第7章

Ordefellintodeepthought，fromwhichheemergedoccasionallytoscribbleonthebackofhismemoranda。

"Isupposesomewhereaboutadollar，"heannouncedatlast。Helookedupatriflestartled。"Why，"hecried，"thatlookslikebigmoney！Ahundredpercent！"

Newmarkwatchedhimforamoment，aquizzicalsmilewrinklingthecornersofhiseyes。

"Holdyourhorses，"saidheatlast。"Idon’tknowanythingaboutthisbusiness，butIcanseeafewthings。Inthefirstplace，closefiguringwillprobablyaddafewcentstothatdollar。Andthen，ofcourse，allourimprovementswillbeabsolutelyvaluelesstoanybodyafterwe’vegotthroughusingthem。Yousaidyesterdaythey’dprobablystandusinseventy—fivethousanddollars。Evenatadollarprofit，we’dhavetodriveseventy—fivemillionbeforewegotacentback。And，ofcourse，we’vegottoagreetodriveforalittlelessthantheycouldthemselves。"

"That’sso，"agreedOrde，hiscrestfalling。

"However，"saidNewmarkbriskly，ashearose，"there’sgoodmoneyinit，asyousay。Now，howsooncanyouleaveDaly？"

"Bythemiddleoftheweekweoughttobethroughwiththisjob。"

"That’sgood。Thenwe’llgointothismatterofexpensethoroughly，andestablishourscheduleofratestosubmittothedifferentfirms。"

NewmarksaidapunctiliousfarewelltoMr。andMrs。Orde。

"Bytheway，"saidOrdetohimatthegate，"whereareyoustaying？"

"AttheGrand。"

"Iknowmostofthepeoplehere——alltheyoungfolks。I’dbegladtotakeyouaroundandgetyouacquainted。"

"Thankyou，"repliedNewmark，"youareverykind。ButIdon’tgoinmuchforthatsortofthing，andIexpecttobeverybusynowonthisnewmatter；soIwon’ttroubleyou。"

XI

Thenewpartners，assoonasOrdehadreleasedhimselffromDaly，gavealltheirtimetoworkingoutascheduleoftolls。Ordedrewonhisintimateknowledgeoftheriveranditstributaries，andthelocationsofthedifferentrollways，toestimateascloselyaspossiblethetimeitwouldtaketodrivethem。HealsohuntedupTomNorthandothersoftheoldermendomiciledinthecheapboarding—housesofHell’sHalf—Mile，talkedwiththem，andverifiedhisownimpressions。Together，heandNewmarkvisitedthesupplyhouses，gotprices，obtainedlists。Alltheeveningstheyfiguredbusily，untilatlastNewmarkexpressedhimselfassatisfied。

"Now，Orde，"saidhe，"hereiswhereyoucomein。It’snowyourjobtogooutandinterviewthesemenandgettheircontractsfordrivingtheirnextwinter’scut。"

ButOrdedrewback。

"Lookhere，Joe，"heobjected，"that’smoreinyourline。YoucantalkbusinesstothembetterthanIcan。"

"Notabit，"negativedNewmark。"Theydon’tknowmefromAdam，andtheydoknowyou，andallaboutyou。We’vegottocarrythisthingthroughatfirstonourface，andthey’dbemoreapttoentrustthemattertoyoupersonally。"

"Allright，"agreedOrde。"I’llstartinonDaly。"

Hedidsothefollowingmorning。Dalyswunghisbulkaroundinhisrevolvingoffice—chairandlistenedattentively。

"Well，Jack，"saidhe，"Ithinkyou’reagoodriverman，andI

believeyoucandoit。I’dbeonlytoogladtogetridofthenuisanceofit，letalonegetitdonecheaper。Ifyou’lldrawupyourcontractandbringitinhere，I’llsignit。Isupposeyou’llbreakouttherollways？"

"No，"saidOrde；"wehadn’tthoughtofdoingmorethanthedrivinganddistributing。You’llhavetodeliverthelogsintheriver。

Maybeanotheryear，afterwegetbetterorganised，we’llbeabletobreakrollways——atapriceperthousand——butuntilwegeta—goingwe’llhavetorushherthrough。"

