ding. His ruffled plug hat was thrust, as usual, well away
from his high and narrow forehead; the long broadcloth coat fell back to
reveal an unbuttoned waistcoat the flapping black trousers were hitched
up far enough to display woollen socks wrinkled about bony shanks. He
was whittling a pine stick, which he held pointing down between his
spread knees, and conversing animatedly with a young fellow occupying
another chair at his side.

"And there comes one of 'em now," declaimed the old man dramatically.

Orde nodded briefly to the stranger, and came at once to business.

"I want to talk this matter over with you," he began. "We aren't making
much progress. We can't afford to hang up the drive, and the water is
going down every day. We've got to have more water. I'll tell you what
we'll do: If you'll let us cut down the new sill, we'll replace it in
good shape when we get all our logs through."

"No, sir!" promptly vetoed the old man.

"Well, we'll give you something for the privilege. What do you think is
fair?"

"I tell ye I'll give you your legal rights, and not a cent more,"
replied the old man, still quietly, but with quivering nostrils.

"What is your name?" asked Orde.

"My name is Reed, sir."

"Well, Mr. Reed, stop and think what this means. It's a more serious
matter than you think. In a little while the water will be so low in the
river that it will be impossible to take out the logs this year. That
means a large loss, of course, as you know."

"I don't know nothin' about the pesky business, and I don't wan to,"
snorted Reed.

"Well, there's borers, for one thing, to spoil a good many of the logs.
And think what it will mean to the mills. No logs means no lumber. That
is bankruptcy for a good many who have contracts to fulfil. And no logs
means the mills must close. Thousands of men will be thrown out of their
jobs, and a good many of them will go hungry. And with the stream full
of the old cutting, that means less to do next winter in the woods--more
men thrown out. Getting out a season's cut with the flood-water is
a pretty serious matter to a great many people, and if you insist on
holding us up here in this slack water the situation will soon become
alarming."

"Ye finished?" demanded Reed grimly.

"Yes," replied Orde.

The old man cast from him his half-whittled piece of pine. He closed his
jack-knife with a snap and thrust it in his pocket. He brought to earth
the front legs of his chai