- ter of fact, the Wild Goose cannet be driven, nor can it be cleaned up for driving, for the reason that it is too shallow. That is one thing you must both remember. The river cannot be driven, nor can it be put in cendition to drive eihank the construction ci a dam. I have had engineers engaged in running the levels, and their reports show that the average fall of the river is so slight that a dam constructed, say at a point about opposite here, would raise the water to a sufficient height for driving my ti “ Raise the water back to your timber!” cried Neely. “ You mean clean to the back tract? Why, Mr. Blodgett, as slow as the Wild Goose runs, an’ as low banks as it’s got, you’d spread water over half of Min- nesoty.” Blodgett’s frown changed to an icy smile. | ‘““T have been at some expense, Neely— quite some expense—in procuring the in- troduction of a bill in the legislature per- mitting the building of a dam at a certain point on the Wild Goose River. The bill in question has had its reading, and has been referred to fhe proper committee. That committee will hold a hearing on this matter in the State Capitol at ten o’clock next Tuesday morning. It is very impor- tant that this matter receive favorable ac- tion in committee. Jactor in the passage of this bill. _tmittee will consider its recommendation an jure himself. I am assured that should the House committee report the bill favorably, the Senate committee will indorse it without further hearing. Everything will therefore depend upon our being able to convince the House committee that this dam is essential for getting the timber from the back tract to the mills. “‘ The demand for timber incident to the war, which, you undoubtedly know, is going sorely against the allied nations which are our friends, makes it the patriotic duty of every man who calls himself an American to do his utmost to produce lumber. This urgent demand for lumber will be a strong The com- act of patriotism, which, in fact, it will be. Therefere, your testimony must be in effect . _that such dam is essential.” “But you can’t hold enough water back the way the land lays to raise the river at the back tract,” objected Neely. “A fact, Neely, of which I am well aware, and a fact, also with which you need not concern yourself. Nothing will be said- about the back tract, except to mtroduce your own figures as to the amount of stand- ing timber. 1 am asking no man to per- In fact, I should not for a moment tolerate false swearing. ‘In order that you need have no com- punctions as to swearing that the dam will raise the water level at my holdings, I have — purchased a narrow strip of timber, border- ing upon the river from this tract clear to the back tract. The fact is that now my timber reaches down to within a half mile above the proposed dam site, and you cer- tainly know that a ten-foot dam will raise the water to that point.” “Do you call tamarack swamp timber?” asked Neely. “Yes, standing timber, of course. What else is it?” | The boss sniffed contemptuously. “Where is the dam goin’ in?” he asked. “The location of the dam will be the north line of section ten, at a point where the river cuts through a low ridge which will also serve as the wail of the pool.” “ Seetion ten,” repeated Neely. “ That would be just about MacAlister’s Jower line. EOMIEHDOOKS: com—