Page:Harold Titus--Timber.djvu/247

Rh reflected; Rowe had been close to his father and Marcia Murray more than once intimated that his position might be dangerous. Memory of those hints stirred dormant suspicion and as he looked into the glitter of the eyes that clung to his John believed that he had grounds for that misgiving.

"No I don't think that, yet, Rowe."

"Meaning that you think that you will think it!" laughing.

"Perhaps."

Rowe laughed again.

"There's no need of your losing your temper because you made your father lose his," he said. "You've a good opportunity here yet. You and your father don't think alike on a great many things; there's no point on which you could differ any more than on this pine deal. No use trying to impress you with his appetite for Michigan pine. You understand that as well as I do. Perhaps there is one thing about him you don't realize and that is that when it comes to a deal involving something he wants and which somebody else wants, too, he's a steam roller! He has the money, he has the determination, and he has—damned little regard for what other people want.

"He wants this pine. We've looked it over carefully, not only the timber but its backing. That backing is damned shaky. Taylor, I understand there was a little inside political excitement yesterday and Miss Foraker won. Well, that's only a stop-gap. These fellows have the law with them and in the end, which isn't very far away, they'll get her.

"There's another thing. This bank holds a mortgage for twenty thousand on a part of the forest and there's