all finished to-day so all
there will be left to do to-morrow noon will be to sign up and pay over
the money."

"No harm in that," agreed Cameron. "I shall proceed at once to draw up
a contract of sale. Just a question or two will give me all the
information I need. In the first place, is the prospective purchaser
an individual or a corporation?"

"Corporation. The Eureka Paper Company."

"And their home office?"

"Orcutt, Canada."

"Orcutt? Where is Orcutt?"

Orcutt smiled. "There isn't any--now. But there will be one as soon
as we start construction of the mill. The enterprise will be of
sufficient magnitude to necessitate a town at the mill site, and the
name of that town will be Orcutt."

"Very good. I think that is all I need to know."

"About the subsequent payments----" began Orcutt, but Cameron
interrupted him:

"Let us not discuss that now. The better way will be for you to allow
me to draw up the contract, and then to-morrow morning we can go over
it, clause by clause."

"Good idea," agreed Orcutt. "Come on, Wentworth," and leading the way
from the cabin, he spent half an hour strolling about among the tepees
viewing their owners, their _lares_, _penates_ and offspring as he
would have inspected an exhibit at a fair. Tiring of this, he led the
way to a fallen log at the edge of the clearing, and produced his cigar
case.

"How is everything in Terrace City?" asked Wentworth, as he lighted his
cigar.

"Oh, about as usual, I guess. Been so damned busy getting this paper
deal in shape for the last two months that I haven't had much time to
keep track of things. By the way, you remember Hedin--that clerk in
old John McNabb's fur department?"

"Yes, I believe I do."

"Well, old John trusted him to the limit--made a kind of a pet of
him--and what does the fellow do but slip up to the store one night and
steal a Russian sable coat, worth somewhere around thirty thousand.
Then the damned fool, instead of getting out of the country, stayed
right on the job. Of course old John missed the coat next day, and the
night watchman told of Hedin's visit to the store."

"Did he confess?" asked Wentworth a shade too eagerly.

"Confess nothing! He swears he's innocent. But there's nothing to it.
They've got the goods on him--everything but the coat. They can't find
that, and they never will. I got the story from Hicks, the police
chief. Old John had him arrested and he knocked Hicks down