Orderepeatedthistohisassociate。

"Thatwassmoothenoughsailing，"heexulted。

"Yes，"ponderedNewmark，removinghisglassesandtappinghisthumbwiththeiredge。"Yes，"herepeated，"thatwassmoothsailing。

Whatwasthataboutrollways？"

"Oh，Itoldhimwe’dexpecthimtobreakouthisown，"saidOrde。

"Yes，butwhatdoesthatmeanexactly？"

"Why，"explainedOrde，withaslightstareofsurprise，"whenthelogsarecutandhauledduringthewinter，theyarebankedontheriver—banks，andevenintheriver—channelitself。Then，whenthethawscomeinthespring，thesepilesarebrokendownandsetafloatintheriver。"

"Isee，"saidNewmark。"Well，butwhyshouldn’tweundertakethatpartofit？Ishouldthinkthatwouldhemorethejoboftheriver—

drivers。"

"Itwouldholdbackourdrivetoomuchtohavetostopandbreakrollways，"explainedOrde。

ThenextmorningtheytooktheearlytrainforMonrovia，whereweresituatedthebigmillsandtheofficesofthenineotherlumbercompanies。Withinanhourtheyhaddescendedatthesmallframeterminalstation，andwerewalkingtogetherupthevillagestreet。

Monroviawasatthattimeaveryspread—outlittleplaceofperhapstwothousandpopulation。ItwassituatedahalfmilefromLakeMichigan，behindthesparselywoodedsandhillsofitsshore。Fromtheriver，whichhadheregrowntoagreatdepthandwidth，itsmainstreetrandirectlyatrightangles。Fourbrickblocksofthreestorieslentimpressivenesstothevista。Thestoresingeneral，however，werelowframestructures。Allfacedbroadplanksidewalksraisedabovethestreettothelevelofawaggonbody。Fromthismainstreetranoff，torightandleft，otherstreets，renderedlovelybymapletreesthatfairlymetacrosstheway。Insummer，oversidewalkandroadwayalikerestedadense，refreshingdarkshadowthatseemedtothrowfromitselfanodourofcoolness。Thiswasrenderedfurtherattractivebythewarmspicyodourofdamppinethatarosefromtheresilientsurfaceofsawdustandshinglesbrokenbeneaththewheelsoftraffic。Backfromthesetrees，inwide，well—cultivatedlawns，stoodthebetterresidences。Theywerealmostinvariablybuiltofmanycorners，withsteeproofsmeetingeachotheratallangles，withwideandornamentedredchimneys，numerouswindows，andmuchscrollworkadorningeachapexandcornice。Theridgepolesbristledinfancyfoot—highpalisadesofwood。Chimneyswereprovidedwithlightning—rods。Occasionallyanolderstructure，onsquarelines，recordedtheeraofamoredignifiedarchitecture。Everywhereranbroadsidewalksandpicketfences。Beyondthebetterresidencedistrictsweretheboardshantiesofthemillworkers。

OrdeandNewmarktrampeduptheplankwalktothefarthestbrickbuilding。Whentheycametoacrossstreet，theyhadtodescendtoitbyashortflightofstepsononeside，andascendfromitbyacorrespondingflightontheother。Atthehotel，Newmarkseatedhimselfinarocking—chairnextthebigwindow。

"Goodluck！"saidhe。

Ordemountedawide，darkflightofstairsthatledfromthestreettoadarkerhall。Thesmellofstalecigarsandcocoamattingwasintheair。Downthedimlengthofthishallhemadehiswaytoadoor，whichwithoutceremonyhepushedopen。

Hefoundhimselfinarailed—offspace，separatedfromthemainpartoftheroombyahighwalnutgrill。

"Mr。Heinzmanin？"heaskedofaclerk。

"Ithinkso，"repliedtheclerk，towhomevidentlyOrdewasknown。

OrdespenttherestofthemorningwithHeinzman，averyrotund，cautiouspersonofGermanextractionandaccent。Heinzmanoccupiedthetimeinaskingquestionsofallsortsaboutthenewenterprise。

