Now
it's time to talk business. You thought you were boring with a
mighty auger, but it's time to revise. We aren't forced to bother
with your logs, and you're lucky to get out so easy. If I turn your
whole drive into the river, you'll lose more than half of it
outright, and it'll cost you a heap to salvage the rest. And what's
more, I'll turn 'em in before you can get hold of a pile-driver.
I'll sort night and day," he bluffed, "and by to-morrow morning you
won't have a stick of timber above my booms." He laughed again.
"You want to get down to business almighty sudden."
When finally Heinzman had driven sadly away, and the whole drive,
"H" logs included, was pouring into the main boom, Orde stretched
his arms over his head in a luxury of satisfaction.
"That just about settles that campaign," he said to Newmark.
"Oh, no, it doesn't," replied the latter decidedly.
"Why?" asked Orde, surprised. "You don't imagine he'll do anything
more?"
"No, but I will," said Newmark.
XXVII
Early in the fall the baby was born. It proved to be a boy. Orde,
nervous as a cat after the ordeal of doing nothing, tiptoed into the
darkened room. He found his wife weak and pale, her dark hair
framing her face, a new look of rapt inner contemplation rendering
even more mysterious her always fathomless eyes.
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