logs thin th' most av us'll iver know."

"Moncrossen liked him--spoke very highly of him, and that is unusual
with Moncrossen." Fallon's breath whistled through his teeth at the
words.

"Loiked um, did he? Sure he loiked um--loike a rabbit loikes a wolf!"

He leaned forward in his chair, punctuating his remarks with stabs of a
huge forefinger upon the other's knee.

"Misther Appleton, Moncrossen _hated um_! An' ivery man along th' river
that day knows that av ut wuzn't fer Moncrossen, th' greener'd be
livin' this minit--ondly we can't pr-roove ut. Th' boss hated um
because he wuz a bether man--because he know'd he wuz a clane man, wid
a foightin' hear-rt an' two fists an' th' guts to carry um t'rough. He
chilled th' har-rt av th' boss th' fur-rst noight he seen um, an' from
thin on th' fear wuz upon um fer th' bird's-eye."

"The bird's-eye?" inquired Appleton. "What do you mean?"

Fallon hesitated; his enthusiasm had carried him further than he had
intended. He gazed out of the window, wondering how to proceed, when
his eyes fastened upon a large, heavily bearded man who approached
rapidly down the wooden sidewalk, a folded mackinaw swung carelessly
across the fringed arm of his buckskin shirt.

The iron latch rattled; the man entered, closed the door behind him,
and, turning, faced the two with a smile. For a long moment the men
gazed at the newcomer in silence; then Fallon's chair crashed backward
upon the floor as the Irishman leaped to his feet.

"Thim _eyes_!" he cried, throwing a huge arm across the man's shoulders
and shaking him violently in his excitement. "Bill! Bill! Fer th' love
av God, tell me 'tis yersilf! Ye damn' shcoundril, ain't ye dhrounded
at all, at all? An' phwere ye ben kapin' yersilf?"

Bill laughed aloud and wrung Appleton's hand.

The lumberman had risen to his feet, staring incredulously into the
other's face while he repeated over and over again: "My boy! My boy!"

Fallon danced about, waving his arms and shouting: "Th' new camp'll go
t'rough hell a whoopin'! Bill'll be boss, an' th' min'll tear out th'
bone to bate Moncrossen!"

Order was finally restored, and the three seated themselves while Bill
recounted his adventures. Appleton's brow clouded as he learned the
details of the bird's-eye plot.

"So that's the way he worked it?" he exclaimed. "I knew that there was
some bird's-eye in the timber, and that I was not getting it. But I
laid it to outside thieves--never supposed