The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1889-03-07

half the distance and sat down to rest by a
small mountain stream, when we heard the
piping notes of a whistled ditty. which /
knew to be Johnny's, but l could hear no wag-
on. Sure enough. he soon turned the bend
in the road with a stick in his hand, and his
pants stuck in his boots, making a pretty
picture of youthful independence. When
he saw us. he suddenly halted and asked us
what we had stopped for? ITO rest. Why
Pve walked as far as you have, and l am
not tired" The wagon joted him too much,
and he gave it up in disgust He walked
the whole sixteen III les. but he was used up
when we reached the lake. and he didn't
try it again on that trip.
The country betweel Wah Wan and
ManitOn lakes is very rOugh-as the poet
says: "Crags and fells, fens and dells. aid
mountain heather" We took the tug the
next morning; but just as l was starting
for the landing. whom should | meet but
my principal, on his return trip. 1t looked
TO me very much as if he was trying to
dodge me. but we had few minutes talk,
and it ended by his giving me note to his
son who was in charge at camp, with the
remark that he would attend to lie and the
men. and that he. himself. would get back
as soon as possible. pushed on across the
ldke, dIlu ldUUSU dG EIlChSOll D. uIlOdUttt,
and stored all the stuff. left Johnny there
to be called for with the baggage. and l lit
out early in the morning, in the rain, for
camp. which was eighteen miles distant.
THE lighter the heel in the morning, the
sorer the foot at night" We made the
headquarters of Erickson at half past twelve
O'Clock, and our destination little after
one 1t was a desOlate barren spot beside
a big sand cut on the grade. and on it several
log houses. some of which were com
plete and others in course of construction.
1t was the dinner hour. and | could see no
one about. but / soon found where the
''head push" was. and introduced myself
by handing him his fathers note. "Oh.
yes, you met him did you? Well the fact
is, he had to go back to hurry up some
things that are still behind. and which we
must have before we can use your men. I'm
less, he added, Il can find work for them
at something else" We'll" said l, 1--WE
did not come here to sit down. you may be
sure. So start the men at work at once if
possible" well we have bridge timber
to get out. and although we are in no hurry
for it, as you are here you may as well get
it out; and as soon as | can get the bill from
the engineer, you may go at it."
''By the way" cDntinued he, your men
came here yesterday morning, and | thought
they were going to take the camp by storm.
Father had left that morning, and had said
nothing to me about their coming, and
don't keep tavern. | don't sell meals, nor
keep men who do not work fOr us, SO | sent
them away, and you will find them half
mile up the road, l believe" While at din
her, | learned from the cook. that the men
were not allowed to buy food, and had to
go to EricksOns to get it. They had built
brush Shanty, and were sleeping there with
out blankets. There was only one sleeping
shanty, and other men filled that There
were some tents and we stretched one that
afternoon and occupied it, thereby obtain
ing shelter from the elements. Bad weather
set in now, and we had inceSSant rain for
nearly two weeks, and a more nasty. un-
comfortable time than the one we had,
would be hard to imagine. 1t was cold, too.
yet only the middle of August. We did
not do anything all this time, in the way of
work; but finally it cleared up, and the en-
gineer gave us estimates for timber. We
started out making fiat timber, getting out
piles, braces, etc. We had been at it four
or five days, when the ''Old Man. arrived.
l interviewed him the next morning, and
found that he was still unprepared to make
definite arrangements. He pleaded great
difficulty in shipping. of nOn-fulfillment of
stipulated invoices, and l don't know what
else, all of which, did not help us any.
l may as we'll state here. that the build
ing of bridges was work we never did. we
were there, and had to take anything we
could get. and we also had to take the COM
mon run of wages. We were ten days be-
hind in board, that is, in idleness, and to