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“A feller with more money than sense,” Gottfried ad it ‘til he ca It was just too expensive to snake the timber down off those mountains Not like here, where I can load luht at my oharf Provided, of course, the ship don’t founder trying to get into the harbor”

Perrone nodded impatiently Everyone knew that the entrance into Humboldt Bay deserved its title “Graveyard of the Pacific” Pea-soup fog, pounding breakers that dissolved into spindrift, and a thick haze of s the channel an exercise that turned sea captains’ hair white “I understand,” he said pointedly, “you’re considering adding a sash and door factory to your business”

“If I can raise the ht “This Panic isn’tit any easier to borrow money”

The banker looked the lumberman in the eye, and said, “I suspect that favored borroill get a syon business?”

“Can’t tell you everything about hiift horse in the one from that place so fast you could hear me whiz”

He drained his glass and poured another, and topped off the banker’s glass, which hadn’t gone down as far

“What do you know about the purchaser of the East Oregon Lumber Company?” Perrone pressed

“For one thing, he had plenty of cash”

“Where’d he draw his check from?”

“Well, that was interesting I would have thought San Francisco or Portland But his check was on a New York bank I was a little suspicious, but it cleared lickety-split”

“Was the fellow from New York?”

“Might’ve been Sure didn’t know much about the lumber business Now that youit for somebody else”

The banker nodded, encouraging the lu Ebenezer Bell had made it clear that he didn’t expect the whole story from any one source But every bit helped And the powerful American States president had also et Perrone could wire him

45

THE VAN DORN EXPRESS PAUSED IN DENVER’S UNION DEPOT just long enough for a Van Dorn agent in bowler hat and checkerboard suit to swagger aboard bearing fresh reports fro time no see”