Attwelvehehadnotinanywaycommittedhimselfnorexpressedanopinion。He，however，instructedOrdetoreturntheafternoonofthefollowingday。

"IvillseeProctor，"saidhe。

Orde，ratherexhausted，returnedtofindNewmarkstillsittingintherocking—chairwithhisunlightedcigar。Thetwohadlunchtogether，afterwhichOrde，somewhatrefreshed，startedout。Hesucceededingettingtwomorepromisesofcontractsandtwomoredeferredinterviews。

"That’sgoingalittlefaster，"hetoldNewmarkcheerfully。

Thefollowingmorning，also，hewasmuchencouragedbythereceptionhisplangainedfromtheotherlumbermen。AtlunchherecapitulatedtoNewmark。

"That’sfourcontractsalready，"saidhe，"andthreemorepracticallyasurething。ProctorandHeinzmanareslowerthanmolassesabouteverything，andmeanaspusley，andJohnson’supintheair，thewayhealwaysis，forfearsomeone’sgoingtodohim。"

"Itisn’tabadoutlook，"admittedNewmark。

ButHeinzmanofferedanewproblemforOrde’sconsideration。

"IhaftalkedwithProctor，"saidhe，"andvelikeyourscheme。Ifyoucandelifferourlogsherefortwodollarsandaquarter，why，thatisbetterasvecandoit；buthowdoveknowyouvilldoit？"

"I’llguaranteetogetthemhereallright，"laughedOrde。

"Butwhatisyourguaranteegoodfor？"persistedHeinzmanblandly，lockinghisfingersoverhisrotundlittlestomach。"Supposethelogsarenotdeliffered——whatthen？Howresponsibleareyoufinancially？"

"Well，we’reinvestingseventy—fivethousanddollarsorso。"

Heinzmanrubbedhisthumbandforefingertogetherandwaftedtheimaginarypulverisationaway。

"Worththatforajudgment，"saidhe。

Heallowedapausetoensue。

"Ifyouvillgiveabondfortheperformanceofyourcontract，"

pursuedHeinzman，"thatvouldbesatisfactory。"

Orde’smindwasstruckchaoticbythereasonablenessofthisrequest，andtheutterimpossibilityofaccedingtoit。

"Howmuchofabond？"heasked。

"Twenty—fifethousandvouldsatisfyus，"saidHeinzman。"Bringusasuitablebondforthatamountandvevillsignyourcontract。"

OrderandownthestairstofindNewmark。"Heinzmanwon’tsignunlesswegivehimabondforperformance，"hesaidinalowtone，ashedroppedintothechairnexttoNewmark。

Newmarkremovedhisunlightedcigar，lookedatthechewedend，andreturnedittothecornerofhismouth。

"Heinzmanhassense，"saidhedrily。"Iwaswonderingifordinarybusinesscautionwasunknownouthere。"

"Canwegetsuchabond？Nobodywouldgoonmybondforthatamount。"

"Mineeither，"saidNewmark。"We’lljusthavetoletthemgoanddriveaheadwithoutthem。Ionlyhopetheywon’tspreadtheidea。

Bettergetthoseothercontractssignedupassoonaswecan。"

Withthisobjectinview，Ordestartedoutearlythenextmorning，carryingwithhimtheduplicatecontractsonwhichNewmarkhadbeenbusy。

"Rope’emin，"advisedNewmark。"It’sSaturday，andwedon’twanttoletthingssimmeroverSunday，ifwecanhelpit。"

Abouteleveno’clockaclerkoftheWeltonLumberCo。enteredMr。

Welton’sprivateofficetodelivertoOrdeanote。

"Thisjustcamebyspecialmessenger，"heexplained。

Orde，withanapology，toreitopen。ItwasfromHeinzman，andrequestedanimmediateinterview。OrdedelayedonlylongenoughtogetMr。Welton’ssignature，thenhastenedasfastashishorsecouldtakehimacrossthedrawbridgetothevillage。

Heinzmanhefoundawaitinghim。ThelittleGerman，withhisround，rosycheeks，hisdotofanose，hisbigspectacles，andhisrotundbody，lookedevenmorethanusuallikeaspideroraSantaClause——

