Page:Harold Titus--Timber.djvu/40

32 responded listlessly. "Take Thad Parker, there; he's had hard luck. He come from the city to get rich on a farm. Jim soaked him right, he did, but Thad thought he knowed it all. Now he's most starved out an' his wife's sick. Still, you can't blame Jim. Money's all that counts."

Yes, thought Taylor, money is all that counts. He stirred uncomfortably on the uncomfortable seat, however.

They left the settlement and wound on through the scrub oak and pine.

"What in hell!"

The motor stopped with a jolt and a sputter. Lucius crawled out and lifted the battered hood and scratched his head and sighed.

"Well, we got to do it over again, " he said.

Taylor got out too, annoyed by the delay. Lucius brought out tools; then quite cautiously, with a twinkle in his eye, be produced a bottle filled with a brown liquid.

"Have a little shot in th' arm?"

Taylor took the bottle and smelled it suspiciously.

"What is it?"

"Little of my private stock. Good stuff. Go to it."

John declined, but Lucius drank deeply and smacked his lips. There was little John could do to help. His driver alleged that he knew the difficulty and could remedy it at once and began to dismantle the motor while John strolled about, climbed a near ridge and stood looking across that stretch of desolation. It was very quiet and lonely. A red-tailed hawk hunted in high, wide circles, coming from afar and going out of sight with no evidence that his vigilance had been rewarded. There were no birds, no small animals; wind made the only movement.