hard eyes and listened
with an air of silent protest. He also referred Latisan back to Craig.
"We don't interfere with his management of details in the north."

Evidently Mr. Craig had been attending to his defenses in the home
office.

Ward's temper was touched by the listener's slighting apathy. "I've come
here to protest against unfair methods. Our men are tampered with--told
that the Latisans are on their last legs. We are losing from our crews
right along. We have been able to hire more men to take the places of
those who have been taken away from us. But right now we are up against
persistent reports that we shall not be able to get down our cut in the
spring. Sawmill owners are demanding bonds from us to assure delivery;
otherwise they will cancel their orders."

"Do you know any good reason why you can't deliver?" probed the Comas
man, showing a bit of interest.

"Your Mr. Craig seems to know. I blame him for these stories."

"I'm afraid you're laboring under a delusion, Mr. Latisan. Why don't
you sell out to our company? Most of the other independents have found
it to their advantage--seen it in the right light."

"Mr. Craig's tactics have driven some small concerns to see it that way,
sir. But my grandfather was operating in the north and supplying the
sawmills with timber before the paper mills began to grab off every tree
big enough to prop a spruce bud. Villages have been built up around the
sawmills. If the paper folks get hold of everything those villages will
die; all the logs will be run down to the paper mills."

"Naturally," said the sallow man. "Paper is king these days."

Then he received a handful of documents from a clerk who entered, again
referred Ward to Mr. Craig, advised him to treat with the latter in the
field, where the business belonged, and hunched a dismissing shoulder
toward the caller.

Ward had not been asked to sit down; he swung on his heel, but he
stopped and turned. "As to selling out, even if we can bring ourselves
to that! Mr. Craig has beaten independents to their knees and has made
them accept his price. It's not much else than ruin when a man sells to
him."

"Persecutional mania is a dangerous hallucination," stated the sallow
man. "Mr. Craig has accomplished certain definite results in the north
country. We have used the word Consolidated in our corporation name with
full knowledge of what we are after. We assure stable conditions in the
timber industry. You mu