Ordecouldnotdecidewhich。

"Ihafbeenthinkingofthatbond，"hebegan，wavingapudgyhandtowardaseat，"andIhafbeentalkingwithProctor。"

"Yes，"saidOrdehopefully。

"Isupposeyouwouldnotbepreparedtogifabond？"

"Ihardlythinkso。"

"Vell，supposevefixhimthisway，"wentonHeinzman，claspinghishandsoverhisstomachandbeamingthroughhisspectacles。"

ProctorandIhaftalkeditofer，andveareagreetthattheprobositionisagoodone。Alsovethinkitisvelltohelptheyoungfellersalong。"Helaughedsilentlyinsuchamannerastoshakehimselfallover。"Vedonotvishtobetoosevere，andyetvemustbeassuredthatvegetourlogsontime。Now，Iunterstoodyoutosaythatthisnewconcernisastockcompany。"

Ordedidnotrememberhavingsaidso，buthenodded。

"Vell，ifyougifusabondsecuredwithstockinthenewcompany，thatwouldbesatisfactorytous。"

Orde’sfacecleared。

"Doyoumeanthat，Mr。Heinzman？"

"Sure。Vemusthafsomesecurity，butvedonotvishtobetoohardonyouboys。"

"Now，Icallthatamightygoodwayout！"criedOrde。

"Makeyourcontractoutaccordingtotheseterms，then，"saidHeinzman，handinghimapaper，"andbringitinMonday。"

Ordeglancedovertheslip。Itrecitedtwoandaquarterastheagreedprice；specifiedthedateofdeliveryatHeinzmanandProctor’sbooms；namedtwenty—fivethousanddollarsastheamountofthebond，tobesecuredbyfiftythousanddollars’worthofstockinthenewcompany。Thislookedsatisfactery。Ordearose。

"I’mmuchobligedtoyou，Mr。Heinzman，"saidhe。"I’llbringitaroundMonday。"

HehadreachedthegatetothegrillbeforeHeinzmancalledhimback。

"Bythevay，"thelittleGermanbeamedupathim，swinginghisfatlegsastheoffice—chairtippedbackonitssprings，"ifitistobeastockcompany，youvillbesellingsomeofthestocktoraisemoney，isitnotso？"

"Yes，"agreedOrde，"Iexpectso。"

"Howmuchvillyoucapitalisefor？"

"Weexpectahundredthousandoughttodothetrick，"repliedOrde。

"Vell，"saidHeinzman，"venyouputitonthemarket，comeandseeme。"HenoddedpaternallyatOrde，beamingthroughhisthickspectacles。

Thatevening，wellaftersix，Ordereturnedtothehotel。Afterfresheningupinthemarbledandboardedwashroom，hehuntedupNewmark。

"Well，Joe，"saidhe，"I’mashungryasabear。Comeon，eat，andI’lltellyouallaboutit。"

Theydepositedtheirhatsontheracksandpushedopentheswingingscreendoorsthatledintothedining—room。Theretheyweretakeninchargebyamarvellouslyhaughtyandredundanthead—waitress，whosignalledthemtofollowdownthroughranksofsmalltableswatchedbymorestatelydamsels。Newmark，reservedandprecise，irreproachablycorrectinhisneatgray，seemedenvelopedinanaloofnessasimpenetrableasthatofthehead—waitressherself。

Orde，however，wasasbreezyasever。Hehastenedhisstridetoovertakethehead—waitress。

"Annie，begood！"hesaidinhisjollyway。"We’vegotbusinesstotalk。Putussomewherealone。"

Newmarknoddedapproval，andthrusthishandinhispocket。ButAnnielookedupintoOrde’sfrank，laughingface，andherlipscurvedeversofaintlyinthecondescensionofasmile。

"Sure，sorr，"saidshe，inamostunexpectedbrogue。

"Well，I’vegot’emall，"saidOrde，assoonasthewaitresshadgonewiththeorder。"Butthebeststrokeofbusinessyou’dneverguess。IropedinHeinzman。"

