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"Ba'teese, he put eet down by a match in the shelter of a lumber pile," came at last. "Eet is all, what-you-say, scramble up. But we shall see ah, oui we shall see. Now," he looked toward Houston, waiting anxiously with paper and pencil, "we shall put eet in the list. So. One million ties, seven by eight by eight feet, at the one dollar and the forty cents. Put that down." "I have it. But what "
A second more and he drew something to his side and stared at it. "Oh, ho!" came at last. "M'sieu Houston, he will, what-you-say, fix the can on the sawyer." "Why?" "First," said Ba'tiste quietly, "he waste a six-inch board on each slab-side he take off. Un'stand? The first cut when the bark, eet is sliced off. He take too much. Eet is so easy. And then look."
He clustered his fingers to his lips and blew a kiss toward the ceiling. "She is the, what-you-say, fine li'l keed. She is the bon bébé! You no nev' see her before?" Barry shook his head. Ba'tiste went on. "You see M'sieu Thayer? Oui? You know heem?" "No." "You sure?" "Never saw him before." "So?" Batiste grinned and wagged a finger, "Ba'teese he like the truth, yes, oui.
"This man," Ba'tiste nodded grudgingly toward the angular form of Fred Thayer, "heem a what-you-say a big bomb. This my frien', M'sieu Houston. He own this flume. This Thayer's men, they try to jump it." "From the looks of them," chuckled the sheriff, "you jumped them. They've got a young hospital over at camp. But seriously, Ba'tiste, I think you're on the wrong track.
He pointed to his head, then twisting, ran his finger down his spine. "When eet is the what-you-say, amnesia the nerve eet no work in the foot. I could tickle, tickle, tickle, and you would not know. But with you blooey right away, you feel. So, for some reason, you are, what-you-say? shamming. But you are Ba'teese' gues'. You sleep in Ba'teese' bed. You eat Ba'teese' food.
He speak like my Pierre would speak! He will not quit!" "No," and then Houston repeated it, a strange light shining in his eyes, his hands clenched, breath pulling deep into his lungs. "I will not quit." "Ah, oui! Eet is now the, what-you-say, the swing-around point. To-night Ba'teese go out. Where? Ah, you shall wait an' see. Ba'teese go Ba'teese come back. Then you shall see. Ah, oui!
Peuff! We shall fin' out, you and me and mon ami." Suddenly he turned. "M'sieu Thayer, he gone." "Gone? You mean he's run away?" "By gar, no. But he leave hurried. He get a telephone from long distance. Chicago." "Then " "Ba'teese not know. M'sieu Shuler in the telephone office, he tell me. Eet is a long call, M'sieu Shuler is curious, and he listen in while they, what-you-say, chew up the rag.
Ba'teese, he have a, what-you-say, hump." "Hunch, you mean?" "Ah, oui. Eet is this. We will not bring the log to the mill. We will bring the mill to the log. We have to build the new plant, yes, oui? Then, bon, we shall build eet in the forest, where there is the lumber." "Quite so. And then who will build a railroad switch that can negotiate the hills to the mill?" "Ah!"
"Mebbe we have a, what-you-say, punch of luck." Then, silent, he leaned over the reins. Houston too was quiet, striving in vain to find a way out of the difficulties that beset him. At the end of half an hour he looked up in surprise. They no longer were on the way to the mill.
Ba'teese, he was so excite' when he hear you come. He have good news!" "About what?" "The railroad. They are near' through with the tunnel. Now they shall start upon the main road to Salt Lake. And they shall need timbers beaucoup! Ties and beams and materials! They have ask for bids. Ah, oui. Eet is, what-you-say, the swollen chance! M'sieu Houston shall bid lower than " "How, Ba'tiste?"
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