The Young Wireless Operator—As a Fire Patrol eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 317 pages of information about The Young Wireless Operator—As a Fire Patrol.

The Young Wireless Operator—As a Fire Patrol eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 317 pages of information about The Young Wireless Operator—As a Fire Patrol.

“We’ll begin at one end and work toward the other until we hear somebody coming.  Then we’ll have business elsewhere.”

Pile by pile they scaled the logs, Charley using the log-rule under Mr. Marlin’s close observation, while the forester himself kept tally.  Alone in the big woods, they talked freely.

“Why do you suppose Lumley took a chance like this?” asked the forester.  “He might have known he’d get caught.”

“Primarily because he wanted the money, of course,” maintained Charley.  “But there’s another thing that may play a part in the matter.  Did you know that Lumley’s folks once owned this virgin timber?”

“I’ve heard that a generation or two back the Lumley family owned big tracts of land hereabouts.  Naturally some of that land would now be included within the limits of the state’s holdings.”

“When I was living at Lumley’s, he told me over and over about his family’s having owned this timber and his grandfather’s having been swindled out of it.  He seemed to me to be mighty unreasonable about it.  He was awful sore, and said he’d be a millionaire to-day if he had all the timber his grandfather owned and that it was his by rights, anyway.  I recall that he said the thought of anybody else’s getting the money for the timber made him almost want to commit murder.”

The forester looked sober.  “He’s a bad egg,” he said.  “I really believe he wouldn’t hesitate to commit murder if he were cornered.  You want to watch him.  We’ll have to be mighty careful how we handle this business.”

“Hark!” said Charley.  “Isn’t that the sound of a truck?” And as they listened, faintly they could hear the sound of a motor.

“Probably a log truck coming for a load.  If we’d had a few minutes more, we could have completed the job.  There are only two piles left.  We’ll just disappear until this truck goes away.  Then we can come back and finish.”

The beating of the motor sounded louder.  The two men moved toward the forest.  As they passed the farther end of the first unmeasured log pile, the forester stopped in amazement.  A man sat on the ground, leaning lazily against the logs.  It was the man Charley had seen that night at Lumley’s.

“What are you doing here, Henry Collins?” demanded the forester sternly.

“I’m working for the lumber company,” said the man, sullenly.

“You appear to be working hard,” replied the forester scornfully.

“I help load the trucks,” said the fellow, as the forester turned on his heel and walked away, followed by Charley.

“You don’t suppose that he could have heard what we said, do you?” asked Charley, anxiously.

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The Young Wireless Operator—As a Fire Patrol from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.