"Good！"approvedNewmarkbriefly。

"ItwasreallyprettydecentofthelittleDutchman。Heagreedtoletusputupourstockassecurity。Ofcourse，thatsecurityisgoodonlyifwewinout；andifwewinout，why，thenhe’llgethislogs，sohewon’thaveamehisbrainclearedofitsturmoilofcalculations，ofguesses，ofestimates，andofmen。Hesawclearlythelimitedilluminationcastdownwardbythelampbeneathitswideshade，thegraceful，whitefigureagainsttheshadowoftheeasychair，theovalfacecutinhalfbythelamplighttoshowplainlytheredlipswiththequaintupwardquirksatthecorners，anddimlytheinscrutabnyuseforsecurity。Soit’sjustonewayofbeatingthedevilaroundthebush。Heevidentlywantedtogiveusthebusiness，buthehatedlikethedeviltopassuphisrules——

youknowhowthoseoldshellbacksare。"

"H’m，yes，"saidNewmark。

Thewaitresssailedinthroughaviolentlykickedswingingdoor，bearingaloftatintrayheapedperilously。Sheslantedaroundacorneringracefuloppositiontothecentrifugal，broughtthetraytoportonasortoflandingstagebyapillar，andbeganenergeticallytodistributesmall"iron—ware"dishes，eachcontainingadabofsomething。Whentheclashofarrivalhaddied，Ordewenton：

"Igotintoyourdepartmentalittle，too。"

"How’sthat？"askedNewmark，spearingabakedpotato。"Heinzmansaidhe’dbuysomeofourstock。Heseemstothinkwehaveaprettygoodshow。"

Newmarkpaused，hispotatohalf—waytohisplate。

"Kindofhim，"saidheafteramoment。"Didhesignacontract？"

"Itwasn’tmadeout，"Orderemindedhim。"I’vethememorandahere。

We’llmakeitoutto—night。IamtobringitinMonday。"

"Iseewe’rehunguphereoverSunday，"observedNewmark。"NoSundaytrainstoRedding。"

Ordebecamegrave。

"Iknowit。Itriedtohurrymatterstocatchthesixo’clock，butcouldn’tmakeit。"Hisround，jollyfacefellsombre，asthoughalightwithinhadbeenextinguished。Afteramomentthelightreturned。"Can’tbehelped，"saidhephilosophically。

Theyatehungrily，thendriftedoutintotheofficeagain，whereOrdelitacigar。

"Now，let’sseeyourmemoranda，"saidNewmark。

Hefrownedoverthethreesimpleitemsforsometime。

"It’sgotme，"heconfessedatlast。

"What？"inquiredOrde。

"WhatHeinzmanisupto。"

"Whatdoyoumean？"askedOrde，turninginhischairwithanairofslowsurprise。

"Italllooksqueertome。He’sgotsomethinguphissleeve。Whyshouldhetakeabondwiththatsecurityfromus？Ifwecan’tdeliverthelogs，ourcompanyfails；thatmakesthestockworthless；

thatmakesthebondworthless——justwhenitisneeded。Ofcourse，it’sasplainasthenoseonyourfacethathethinksthepropositionagoodoneandistryingtogetcontrol。"

"Oh，no！"criedOrde，astounded。

"Orde，you’reallrightontheriver，"saidNewmark，withadrylittlelaugh，"butyou’reababeinthewoodsatthisgame。"

"ButHeinzmanishonest，"criedOrde。"Why，heisachurchmember，andhasaclassinSunday—school。"

Newmarkselectedacigarfromhiscase，examineditfromendtoend，finallyputitbetweenhislips。Thecornersofhismouthweretwitchingquietlywithamusement。

"Besides，heisgoingtobuysomestock，"addedOrde，afteramoment。

"Heinzmanhasnottheslightestintentionofbuyingadollar’sworthofstock，"assertedNewmark。

"Butwhy——"

"——Didhemakethatbluff？"finishedNewmark。"Becausehewantedtofindouthowmuchstockwouldbeissued。Youtoldhimitwouldbeahundredthousanddollars，didn’tyou？"

