The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-04
pristei by Special Arrangement nth The 4author.
THE LUCKY DRIVE.
A S T Q r Y.
BY HARRIET PRESCOTT SPOFFORD.
Copyrighted 1885, by s. S. McClure-All
Rights Reserved.l
PART III.
PART III.
lCoNCLUDED FROM LAST SATURDAY.

teners. So when he darkly intimated to the
men that the symbol had chosen for my mark
upon the logs was sign used by race or south
Sea Islanders as an invocation to evil powers,
when he declared that a tree falling in Dutch
Guiana in a similar way to the fall OF this
tree, always showed the axmen an imp
sitting on the tip of it and claiming it
for his own, sure sign that it was devoted to
the fires down below, when he reminded them
that every ship-builder knew that the saw was
never cast that could cut the log whose grain
was twisted by the moon directed sap so that
it could turn even the edge of the sword Of the
Lord and of Gideon-when he said all this, and
much more to the same daily purpose. then the
men, in turn reminded him that we started,
against their wills, into the woods on Friday
that we had to 90 back for the forgotten can't
dogs and picaroons, always disastrous thing
to do, that the first word uttered as we crossed
the boundary line of the Old Cedars tract had
happe ned to be the name of the Prince of Evil,
and score of other confrmatory things of that
sort.
It is easily to be guessed that, in the coverts
of the vast northern forest with its unceasing
susurrus attuning the thoughts to melancholy
or to awe, with its dark multitudinous Spires
like the spears of an unknown and perhaps hos
tile force tapering off against the stars and into
infnity and with the spectered CLEAN of far
reaching SHOWS shining from depths of mystery
one moment and gone again, the mind was al
ready in harmony with things beyond the limit
Of every days thought and life in other regions,
with the uncanny and the preternatural. But
IL y 4
turbance with the cattle, slight stir of the
bOugh above lifted my eyes and in the clear
space overheard u single planet looked out of the
vast violet depths. With its sparkle all at once
a consciousness Of unspeakable immensely and
solemnity overcame me. So trivial were
all the anxieties of the hour, how could
they disquiet mel Some things were
eternal and infnite-the stars my love of
Hester her love of me. Let what would hap
pen in this forest, on these lakes, these rivers,
let what would happen on this whole wide
sphere, in all this length of life, in worlds be-
yond and lives to come, should have time to
repair wrong, and Hester would be my own!
Was fate to be hidden and controlled by the
Numbering of parcel of barbarians! AS / en-
tered the camp and heard them still at their
boding recitals and representations, mighty
anger seized me; as if | had found worms play
ing at being divnities-an anger that did not
pass in night. When it did pass it had cleared
the air like thundergust, and | succeeded by
means of its effect In showing the men that l.
and not Farrar, WAS master. and by heartening
them sufficiently with the breaking up of the
ice, to get the logs RATED and doomed in the
river.
But hero the trouble grew more serious The
river was a wild stream, full of rapids and falls
not at first fruitful of great vexation or delay,
but threatening to become so lower down.
However, l surmounted one difficulty after an
other, and felt that there was really nothing Of
moment between me and success till we reached
the plantation called the Caribous. Here the
logs and the terrific current took things into
their own hands, and the swrling and pitching
and rushing and standing up on end was more
than the fercest raftsmen could master, the
logs resembling nothing so much as demons
frolicking in dark naphtha lakes, so swift and
black the river rushed to the fall.
We had gone ashore at last, tired out and half
disheartened after long day Of vain attempt
at breaking the jam and floating off the logs, or
any portion of them, serenely into stiller water
below the falls. They still lowered in the pile
where the sweeping waters had tossed them, up
and down and across, mass half the size of
meeting house, but meeting house that tor
nado had lifted and trifed with and dropped.
Marrow chance, lads" heard Farrar say
ing Never saw a worse jam on all the rivers
I've RATED! Those railroad fellows think q
bridge of theirs isn't done till it has had blood
sprinkling. SO you mind, we haven't had a
broken leg, nor an ak cut in all this cursed win
ter's work. Not one finger lost yet in this I'M
lucky drive. Somebody's got to pay for this.
Somebody II lose life or somebody II lose a
soul, you mark my words! The logs will never
break this jam unless there's blood spilled" He
turned and saw me; but whether he had been
going to add that the question was whose blood
should it be, to prophecy the loss of some of the
gang tomorrow, crushed between crushing logs,
don't know.
'Farrar,' said I, joining him presently,
you're too much of man to be mised by non
sense. And you have altogether too much in
fiuence with the others to use 1T in that way.
Unlucky drivel Why not join hands with me-
and make a lucky driver
ly. "And when the moon leaves off leading the
tide and the sap, this drive will prove lucky
drive.'
1t seemed as if the mischief was in it, that this
very settlement where we found ourselves should
be the home of old Mother Mandeyele, the So
called fortune teller of the woods people, of great
local reputation, and consulted by many a raft s
crew and by lumbermen far and wide Not one
of my men but knew it days journey away
and signifed their intention concerning it. /
knew it, too, and | made up my mind to turn the
fact to advantage. The instant it was dark
enough absented myself for sufficient time to
find the old woman. having kept my ears well
open since we had come ashore in order to learn
her whereabouts
''Well, mother | said Il am the boss of the
drive, as, of course, you know"
II KNOW she said, which she certainly did,
since ] told her