Evening journal., 1890-07-17
LADDY'S LOGGING.


Old Ppachblow had told Laddy all about
It, over and over again. and So the fault was
partly his. Now the logging team was just
ready to start for the woods with supplies,
and Laddy's father, who owned the drive,
had gone up with Laddy's mother, who need
ed somewhat unusual outing. And when
l.addy had seen the prnncing black horses
shaking off showers Of bell tones, he had
begged hard to go, and harder still when he
heard there was Ratchet and knife in the
sleigh, and saw his father examining his re-
volvers, there being rumor of wolves on
the way, although probably baseless rumor.
But Laddys entreaties had been promptly
silenced, and he had been told that it was out
Of the question; he must stay and attend TO
his lessons if he wanted to go to Bowdoin
year after next.
Well, he didn't want 30 60 to Bowdoin.
He wanted to 60 to the logging camp. Year
after next was a great way off; the woods,
the life there, the stories the games, the hunt
ing for bears, the gathering Of gum, the
crealsing of logs in the snow, the deer hunt
the escape from the panther or the gaunt
gray wolf, the coming down with the drive
in the spring, the jam Of the logs at the falls,
with the raftsmen skipping round upon them
lightly as Mercury in his mythology, ham
ding them with long hooks and springing
for dear life as one dexterous thrust loosened
the whole mass and sent them rolling and
plunging and shooting over the cataract--all
that was close at hand. And Laddy, as he
thought of it, was bound to be a lumberman,
and was heard to sing some dreadful and un-
Ineligible rhyme to himself about being a
logger boy by the jingoes or die.
You are one now, y said his sister Anne
Fathers a logger. That makes you log
ger boyn
Il don't want to be that kind, and sit in a
counting room. l want to come down on
the drive and shoot the rapids, and bring
home caribou's horns and a catamounts
pelt.n
He had resolved to run away, just ahead Of
, the supply team, and oblige the men TO take
him on later and 60 to join the logging camp
after all aud in spite Of everybody. As he
looked up at the window there stood his aunt
Mabel with the baby III her arms, patting
the pane with her rosy little palms, and pres
emily he heard Anne practicing her music at
the piano, the spinning song, with the whir
Of the wheel, the beat Of the treadle, the song
Of the spinning girl and the rustic Of leaves
outside, the hum Of bees, and stir Of wind,
and twitter Of birds in the branches through
it all And that was the Inst he heard and
the last he saw Of home; for he put on his
reefer hanging in the back entry, pulled his
sealskin cap down over his ears, hung his
skates on his arm, and, with his hands
buried in his pockets, went down the field to
take a short cut and get a start of the team
Laddy felt himself very i'll used. There be
was, kept at his books, with woman to
teach him, too, with nobody but a girl to
share his sports and obliged to look forward
to q life Of study, when he wanted 10 be using
his muscles; to DO shooting and trapping, fol-
lowing deer, snaring small camel It was
very short sighted and a great injustice on
| his fathers part, he reasoned; and he couldn't
see what his mother could be thinking Of and
he was very indignant indeed with his Aunt
| Mabel, who had insisted on those horrid rules
| in the subjunctive; and as for Anne, she could
| chop all the Latin she wished-he preferred to
| chop wood And SO nursing his wrath he went
walking, running and skipping along When
he reached the highway he got alift of several
miles clinging to the runners OF a surveying
partys cutter; had bowl Of bread and milk
at a shanty by the wayside, for which he paid
al the pennies in his pocket He wondered
why the logging team did not come along.
| Had he made a mistake, and was it tomorrow
noon they had been going to startl Old
| Peachblow had certainly told him they would
be of within the hour, they were only wait
ing then for Diana to put up the cold beef
and bottle the coffee for them, aud to have a
littlechatling, very likely, with her and Susan
] Heexpected to hear the bells every moment.
| How surprised bis father would be when be
saw him come riding into the camp with Old
Peachblow and Jol How angry, too, per
haps, at first If ever any one was glad II
was Laddy, when he heard a far of tinkle
L. 90 -I. LII
still to receive the supply team, with Old
| Peachblow and 10, and to feel his heart well
at their surprised exclamation "Well, he's
a chap Of speerit, | yuml" cried Old Peach
blow when the little fellow stood in the path
and halted the horses. II d'no's we got any
thin ter du but ter take him on, but ! guess
we'll cure himl" "Ol man1l be mad, p sug-
gested Ip-Iaddys father wearing that ap-
pellation on account of his mastership, not
on account Of his forty years, certainly.
Cant leave the boy here in this woody
place and night coming on. If he is Pretty
kettle Of fish! Up with We, youngsteri" And
tucked under a lot Of horse blankets on top
! Of the load Laddy knew but little more till
late the next day, when he found they were
| still Jogging on, having "A vague, delightful
memory of a misty scene Of swinging Ian
terms and shouting voices as they changed
horses in the middle Of the night at the half
way house, feeling a little stiff and sore,
stretching himself aud getting down 10 walk
q bit ana timber up with Old Peachblow, and
then finding the cold beef and biscuit and
bottled coffee as good as nectar and ambrosia.
So rhey plodded on through the day, with
q bite here and sup there, and they stopped
at dusk in sheltered spot, where they were
70 camp for the night in a rude hut left there
for the logging parties.
"WelL This is great said Laddy, stand
ing with his legs far apart in front Of the fir
that Old Peachblow had swapping outside
and sending up clouds Of sparks, and wher,
the old fellow was cooking some squirrels h,
had shot And when, after delicious re
past, Laddy went TO sleep on pile Of hem
! lock boughs, covered with another pile, h,
! seemed 70 be on the brink Of surprising ex
periences, ard whea he waked in the frs
glow Of red sunrise through the chinks, h'
felt as if he had been aoating on a cloud il
the upper sky.
, 4.addy ost no time in. making himself
-..----l ''.... 10 &c" suri Oall..,s, tle AOs. Z