"Why——yes，IbelieveIdid，"saidOrde，pondering。Newmarkthrewbackhisheadandlaughednoiselessly。

"Sonowheknowsthatifweforfeitthebondhe’llhavecontrollinginterest，"hepointedout。

Ordesmokedrapidly，hisbrowtroubled。

"ButwhatIcan’tmakeout，"reflectedNewmark，"iswhyhe’ssosurewe’llhavetoforfeit。"

Ithinkhe’sjusttakingalongshotatit，"suggestedOrde，whoseemedfinallytohavedecidedagainstNewmark’sopinion。"I

believeyou’reshyingatmare’snests。"

"Nothe。Hehassomegoodreasonforthinkingwewon’tdeliverthelogs。Whydoesheinsistonputtinginadatefordelivery？Noneoftheothersdoes。"

"Idon’tknow，"repliedOrde。"Justtoputsomesortofatimelimitonthething，Isuppose。"

"Yousayyousurelycangetthedrivethroughbythen？"

Ordelaughed。

"Sure？Why，itgivesmetwoweeks’leewayovertheworstpossibleluckIcouldhave。You’retooalmightysuspicious，Joe。"

Newmarkshookhishead。

"Youletmefigurethisout，"saidhe。

Butbedtimefoundhimwithoutasolution。HeretiredtohisroomunderfireofOrde’sgood—naturedraillery。Ordehimselfshuthisdoor，thesmilestillonhislips。Ashebeganremovinghiscoat，however，thesmiledied。Theweekhadbeenabusyone。Hardlyhadheexchangedadozenwordswithhisparents，forhehadevenbeenforcedtoeathisdinnerandsupperawayfromhome。ThisSundayhehadpromisedhimselftomakehisdeferredbutmuch—desiredcallonJaneHubbard——andherguest。Heturnedoutthegaswithashrugofresignation。Forthefirsttileeyesandthehairwiththesoftshadows。Withasighhefeltasleep。

Sometimeinthenighthewasawakenedbyapersistenttappingonthedoor。Inthewoodsman’smanner，hewasinstantlybroadawake。

HelitthegasandopenedthedoortoadmitNewmark，partiallydressedoverhisnightgown。

"Orde，"saidhebrieflyandwithoutpreliminary，"didn’tyoutellmetheotherdaythatrollwayswerepiledbothonthebanksandINtheriver？"

"Yes，sometimes，"saidOrde。"Why？

"Thentheymightobstructtheriver？"

"Certainly。"

"Ithoughtso！"criedNewmark，withasnearanapproachtoexultationasheeverpermittedhimself。"Now，justoneotherthing：aren’tHeinzman’srollwaysbelowmostoftheothers？"

"Yes，Ibelievetheyare，"saidOrde。

"And，ofcourse，itwasagreed，asusual，thatHeinzmanwastobreakouthisownrollways？"

"Isee，"saidOrdeslowly。"Youthinkheintendstodelaythingsenoughsowecan’tdeliveronthedateagreedon。"

"Iknowit，"statedNewmarkpositively。

"Butifherefusestodeliverthelogs，nocourtoflawwill——"

"Law！"criedNewmark。"Refusetodeliver！Youdon’tknowthatkind。Hewon’trefusetodeliver。There’lljustbealotofinevitabledelays，andhisforemanwillmisunderstand，andallthat。

YououghttoknowmoreaboutthatthanIdo。"

Ordenodded，hiseyeabstracted。

"It’sachild—likescheme，"commentedNewmark。"IfI’dhadmoreknowledgeofthebusiness，I’dhaveseenstillabovethemthemarshesandtheflatswheretheriverwidenedbelowtheBigBend。Thatwouldbethelocationfortheboomsofthenewcompany——acheappropertyonwhichthepartnershadalreadysecuredavaluation。Andbelowhedroppedinimaginationwiththeslackeningcurrentuntilbetweentwogreatersand—hillsthantheresttheriverranoutthroughthechannelmadebytwolongpierstothelake——blue，restless，immeasurable。TorightandleftstretchedthelongMichigancoast，withitslowyellowitsooner。"

