cles that made up the Gideon Ward
"log-mark." This mark was good for lodging and meals at any tavern, was
authority for the transfer of goods, and procured transportation for the
man whose back was thus inscribed.

When Colonel Ward sent a crew of men into the woods he marked the back
of each one in this fashion, as if the employees were freight parcels.
The exhibition of that chalk-mark and the words "Charge to Ward" were
enough. And such was the fear of all men that the chalk-mark was never
abused.

Furthermore, on each grand spring settling day most of the dollars that
circulated in the region came through the hands of Col. Ward. This fact
naturally increased the deference paid him.

"A railroad?" sneered one man, just down from Number 4 camp. "A railroad
across Poquette? Across Gid Ward's land, spouting sparks and settin'
fires and hustlin' in sports? Well, you don't see any railroad-buildin'
goin' on, do you?"

There was certainly but one reply to this.

"And ye won't see any, either. Gid Ward just bellowed once at that
lawyer, and he ran away, ki-yi! ki-yi! You'll never hear any more
railroad talk."

He expressed the public opinion, for even Seth, the guide, regretfully
came to the conclusion that the tyrant of the West Branch had "backed
down" the city men by his belligerent reception of their emissary.

But soon after the first of January the postmaster's daily paper brought
some further news. The state legislature had assembled in biennial
session that winter. In the course of its reports the newspaper stated
that the "Po-quette Carry Railway Company," a corporation organized
under the general law, had brought before the railroad commissioners a
petition for their approval of the project, and that a day was appointed
for a hearing.

"The city men had the sand, after all," was his admiring comment. "They
don't propose to start firing till they get all their legal ammunition
ready, and that's why they've been waitin'. We're goin' to see warm
times on the Spinnaker waters."

For that matter the daily newspaper brought to snow-heaped Sunkhaze
intelligence of "warm times" at the hearing. The legal counsel and
lobbyists who represented the puissant timber interests of the state
protested against allowing this railroad corporation to acquire any
rights across the wild lands.

It was pointed out that a dangerous precedent would be established; that
forest fires would be sure to originate from the locomotiv