On the following morning Spike entered the office of the company where Tom Gray was at work on the books.
"Boss," he said, "it ain"t right this thing that ye said last night. I been sittin" out thar in the woods all night thinkin"--"
"About being made foreman?" questioned Tom.
"Yes. An" "bout that other thing. When the fellers laughed an" ye said I was "barin" my soul," I didn"t have no such thing. But Cap"n! Out thar in the woods, an" G.o.d Almighty lookin" down and seein" me thar in the moonlight, I found one. Mebby ye told him to give it to me, but I got it. I didn"t un"erstan" then what ye meant. I do now, an" wanted ye to know it. Cap"n! I got er soul!"
Without giving Tom Gray opportunity to make fitting reply, Spike squared his shoulders and shuffled out and called his gang together.
Spike"s confession and his new job worked a transformation in him. He no longer wore the surly, hang-dog expression of former days; he walked more erectly and his gray eyes boldly met those of any person who addressed him. The manner in which the red-headed foreman drove the work along throughout the winter, overcoming obstacles and winning and holding the respect of the men, confirmed the judgment of Tom and Hippy that Spike was the right man for the job.
The girls of the Overland party, with Joe Shafto, Henry and the mules, started for home two days later, leaving Tom, Hippy and the bull pup to remain in the woods until spring.
All that winter the big circular saws in the mill far down on the Little Big Branch sang their way through millions of feet of huge logs, cutting them into lumber, and piling up profits for the firm of Wingate & Gray, while the jacks toiled and abused each other, and all bosses--especially their own--and fought with the jacks from rival lumber camps until the end of the season. Each man then received a cash bonus that brought from him a gasp of amazement and a growl of appreciation. w.i.l.l.y Horse and most of the "original" party of jacks were kept at work on the section all during the next summer, again to resume lumbering operations in the early fall.
The further adventures of the Overland Riders will be related in a following volume, ent.i.tled "Grace Harlowe"s Overland Riders in the High Sierras," the story of an eventful summer"s outing. The hold-up of the Red Limited, the capture of an Overlander, strange adventures in the Crazy Lake section, the bowling game above the clouds, the battle with the mountain bandits, and the solving of the mystery of Aerial Lake, make a story of unexcelled interest and swift action.
THE END