The Valley of the Giants

by Peter B. Kyne

  CHAPTER XXXVI

  At eleven o'clock Saturday night the deputy United States marshalarrived in Sequoia. Upon the advice of Buck Ogilvy, however, he madeno attempt at service that night, notwithstanding the fact that JulesRondeau and his bullies still guarded the crossing. At eight o'clockSunday morning, however, Bryce Cardigan drove him down to the crossing.Buck Ogilvy was already there with his men, superintending the erectionof a huge derrick close to the heap of obstructions placed on thecrossing. Sexton was watching him uneasily, and flushed as Ogilvypointed him out to the marshal.

  "There's your meat, Marshal," he announced. The marshal approachedand extended toward Sexton a copy of the restraining order. The latterstruck it aside and refused to accept it--whereupon the deputy marshaltapped him on the shoulder with it. "Tag! You're out of the game, myfriend," he said pleasantly.

  As the document fluttered to Sexton's feet, the latter turned to JulesRondeau. "I can no longer take charge here, Rondeau," he explained. "Iam forbidden to interfere."

  "Jules Rondeau can do ze job," the woods-boss replied easily. "Ze law,she have not restrain' me. I guess mebbeso you don' take dose theengsaway, eh, M'sieur Cardigan. Myself, I lak see."

  The deputy marshal handed Rondeau a paper, at the same time showing hisbadge. "You're out, too, my friend," he laughed. "Don't be foolish andtry to buck the law. If you do, I shall have to place a nice little pairof handcuffs on you and throw you in jail--and if you resist arrest, Ishall have to shoot you. I have one of these little restrainingorders for every able-bodied man in the Laguna Grande Lumber Company'semploy--thanks to Mr. Ogilvy's foresight; so it is useless to try tobeat this game on a technicality."

  Sexton, who still lingered, made a gesture of surrender. "Dismiss yourcrew, Rondeau," he ordered. "We're whipped to a frazzle."

  A gleam of pleasure, not unmixed with triumph, lighted the dark eyesof the French-Canadian. "I tol' M'sieur Sexton she cannot fight M'sieurCardigan and win," he said simply, "Now mebbe he believe that JulesRondeau know somet'ing."

  "Shut up," Sexton roared petulantly. Rondeau shrugged contemptuously,turned, and with a sweep of his great arm indicated to his men that theywere to go; then, without a backward glance to see that they followed,the woods-boss strode away in the direction of the Laguna Grande mill.Arrived at the mill-office, he entered, took down the telephone, andcalled up Shirley Sumner.

  "Mademoiselle," he said, "Jules Rondeau speaks to you. I have for youzee good news. Bryce Cardigan, she puts in the crossing to-day. One manof the law she comes from San Francisco with papers, and M'sieurSexton say to me: 'Rondeau, we are whip'. Deesmess your men.' So I havedeesmess doze men, and now I deesmess myself. Mebbeso bimeby I go towork for M'sieur Cardigan. For Mademoiselle I have no weesh to maketrouble to fire me. I queet. I will not fight dose dirty fight somemore. Au revoir, mademoiselle. I go."

  And without further ado he hung up.

  "What's this, what's this?" Sexton demanded. "You re going to quit?Nonsense, Rondeau, nonsense!"

  "I will have my time, M'sieur," said Jules Rondeau. "I go to work for aman. Mebbeso I am not woods-boss for heem, but--I work."

  "You'll have to wait until the Colonel returns, Rondeau."

  "I will have my time," said Jules Rondeau patiently.

  "Then you'll wait till pay-day for it, Rondeau. You know our rules. Anyman who quits without notice waits until the regular pay-day for hismoney."

  Jules advanced until he towered directly over the manager. "I tol'M'sieur I would have my time," he repeated once more. "Is M'sieur deafin zee ears?" He raised his right hand, much as a bear raises its paw;his blunt fingers worked a little and there was a smoldering fire in hisdark eyes.

  Without further protest Sexton opened the safe, counted out the wagesdue, and took Rondeau's receipt.

  "Thank you, M'sieur," the woods-boss growled as he swept the coin intohis pocket. "Now I work for M'sieur Cardigan; so, M'sieur, I will havezee switchengine weeth two flat-cars and zee wrecking-car. Doze damtrash on zee crossing--M'sieur Cardigan does not like, and by gar, Itake heem away. You onderstand, M'sieur? I am Jules Rondeau, and Iwork for M'sieur Cardigan. La la, M'sieur!" The great hand closed overSexton's collar. "Not zee pistol--no, not for Jules Rondeau."

  Quite as easily as a woman dresses a baby, he gagged Sexton withSexton's own handkerchief, laid him gently on the floor and departed,locking the door behind him and taking the key. At the corner of thebuilding, where the telephone-line entered the office, he paused, jerkedonce at the wire, and passed on, leaving the broken ends on the ground.

  In the round-house he found the switch-engine crew on duty, waiting forsteam in the boiler. The withdrawal of both locomotives, brief as hadbeen their absence, had caused a glut of logs at the Laguna Grandelandings, and Sexton was catching up with the traffic by sending theswitch-engine crew out for one train-load, even though it was Sunday.The crew had been used to receiving orders from Rondeau, and moreoverthey were not aware of his recent action; hence at his command they ranthe switch-engine out of the roundhouse, coupled up the two flat-carsand the wrecking-car, and backed down to the crossing. Upon arrival,Jules Rondeau leaned out of the cab window and hailed Bryce."M'sieur," he said, "do not bozzer to make zee derrick. I have here zeewrecking-car--all you need; pretty soon we lift him off zee crossing, Itell you, eh, M'sieur Cardigan?"

  Bryce stepped over to the switch-engine and looked up at his late enemy."By whose orders is this train here?" he queried.

  "Mine," Rondeau answered. "M'sieur Sexton I have tie like one leetle pigand lock her in her office. I work now for M'sieur."

  And he did. He waited not for a confirmation from his new master butproceeded to direct operations like the born driver and leader ofmen that he was. With his late employer's gear he fastened to theold castings and the boiler, lifted them with the derrick on thewrecking-car, and swung them up and around onto the flat-cars. By themiddle of the afternoon the crossing was once more clear. Then theCardigan crew fell upon it while Jules Rondeau ran the train back to theLaguna Grande yards, dismissed his crew, returned to the mill-office,and released the manager.

  "You'll pay through the nose for this, you scoundrel," Sexton whimpered."I'll fix you, you traitor."

  "You feex nothing, M'sieur Sexton," Rondeau replied imperturbably. "Whois witness Jules Rondeau tie you up? Somebody see you, no? I guess youdon' feex me. Sacre! I guess you don' try."