Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1886-06-17
A TERRIBLE NIGHT.

STORY OF THE MICHIGAN PINERIEs.
There were four Of us colle ge boys and
Raymond, the engineer of a shingle-mill
at Ontanagan. We had been boarding
at his house. The mill had shut down
for few weeks, and he had gladly joined
N our tramp, eager as boy for the free
life Of the woods.
We had found an old lumber camp for
our camping-place. Before it our fire
was burning. Raymond was the only
smoker in the party. He filed his pipe
and leaned back upon the pile of hemlock
boughs to watch the moon come climbing
over the tops Of the trees.
It was nearly twenty years ago, boys,
began Raymond, just after the war, that
/ went to work in a lumber camp on the
Muskegon river. | was a young fellow
then, too light for an ak, and they put
me to driving the tote-team. It was q.
tiresome, lonely life, can tell you. A
fellow had to be out in all kinds Of
weather with no company but his horsls.
Many times have Ispent the night on the
road with the wagon stuck fast in the
mud. or with big tree blown down
across the road
There was only one house on thc road
between the town and the camp. That
was little log cabin where old man Bill
lings lived with his wife and daughter.
It got so that couldn't get by that place
without stopping for drink of water or
to ask the old man some question made
up on the road. The horses got 50 they'd
stop right in front of the house eyery
trip.
We had the roughest crew in camp
that I ever saw. There was nothing too
mean for them to do, and they got the
upper hand on the boss, and 50 had
things their own, way.
One morning got up early to feed nv
horses SO I could get good start and
reach Billings in time for breakfast.
-Four cf the toughest men in camp fol-
lowed me out to the stables and asked me
right out if would smuggle jug Of
whisky back with my load. It was dead
against the rules, and / knew it, but
when they told me, in SO many words.
that didn't care to do it, was foolish
enough to promise. As things happened,
it's good thing perhaps that did it.
i bought the whisky and started back
to camp just after dinner, had two
passengers They were the quietest
workmen in camp, goods friends of mine,
both Of them. They knew nothing about
the whisky, and l was ashamed to tell
them about it.
The thing never would have happened
anyway if my wagon seat had held. It
broke down just as we reached the middle
of the little hill in front of old man Bill.
lings's house. l had my feet out over the
front Of the wagon when it broke, and L
fell fat under the horses feet. They
stopped as soon as they could could
trust them for that-but before the
wagon came to a stand the front wheel
ran over my leg, and could hear it snap
like stick.
Charlie and Ben both jumped to the
ground instime to save themselves. Thev
pulled me out from under the load and
laid me on some grain sacks at the top Of
the wagon. 1t was only few rods down
the hill to the house. Charlie drove the
horses on while Benheld meinthe wagon.
We drove right into the yard, and tell
you | felt bad when Mary Billings cana
to the door with her big eyes wide open
with fright.
The girl was all alone in the house.
Her father and mother had gone to town.
She was not afraid to be left alone. AS
lay on the bags could see, standing in
the corner, bright shot gun, and knew
she could use it if necessary.
The boys carried me into the kitchen
and put me down on the lounge by the
stove. Oil how my leg hurt me- I be-
gan to feel faint and dizzy as they tried
to move my foot The awful grating Of
that broken bone filed me with ter
rible feeling. The boys did their best to
make me comfortable. Charlie proposed
- N