"I’dneverhaveseenitatall，"saidOrdehumbly。"Youseemtobethevaluablememberofthisfirm，Joe。"

"Inmyway，"saidNewmark，"youinyours。Weoughttomakeagoodteam。"

XII

Sundayafternoon，Orde，leavingNewmarktodevicesofhisown，walkedslowlyupthemainstreet，turnedtotherightdownoneoftheshadedsideresidencestreetsthatendedfinallyinabeautifulglisteningsand—hill。Upthishetoiledslowly，startingateverystepavalanchesandstreamsdowntheslope。Shortlyhefoundhimselfonthesummit，andpausedforabreathofairfromthelake。

Hewasjustabovethetopsofthemaples，whichseenfromthisanglestretchedawaylikeaforestthroughwhichoccasionallythrustroofsandspires。Somedistancebeyondanumberoftallerbuildingsandtheredofbrickswerevisible。Beyondthemstillwereothersand—

hills，plantedraggedlywithwind—twistedandstuntedtrees。Butbetweenthebrickbuildingsandthesesand—hillsflowedtheriver——

wide，deep，andstill——borderedbythesteamboatlandingsonthetownsideandbyfishermen’shutsandnet—racksandsmallboatsontheother。Ordeseatedhimselfonthesmooth，cleansandandremovedhishat。Hesawthesethings，andinimaginationthefarupperstretchesoftheriver，withthemillsandyardsandboomsextendingformiles；andhillstoppedwiththegreenoftwistedpines，firs，andbeeches，withalwaysitsbeachofsand，deepanddrytotheveryedgeofitstidelesssea，strewnwithsawlogs，bark，andtheancientremainsofships。

Afterhehadcooledhearoseandmadehiswaybacktoapleasanthardwoodforestofmapleandbeech。Heretheleaveswerejustburstingfromtheirbuds。Underfoottheearlyspringflowers——thehepaticas，theanemones，thetrilium，thedog—toothviolets，thequaint，early，bright—greenundergrowths——werejustreachingtheirperfection。Migrationwasinfulltide。Birds，littleandbig，flashedintoviewandoutagain，busyinthemysteryoftheirnorthwardpilgrimage，givingtheappearanceofsecretandsilentfurtiveness，yeteachutteringhischaracteristiccallfromtimetotime，asthoughforasignaltoothersofthehost。Thewoodswereswarmingascitystreets，yettoOrdetheselittlecreatureswereasthoughinvisible。Hestoodinthemiddleofagreatmultitude，hefelthimselfundertheobservationofmanybrighteyes，heheardthemurmuringandtwitteringthatproclaimedathrong，hesensedanonwardmovementthatflowedslowlybutsteadilytowardthepole；

nevertheless，aflashofwings，aflutteringlittlebody，thedipofahastyshortflight，representedthevisibletokens。AcrossthepalesilversunofApriltheirshadowsflickered，andwiththemflickeredthetraceryofnewleavesandthedelicacyofthelace—

likeupperbranches。

Ordewalkedslowlyfartherandfartherintotheforest，lostinanenjoymentwhichhecouldnothavedefinedaccursnatchedatthesandandsprayeditawayinabeautifulplume。

"Isn’tthisREALfun？"sheaskedhim。

"Why，MissBishop！"criedOrde，findinghisvoice。"Whatareyoudoinghere？"

Afaintshadeofannoyancecrossedherbrow。

"Oh，Icouldaskthesameofyou；andthenwe’dtalkabouthowsurprisedweare，worldwithoutend，"saidshe。"Theimportantthingisthathereissandtoplayin，andthereistheLake，andherearewe，andthedayischarmed，andit’sgoodtobealive。Sitdownanddigahole！We’veallthecommondaystoexplainthingsin。"

Ordelaughedandseatedhimselftofaceher。Withoutfurthertalk，andquitegravely，theycommencedtoscoopoutanexcavationbetweenthem，pilingthesandoverthemselvesandoneithersideaswasmostconvenient。Astheholegrewdeepertheyhadtoleanovermoreandmore。Theirheadssometimesbrushedeversolightly，theirhandsperforcetouched。Alwaysthedrysandflowedfromtheedgespartiallytofillintheresulttheirefforts。Fasterandfastertheyscoopeditoutagain。Theexcavationthustookontheshapeofafunnel。Hercheeksglowedpink，hereyesshonelikestars。

