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204 menaces which hung over the forest. He could not tell her now. Tonight, he told himself, tonight he would give her the whole miserable story. So he laughed her startled question away and watched her drive down the road.

It was night when she returned, mouth set and eyes serious.

"It looks dark," she said hoarsely in answer to his question. "Darker than ever. All last night and all today Humphrey Bryant has tried to get in touch with the different supervisors, but Jim Harris has them all down at the big dam where they can't be reached. Harris has heard that Humphrey was trying to block his game and fixed so we couldn't get to any of the board until it meets—and then Harris will be there, and he holds them in the hollow of his hand.

"If he could be locked up, driven away from that meeting long enough for Humphrey to get at them! He has something up his sleeve, some little thing, such a faint hope that he won't even confide in me! All he asks is ten minutes alone with the board, and he might as well ask for help from Harris!"

It was later in the evening that Taylor walked aimlessly toward the nursery. He had not seen Black Joe there and was almost on the humped figure which prodded in a seed bed before he noticed the old fellow. Joe looked up, gave a contemptuous sniff and began gathering his few implements, for it was nearly dark. He went off toward the men's shanty without again looking at Taylor.

John walked on and stood looking absently down the rows of transplants a few moments and then retraced his steps until a movement in the ground attracted him. He watched and saw the stirring of a mole as it made slow