, Latisan?" demanded the master.

"Yes, sir!" Ward was about to say more, introducing the girl, but Flagg
broke in, paying no attention to what his drive master might have on his
mind.

"Here's the stuff for real men in this book! You ought to take time to
read it. I'm sorry I didn't read it regular when I was going about on
two legs." He pounded his hand on the opened pages. "The parsons are now
preaching too much New Testament stuff. When my folks dragged me to the
meetinghouse in the pod-auger days we got Old Testament--red hot. I've
been hoping I remembered it right--I've been looking it up. Listen!"

"'If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or
the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is thine soul, entice thee
secretly, saying, "Let us go and serve other gods," which thou hast not
known, thou, nor thy fathers; thou shalt not consent unto him, nor
hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou
spare, neither shalt thou conceal him; but thou shalt surely kill him;
thine hand shalt be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward
the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him with stones, that
he die.'"

Again the old man beat his hand upon the book. "There are the orders for
you, Latisan!"

"I don't know as I just get you, sir!"

"You don't expect to find the Three C's mentioned by name in Holy Writ,
do you? But the case is covered. They're asking you and me to serve
other gods. They're asking us to go into their combine. If we do so it
means that the sawmills on this river will be closed and the homes
deserted. They're taking all the timber down to the paper mills. To hell
with their paper! The folks need lumber for houses. The Three C's shan't
control the market and boost prices so that folks can't buy. Latisan! I
tell you again, you've got your orders, backed by the Scripture. An eye
for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! Families or corporations, it's all the
same! Why don't you say something?"

"I'm waiting to introduce a young lady, sir. This is Miss Jones who has
just come to town."

Flagg tipped the shade of the lamp and deflected the light upon the
couple. He bawled an ugly oath. "Clean shaved, again! Making a dude of
yourself! Sapgagging with a girl?"

Latisan stepped forward and broke in on the tirade. "I'll have to ask
you to trig that kind of talk, Mr. Flagg. Miss Jones has come here to
cheer you up."

"When I want any girl to come