Entirelywassheabsorbedinthetask。Atlastatinycommotionmanifesteditselfinthebottomofthefunnel。ImpulsivelyshelaidherhandonOrde’s，tostopthem。Fascinated，theywatched。Afterincrediblethoughlilliputianupheavals，atlenately，butwhichwassointegralaportionofhisnaturethatithaddrawnhimfromthebanksandwholesalegroceriestothewoods。Afterawhilehesatdownonalogandlithispipe。Aheadthegroundslopedupward。

Dimlythroughthehalf—frondsoftheearlyseasonhecouldmakeouttheyellowofsandsandthedeepcomplementaryblueoftheskyabovethem。HeknewtheLaketoliejustbeyond。Withthethoughthearose。Afewmomentslaterhestoodontopthehill，gazingoutoverthebluewaters。

Verybluetheywere，withacontrastingsnowywhitefringeofwavesbreakinggentlyasfarupthecoastastheeyecouldreach。Thebeach，onthesetidelesswaters，washardandsmoothonlyinthenarrowstripoverwhichranthewashofthelowsurf。Alltherestoftheexpanseofsandbacktothecliff—likehillslaydryandtumbledintohummocksanddrifts，fromwhichprojectedhereasawlogcastinlandfromaraftbysomelong—paststorm，thereaslab，againaship’sribstickinggauntanddefiantfromtheshifting，restlessmediumthatwouldsmotherit。Andjustbeyondtheedgeofthehardsand，followingthelongcurvesofthewash，layadark，narrowlineofbarkfragments。

Theairwasveryclearandcrystalline。Thelight—housesontheendsofthetwinpiers，thoughsomemilesdistant，seemedcloseathand。Whiteherringgulls，cruisingagainsttheblue，flashedwhiteasthesailsofadistantship。Afreshbreezedarkenedthebluevelvetsurfaceofthewater，tumbledthewhitefoamhissingupthebeach，blewforwardoverthedunesafinehurryingmistofsand，andboretoOrdeatlasttherefreshmentofthewidespaces。Awoman，walkingslowly，bentherheadagainsttheforceofthiswind。

Ordewatchedheridly。Sheheldtothebetterfootingofthesmoothsand，whichmadeitnecessarythatsheretreatoftenbeforetheinrushingwash，sometimesratherhastily。Ordecaughthimselfadmiringthegraceofherdeftandsuddenmovements，andtheswayofherwillowyfigure。Everyfewmomentssheturnedandfacedthelake，herheadthrownback，thewindwhippinghergarmentsabouther。

Asshedrewnearer，Ordetriedinvaintocatchsightofherface。

Shelookeddown，watchingthewatersadvanceandrecede；sheworeabrimmedhatbentaroundherheadbymeansofsomesortofveiltiedoverthetopandbeneathherchin。WhenshehadarrivednearlyoppositeOrdesheturnedabruptlyinland，andamomentlaterbeganlaboriouslytoclimbthesteepsand。

Theprocessseemedtoamuseher。Sheturnedherheadsidewisetowatchwithinterestthehurrying，tumblinglittlecascadesthatslidfromhereverystep。Fromtimetotimeshewouldraiseherskirtsdaintilywiththetipsofherfingers，andleanfaroverinordertoobservewithinteresthowherfeetsanktotheankles，andhowthesandrushedfromeithersidetofillinthedepressions。ThewindcarrieduptoOrdelow，joyouschucklesofdelight，likethoseofahappychild。

Asthoughdirectedbysomeunseenguide，hercourseveeredmoreandmoreuntilitleddirectlytothespotwhereOrdestood。Whenshewaswithintenfeetofhimsheatlastraisedherheadsotheyoungmancouldseesomethingbesidesthetopofherhat。Ordelookedplumpintohereyes。

"Hullo！"shesaidcheerfullyandunsurprised，andsankdowncross—

leggedathisfeet。