The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1892-03-10
[Original.1

year previous, that was the name he
gave to all who asked him, and to all
inquiries his only answer would be:
'Aint told ye half dozen times
tibet my names River Jim,' amt tibet
nuff?''
He was a queer character: From
whence he came NO one knew nor
could find out, although he occasional
~ spoke of log driving in Maine, which
led the boys to think he must have
originally hailed from that state.
In personal appearance he was at
GUS Long, bony, angular, with great,
long arms, which he never seemed to
know what to do with unless he was
handling a pike pole and pushing logs
here and there in the river. To add to
the ungainliness of his form he habitu-
ally walked, or rather slouched along,
with his body describing an obtuse
angle, and with movement some
thing resembling a dromedary. His
hair, which was black as IN Indians,
he generally wore long, and his beard
was equally unkept
But he was known as the most dar-
ing and skillful log driver in the upper
Wisconsin, and many was the time he
fearlessly rode some rolling, tumbling
timber through rapids where no other
riverman dared venture, with only his
pike pole to assist him in keeping his
footing, he often being compelled to
leap from one log to another, even
while they were rushing at tremen-
dous speed through some rapids; and
he could break up a jam and get the
logs to moving again while the ordi-
nary logger was de batting how to go at
1t. True, he often lost his footing, aud
was several times in imminent danger
of being crowded under the water by
the logs, but somehow he seemed like
duck aud always came up in time to
throw those long arms over a log and
pull himself up again.
During the winter season, when the
men were in the woods. ''River Jim's"
long arms served him equally as well,
and there he had the reputation of be-
ing the best chopper.
Jim was as modest as he was I'M
calmly. 1t was seldom any of the boys
could get him to speak of himself, and
when he would accomplish some daring
feat of log driving and the men would
speak of it he would say:
''Oh, thet's nothin'."
the mills at Cameron were all in opera
ton. Jim was employed by the owners
as general overseer in the boom, where
the different logs were separated, and
to see that each mill got its own cut, a
work which was always well done by
himself and his men.
Jim had one great failing, q prev
alent one among rivertnen. For day
or two after each pay day, which came
once month, he would be the richest
man in town, and every man who
didn't take drink with him while his
money lasted either did not drink or
failed to- como under Jim's notice. 1t
got to be such . regular thing that the
boys always e> ,ected it. and when one
day, utter receiving his usual months
wages, Jim put the money in his
pocket and walked quietly out of the
Office and over to the hotel where he
boarded, they wondered what was up
with River JIM Some of them even
went over to the hotel, and one Of the
boys said: = - -
@"What's ther marter, Jim; be 70
gettin' stingy?"
:: s:'Nothin's' Their marter, boys I'm
jist goip''ste stop tibet kinder bizness,
thet'ss all" 49,.
Many were the conjectures among
the, boys as to the cause of River
Jim's" sudden reformation, and when
the next day Jim was 1T his post of
duty instead Of putting in his time at
Tom Nogan'a saloon, Is he. generally
did after each pay day, Is long as his
ndoney: lasted they concluded some.
thing unusual had happened to him.
There had . change come over River
Jim's'' life, that few, If any. of tho
rough rivermen knew anything about,
Is no one would suspect by his daily
life that he was even capable Of SYM
pathy with humanity In general, much
less taking friendly interest in any
one.