The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-02-21

back to camp, to sit and scowl at each
other across the table nurse their bit
iterness with their pipes and dream
labout-revenge
Hatred, envy, malice, and all I'M
Icharitableness'' companions these
woods.
The trees fell, and the days slipped
by in spite of all. Christmas morning
lcame. No one named it. The loggers
lrolled out of their hunks little later,
and took their pipes instead of their
lakes. Their faces softened a little,
the cook; but that was as far as it
perhaps, when they glanced toward
went. When Bill keirstead tramped
through the snow at the door-he had
business in town-there were greetings
from his friends and sullen looks from
ISimonds's men, as there had been all
Ialong.
Some spark of Christmas kindness
might have been smoldering in the
crowd. If there was, Jim Parker put
1t out He was one of Keirstead's men,
and the worst by all odds.
Coin ter bring Simonds a Christ
mas keerd, Bill?" he asked.
"Likely?' Keirstead answered brief.
Look here, Keirsteadr' 1t was Sam
Smart meanest of the Simonds men
who spoke: "The's snow in the air
Best not git drunk ter-dayr
! Simond's men laughed.
'Oh, MOI l d want ter lose all nv
wedges an git in the watch-house
same's you did in ST John last spring.
Ke1rstead's men laughed.
keirstead trudged off down the
Whitened road The slur ranked. even
though he had paid it back with in
terest. Every man in the camp knew
that IAlo r.
1t was base, he felt, to revive the
memory of his past recl1Iessness.
suppose Simonds put him up to itr'
he muttered Il ought to git squarer'
lie was mistaken. Simonds had not
been one who laughed. Smart's words
dlsgusted him, made him furious. To
say so, however. would sound as
,hough he had backed down. He
| looked at Smart for moment, wonder
ing what stuff his heart was made of.
| then wandered off into the silent woods
trying not to think.
The rest of the men went into the
camp One party took one side of the
room; the other, the other. When a
man crossed the Invisible boundary
me everybody lookea at him. The
cook was professor" and he saw il
all with unspeakable sadness. .'An
this is Christmas dayr he muttered
The Lord help usr'
Somehow the time wore on. The sur
went out of sight. Gray clouds oh.
scured the sky and a certain warmth
and softness filled the air.
Snow" the loggers said.
w men the boss came in at 3 o'cIock
he shook a few clinging flakes from his
heavy coat. Where's Sfmonds2'' he
asked oh, / see. Say, Ned. did Won
! look at the logs [ was tellin' vol
abcut?" -
/ !'Clean forgot it,"
Don't you want ter run down there
now? 1t amt bettern a mile. yor
know, an the snow won't amount r.
much for an hour yit. I'd like to have
your opinion before we tackle 'em,"
I'll so right down.
welcome action of any kind, he felt
70 break the monotony of this dreary
dayl He started off at the word
long storm was brewing. Looking
around with the practised eye of the
woodsman, Simonds quickly made ur
his mind to that. The wind was ris.
| ing, too. The snow would drift as Il
fell That was good for work. 50 IA,
as it went. If cold snap only fol.
lowed it, it would be a good deal easie,
| to get out the cut.
Thinking of these things in aimless
fashion, he reached the 'Iogs'-trees-
| that the boss had mentioned. Hf
walked around and between the giant
trunks, decided on his report. He had
been none too soon. The snow was
coming in a binding whirl by thi,
time. The landscape was a driftine
sheet OF feathery white. The branches
above him were beginning TO bend and
settle under their load. The path was
! blotted out.
Glad I amt got fur to gop' he nut
tered. he turned up his collar and
settled his hands in his pockets. wish
1 Ing his pipe were still alight. He took
] a step toward home; Or
! The least bit uncertain of the direc.
! ton, he cleared his eyes impatientIy
and cast sweeping glance around
What was that a little farther back. al
the place where the path had been:
Surely man!
Who the blazes would be comm
away off here to git lost?''
| He went up to the PROSTATE figure
and, stopping close peered into the face
of-Bill Keirstead, his enemy!
! de rose again on the instant and
broke away, walking so rapidly that
his walk was almost a run.
Soft bed he's gOti He won't want
to turn out when the. gang does to-
| morrer mornin'p'
He stopped short twenty rods away
Wonder if the feller's drunk?
! Whit teIhS pity OH a QEuIikdTQ.
lie turned a little, and tried to look
back. At that distance he could not
see Bill. How fast the snow must be
covering him.
'Kefrstead's got a familyp
He started to retrace his steps. but
very slowly, his feet dragging lifelessly
his head hanging low. All at once he
stood still trembling. He smote his
hands together and lifted his face tc
! the unseen sky
1 Amt so meanr' he cried as if in
answer to a spoken word. Il do take
1T all back l am glad I've seen himr'
he waited a moment, like one who
expects a reply. Then ne ran to that
white-mounded heap in the road and
raised 1t to his shoulder, and began the
long fight back to the camp.
Bill wants ter see We, Ned, said the
] cook, crossing to where Simonds sat
elbows on knees staring at the floor
/ Simonds followed him.
You saved my life, Nedr' said Kier-
stead. weakly, stretching a. hand from
his bunk Il crawled two or three
mile after | twisted my ankle, but ]
couldn't git no further. Eff it hadn't
been fer you 1 guess I'd been there yit
Thank We, Nedv'
"Ye're welcome, Bill!' Simonds an
swered. quietly.
II got some news for you, Ned" the
store that your little girl wuz sick, an
the folks wanted We ter come home ii
we could. =
THANK We, Bill"
Hold on, Ned; l want ter own up