a great deal of practical experience on his own drives.
It seems absolutely necessary to have a sorting gap here, with men of
both crews handling the logs. When our timber is through the
sluiceway--the daily run of logs--we are to be given a head of water
which will take us through the gorge. As to the logs upriver--the
rear--we are willing to join drives with you, Mr. Craig, so that we may
use all the water together." She set back her shoulders. "That plan will
serve us this season. For another season the independents will have laws
of their own from the legislature. I'm quite sure that the independents
have waked up and know now what some special legislative acts can do for
their interests."

"I beg your pardon for breaking in, Miss Kennard," said Latisan, from
his distance. "But this seems to be the time for me to say to Mr. Craig,
in the presence of witnesses, that the same plan goes for the Tomah
region. The independents over there can't be licked, sir."

"Nor the Latisans," shouted somebody in the Flagg crew.

That friendly corroboration of the young man's inmost determination
served as a challenge. The drive master walked toward Craig and shook
his fist. "No, nor the Latisans! We have a sawmill, and we're not
worrying about the logs to feed it. But you understand, Mr. Craig, that
the independents must have gangway on the river for their cut. And we
know how to get gangway!"

He went back to his tree and resumed his whittling.

"To me the future looks very promising," said Lida. "We're all a little
disturbed now, Mr. Craig, but we're coming to a perfect understanding.
Don't you think so?"

Craig did not reply at once, and she added, with ingenuous affectation
of desiring to bring forward reasons for his agreement, "If the Comas
company does join drives with us you will have the help of a perfectly
wonderful crew, Mr. Craig. I'm told that we're a week or ten days ahead
of the usual time--and the men have never seemed to be considering mere
wages!"

The Three C's director rolled his eyes, avoiding her candidly provoking
regard. He shifted his gaze to Latisan, who had turned his back on the
group and was still whittling placidly, propped against a tree by his
shoulder. "Wonderful teamwork," growled the Comas man. "But sticking out
for anything else will be a fool stunt. Miss Kennard, there's a lawyer
over there in the woods, somewhere! The thing to do now seems to be to
hunt him up so that he can help us to