After watching Orcutt depart, Cameron folded his maps and his papers
and walked around to the trading room where Murchison and his clerk
were comparing the skins of a silver gray and a black cross fox.
The clerk greeted him with a smile. "Just the man I wanted to see, Mr.
Cameron. In fact I was about to go in search of you."
Cameron stared at him in surprise. During the day or two he had spent
at the post, he had come to regard the clerk as a stupid, morose
individual, whose only excuse for existence, as Murchison had said, was
his knowledge of fur. But here was this unkempt clerk actually
smiling, and addressing him as a man of affairs. He glanced
inquiringly at Murchison before replying. "And why should you go in
search of me?"
"As accredited representative of the Canadian Wild Lands Company, I
have business to transact with you." Hedin stepped forward and
extended a paper. "I represent John McNabb."
"John McNabb!" cried Cameron, staring at him as though he had taken
leave of his senses. "You mean----"
Hedin interrupted him, speaking crisply. "I mean that this paper, as
you will note, is a power of attorney which gives me authority to
transact any and all business for Mr. McNabb, concerning the purchase
of certain pulp-wood lands."
"Dut, man!" cried Cameron excitedly.
Ignoring the interruption, Hedin continued. "And I hereby, in the
presence of Mr. Murchison, tender payment of ten percent, of the
purchase price, as provided in the terms of the option contract."
"But you're too late!" roared Cameron. "McNabb's options expired at
noon! The land has been sold and payment accepted! Good Lord, man!
Do you mean that McNabb sent you up here to close the deal, and you
deliberately neglected to attend to it until the options had expired?"
"Too late?" smiled Hedin. "What do you mean, too late? The options do
not expire until noon," he paused and glanced up at the clock that
ticked upon the wall, "and it still lacks twenty-five minutes of
twelve."
Cameron stared at the clock. "It is a trick!" he cried. "You turned
the clock back! What time have you, Murchison?"
The factor meticulously consulted his watch. "Twenty-four minutes to
twelve," he announced.
"You are into it, too!"
Murchison smiled. "Look at your own watch," he suggested. "What time
have you got?"
Cameron drew out his timepiece and stared at it blankly. "He laid his
watch on the table between us," he said in a bewildered tone, "and not
until the hands reached twelve were the papers signed and the money
paid."
"What do you mean?" asked Hedin. "The papers signed, and the money
paid?"
"Why Orcutt, president of the Eureka Paper Company, bought the land
after McNabb's options expired. Wentworth is his representative."
"But McNabb's options have not expired," insisted Hedin. "His payment
has been tendered in the presence of a witness before the time of their
expiration. Any sale or contract entered into with Orcutt or anyone
else concerning title to these lands is, of course, void."
Cameron continued to stare at his watch. "I do not understand it," he
muttered.
"I think I do," offered Hedin. "Was it Orcutt's watch you consulted?"
"Yes, he laid it on the table, and we watched the hands mark off the
time."
"And you were an hour fast! Orcutt carried Terrace City time, which is
an hour faster than standard. It is the so called daylight saving plan
adopted by many cities and villages in the United States by act of
council. All that, of course, has no bearing on McNabb's options, so
there is nothing for you to do but accept payment and return Orcutt his
money."
"But you were here all the time!" cried Cameron. "And you must have
known what was going on. Why didn't you make yourself known? Why did
you let me go ahead with Orcutt? We could have had the business over
and done with two days ago--and no complications."
Hedin laughed. "You will have to take that up with Mr. McNabb. I was
following out instructions to the letter. And those instructions were
very specific about not closing the deal within half an hour of the
expiration of the options."
"But what was his idea?"
"As I said before, you will have to ask him. He had a reason, you may
be sure. I have noticed in my association with John McNabb that there
is generally a reason for the things that he does--though in many
instances the reason is beyond me."
Cameron's exasperation at the sudden turn of events subsided. He even
managed a smile. "He was within his rights," he admitted, "and as you
say, he must have had a reason. But I don't understand it. Wentworth
was McNabb's man too--until he swung over to Orcutt. Yet he never
suspected you were anything but Murchison's clerk."
Hedin laughed. "The reputation of being a fool doesn't hurt anyone.
It is rather an advantage at times."
"You have played your part well," admitted Cameron. "And McNabb has
played his part well--whatever that part is. Orcutt said he was losing
his grip, was in his dotage. Well, he will not be the first man that
has had to change his mind. He has gone to inspect the mill site and
will return day after to-morrow. Wentworth accompanied him. I imagine
we will have an interesting half-hour when they find out that the deal
is off."
The formalities of payment were soon over with, and the moment they
were completed, Hedin despatched a messenger with a telegram to his
employer.
When John McNabb received the message he grinned broadly, and for
several minutes sat at his desk and stabbed at his blotter with his
pencil point. "So, Orcutt, Wentworth & Company set out to down poor
old John McNabb," he muttered. "I kind of figured rope was all
Wentworth wanted to hang himself with--an' rope's cheap. But Orcutt
an' his Eureka Paper Company--now he must have gone to quite a little
bother, first an' last, an' some expense. Too bad! But I won't worry
about that--he ought to 'tend to his bankin'. Guess I'll be startin'
North in about ten days."
A week later McNabb got another wire from the engineer in charge of his
road construction. As he read and reread it, a slow smile trembled
upon his lips and widened into a broad grin.
"Sixty-five miles of road completed. Eureka Paper Company cement and
material piling up at road head. Have their own trucks. Shall we let
them use road?"
The grin became an audible chuckle. "I don't understand it. Orcutt
must have cleared out so quick he don't know the deal is off." Then he
called a messenger and sent two telegrams. The first in answer to the
one just received.
"Double your force and hurry road to completion in shortest possible
time. Allow all Eureka Paper Company goods to be delivered as fast as
received. Facilitate delivery same to mill site in every way possible."
The other telegram was to the home office of the engineering firm and
read:
"Hold off on purchase of material for mill until further notice.
Writing full particulars."
Then he closed his desk and went home where, a few minutes later, his
daughter found him packing his outfit in a well worn duffle bag.