"Well, you calamity howlers, what do you think of it?"

Nobody answered, but everybody looked expectant.

"Think he'd shoot?" inquired Orde of Tom North.

"I know he would," replied North earnestly. "That crazy-headed kind
are just the fellers to rip loose."

"I think myself he probably would," agreed Orde.

"Surely," spoke up Newmark, "whatever the status of the damage
suits, you have the legal right to run your logs."

Orde rolled a quizzical eye in his direction.

"Per-fect-ly correct, son," he drawled, "but we're engaged in the
happy occupation of getting out logs. By the time the law was all
adjusted and a head of steam up, the water'd be down. In this game,
you get out logs first, and think about law afterward."

"How about legal damages?" insisted Newmark.

"Legal damages!" scoffed Orde. "Legal damages! Why, we count legal
damages as part of our regular expenses--like potatoes. It's lucky
it's so," he added. "If anybody paid any attention to legal
technicalities, there'd never be a log delivered. A man always has
enemies.

"Well, what are you going to do?" persisted Newmark.