“Three of the Waits have already told me that they are going to get the logging contract,” he replied.
“Oh, they did, did they?” he exclaimed indignantly. Either Mr. Reynolds must have talked to a gathering of the whole clan or the news had spread like wild fire over the face of the mountain. “Well, they haven’t got it yet,” he snapped. “I guess I’ll have something to say about who gets that logging contract.”
“I asked them if you had told them and they said no, but your boss had, and you would have to do as he said.”
Scott’s teeth came together with a vicious snap. “They’ll see whether I have to or not.” He turned abruptly and walked across the tracks toward the Wait country. “No pair of whipcord riding breeches is going to tell me where to let a logging contract,” he muttered angrily to himself.
He did not know exactly why he had come in that direction. Possibly it was his natural tendency to go straight for his enemy. He did not even realize where he was going; he only realized that he was mad clear through and that he had better walk some of it off before he talked to anybody.
The forest came close down to the edge of the valley on this side and the road was arched over with the beautiful hardwood trees. Scott would have marveled at their size and beauty if he had not been too angry to notice them. The quiet solitude of the steep mountain road was well fitted to smooth a man’s ruffled temper and make him forget his troubles. Everywhere the gray squirrels were chasing each other around the trees in a never ending game of tag, and the birds were singing all over the woods.
Before Scott had gone very far he met two men riding down the mountain on horseback. They wore the regular uniform of that section, rough homespun trousers and a black sateen shirt, and carried long muzzle-loading rifles balanced across their saddle bows. They both grinned condescendingly at Scott and gave him a careless, “Howdy.”
He did not think it strange that he should meet two men, but when he met two more a little farther up and they greeted him in the same way he began to comprehend. These were the triumphant Waits on their way to town to celebrate their victory, and they were all laughing at him, laughing because they had overreached him and made terms with the boss that he would have to accept.
The thought maddened him, and by the time he had passed eight more he was so angry that he could hardly see the big fellow who brought up the rear of the last group of four. It would never do to start a row with them now before he was really ready, and yet it was all he could do to hide his fury and return their greetings casually.
The big fellow who had just passed turned in his saddle and looked at him inquiringly. “Weren’t looking for me, were you, sonny?” he called insolently in a rather thick voice.