, come, sir," Daney pleaded. "The mischief is done. You'll
have to forgive the boy and make the best of a bad business. What
can't be cured must be endured, you know."

"Not necessarily. And you might spare me your platitude, Andrew," The
Laird replied savagely. "I'm done with the lad forever, for son of
mine he is no longer. Andrew, do you remember the time he bought that
red cedar stumpage up on the Wiskah and unloaded it on me at a profit
of two hundred thousand dollars?"

Mr. Daney nodded. "And you, in turn, sold it at a profit of fifty
thousand," he reminded the irate old man.

"Donald did not retain that profit he made at my expense. 'Twas just a
joke with him. He put the money into bonds and sent them to you with
instructions to place them in my vault for my account." Mr. Daney
nodded and The Laird resumed. "Take those bonds to the Sawdust Pile,
together with a check for all the interest collected on the coupons
since they came into my possession, and tell him from me that I'll
take it kindly of him to leave Port Agnew and make a start for himself
elsewhere as quickly as he can. He owes it to his family not to
affront it by his presence in Port Agnew, giving ground for gossip and
scandal and piling needless sorrow upon us. And when the Sawdust Pile
is again vacant you will remove the Brent house and put in the drying
yard you've planned this many a year."

"Very well, sir. It's not a task to my liking, but--" His pause was
eloquent.

"Have my old desk put in order for me. I'm back in the harness and
back to stay, and at that I'm not so certain it isn't the best thing
for me, under the present circumstances. I dare say," he added, with a
sudden change of tone, "the news is all over Port Agnew this morning."

Mr. Daney nodded.

"You will procure Donald's resignation as President and have him
endorse the stock I gave him in order to qualify as a director of the
company. We'll hold a directors' meeting this afternoon and I'll step
back into the presidency."

"Very well, sir."

"You will cause a notice to be prepared for my signature, to be spread
on the bulletin board in each department, to the effect that Donald
McKaye is no longer connected in any way with the Tyee Lumber
Company."

"Damn it, man," Daney roared wrathfully, "have you no pride? Why wash
your dirty linen in public?"

"You are forgetting yourself, my good Andrew. If you do not wish to
obey my orders I shall have little difficulty inducin