Part 1 (1/2)

Carer

by Harold Bindloss

I

FEATHERSTONE CHANGES HIS PLANS

It was getting dark, and a keen wind blew across the ragged pines beside the track, when Jake Foster walked up and down the station at Gardner's Crossing in North Ontario Winter wassouthwards fast across the wilderness that rolled back to Hudson's Bay, silencing the brawling rivers and cal the stormy lakes, but the frost had scarcely touched the sheltered valley yet and the roar of a rapid throbbed a the trees The sky had the crystal clearness that is often seen in northern Canada, but a long trail of sled with the aro stood, an outpost of advancing industry, on the edge of the lonely woods

The blue reflections of big arc-lamps quivered between the foa back along the bank, e, the tops of tall buildings cut against the glow that shi+reat block of the Hulton factory, which lost soht Its harsh, rectangular outline faded into the background of forest, and the rows of gliave it a curious transparent look It see sound

In a largeowed its rapid develop Co out of lurip on the flourishi+ng business had recently relaxed, and people wondered anxiously ould happen if he did not recover from the blow that had struck him down Fred Hulton, his only son, and assistant treasurer to the Co with a bullet-hole in his head, and it was believed that he had shot hiave his evidence at the inquiry with stern self-control, but took to his bed afterwards and had not left it yet

So far as the townsfolk knew, this was the first time he had shown any weakness of body or mind

The train was late, but Foster enjoyed the pipe he lighted It was ten years since he landed at Montreal, a raw lad without friends or money, and learned what hard as in a lumber camp Since then he had prospered, and the strenuous life he led for the first few years had not left ht he had earned a holiday, and all arrangeland werewith him Their sawmill, which was run by water-power, had closed for the winter, when building material was not wanted, and the development of a mineral claim they oould be stopped by the frost They had planned to put in a steaine at the mill, but the Hulton Company had delayed a contract that would have kept the saws running until the river thawed

Foster, however, did not regret this Except on Sundays, he had seldom had an hour's leisure for the last few years Gardner's Crossing, which was raw and new, had few a, and now he could relax his efforts, felt that he was getting stale with monotonous toil But he was a little anxious about Featherstone, who had gone to see a doctor in Toronto

A whistle rang through the roar of the rapid and a fan-shaped bea round a bend in the track Then the locoan to toll, and Foster walked past the cars as they rolled into the station He found Featherstone putting on a fur coat at a vestibule door, and gave hiht his coraver than usual

”Well,” he said, ”how did you get on?”

”I'll tell you later Let's get ho store for aand put it in a se and up the main street of the town, because there was soons stood in front of the stores

Then as he turned in towards the sidewalk, ready to pull up, he saw a man stop and fix his eyes on the car The fellow did not live at the Crossing, but visited it now and then, and Foster had met him once when he called at the saw his arh he was somewhat surprised, Foster did as he was told, and when they had passed a few blocks Featherstone resumed: ”I can send down the prescription to-morrow That was Daly on the sidewalk and I didn't want to meet him”

Aand plunging outside a livery stable while a crowd encouraged its driver with ironical shouts Looking round, he thought he saw Daly following them, but a man ran to the horse's head and Foster seized the opportunity of getting past

”What did the doctor tell you?” he asked

”He was rather disappointing,” Featherstone replied, and turned up the deep collar of his coat

Foster, who saw that his co of a shock When they left the town, however, the jolting of the car made questions difficult and he was forced to lare of the headlamps flickered across deep holes and ruts Few of the dirt roads leading to the new Canadian cities are good, but the one they followed, though roughly graded, orse than usual and broke down into a wagon trail when it ran into thick bush For a time, the car lurched and labored like a shi+p at sea up and down hillocks and through soft patches, and Foster durst not lift his eyes until a cluster of lights twinkled ah of relief he ran into the yard of a silent saw, and although Foster opened a letter he found upon the table, neither of thethechair by the stove, for the nights were getting cold He was about thirty years of age, strongly built, and dressed in city clothes, but his face was pinched For part of the summer, he and Foster had camped upon their new mineral claim in the bush and worked hard to prove the vein June, as often happens in Canada, was a wet h Featherstone was used to hardshi+p, he sickened with influenza, perhaps in consequence of digging in heavy rain and sleeping in wet clothes As he was nothing of a valetudinarian he et better as soon as he expected on his return, and went to see the Toronto doctor, when Foster urged hihted his pipe and looked about the roohted, and the furniture, which was plain but good, had been bought, piece by piece, to replace ruder articles they had made at the mill One or two handsome skins lay upon the uncovered floor, and the walls were un-rack occupied a corner, and the books on a shelf indicated that their owners had so and forestry Above the shelf, the huge head of abetween the smaller heads of bear and caribou

Foster, who had hitherto lived in tents and shacks, res when they built the house Indeed, he had gru up of capital that was needed for the enlargement of the mill Featherstone, however, insisted, and since ave in; but they had prospered since then They were good friends, and had learned to allow for each other's point of view during several years of strenuous toil and stern econoether due to their own efforts, because once or twice, when they had to face a financial crisis, the situation was saved by a check Featherstone got from home By and by the latter turned to his comrade

”Your letter was from Hulton, wasn't it? What does he want?”