Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-17
FIGURES DON'T LIE"
cY JOHN HABBERToN.


saw mill to fish from the log platform.
Then Clay held before Jeff's face a broad
single covered with figures. so that It
looked like an awful sum in arithmetic and
charcoal.
"WeH.' said JEFF, who wasn't prepared
for any such statement, and who hated
arithmetic with all his heart, 1T didn't say
that they did. What are you driving at.
and how are the fish biting?'
'The fish aren't biting at ALL" was the
reply, "for there's been a tremendous rain
up the river somewhere and the waters
awful muddy; the rivers risen about two
feet since last night, so Mr.. Drewel1, the
owner of the sawmill, says. That's what
all my figuring Is about. The freshet up
above, wherever it was has floated a lot
Of sawloss out Of the little creeks. where
the lumbermen dropped them, and 1 saw
a man catch one just now and he lowed it
into the mill and Mr.. Drewell paid him a
dollar and a quarter, and said he wished
he'd bring him lot more for the mill is
awfully short of saving stuff. And"
here Clay again brandished the figure-cov-
e1ed shingle before Jeffs eyes. "as 1 said
before, figures don't lie."
Whats figures got to do with sawlogs?"
asked jeff
"a great deal, in this case. timed the
the time he started from shore until he
came hack and got his money. and it was
only thirteen minutes-call 1t a quarter of
an hour. Well, that means four logs an
hour, which means s. an hour. There'1l be
be six hours between now and supper time
and six times five are thirty-that means
SIS apiece for you and me. If we keep at
work. for the river is SO full of logs we
couldn't miss them II we tried"
Fife en-dollars-apiece! For two boys?
Oh. 1t isn't possible" gasped Jeff.
Very well. stick to it, If you like, but
there's the figures on the shingle. go over
them for yourself. Figures don't lie."
JEFF went over the figures. and as they
were the simplest of multiplication he was
obliged to say that there was nothing out
of the way with them
There's cnly one thing that troubles
me-" said Clay, land that is that we must
| raise quarter In some way to hire a boat
for I've been all along the river for half
mile each way. snd all the skiffs, are lock-
cd. Nobody seems to think that once in a
while a boy would like to go out rowing
But suppose we take an hour off of the fig
ures SO that we can have time to raise the
quarter and find some oEe who will rent his
boat. That'll bring the profits down to $12
apiece; but that ought to do for one after
noon, don't you think sou
Don't l. thought" JEFF replied. Twelve
dollars? Why, that was more money than
he ever made in a whole blackberry season.
although sometimes he picked and sold ten
quarts day. and his mother. who was the
principal purchaser during the preserving
season. satisfied herself with short meas
Ore for the sake of encouraging her only
son to work at something. If it was only
berry picking, rather than spend his whole
time fishing and thereby preparing himself
to be village lounger and a teller of i'm
probable fish stories. Twelve dollars? Why,
Deacon Swift, the shrewdest old fellow in
the village, was satisfied to make less than
twelve dollars en- horse trade, although
sometimes he didn't average a trade a
month.
Take care of my rod end line" said
jeff I've three chickens that l can get a
quarter for, and 1 know just who wants
them. You're sure the logs won't all get
away while I'm gone-and that the water is
really too muddy for fishing?"
"Oh. hurry along" exclaimed Clay, i'm
man If you don't give your whole attention
to a good chance when you see 1t. That's
what my father says, and I guess he
knows III take care of the shingle while
again, to see what fractions We can make
above twelve dollars. in case you're back
sooner than you expect; I'll work 1t up by
quarter hours"
JEFF was back within half an hour, with
the quarter, a pair of oars the key to a
boat chain. and also with his mothers en-
tire clothes line, which, he explained. he
thought would be handy to use as a tow
line for the logs. In the meantime Clay
had begged several big nails from the en-
gineer of the sawmill. and he had borrowed.
without asking, an ak from woodpile not
far away. to drive the nails into logs, SO as
had also got several new. clean and very
broad shingles and big piece of charcoal.
so as to do some extra ciphering In the
boat. in case they were to catch logs more
rapidly than his original plan provided for.
Now" said he, as he took the oars and
pulled the boat from shore. well work as
close as possible to the mill. so as to have
the least distance in which to tow the logs
when we catch them. But say. why do you
suppose nobody but us thought of this job!
suppose 1t is because nobody knows yet
that the river has taken sudden BOOM"
The boys found that If the logs had not
waited for them there had been a lot of
other logs floating down, so that the river
was quite full enough to busy a dozen
boat loads of boys. Loggers had been at
work all winter on the banks of the rivers
many little tributaries. expecting to float
their lumber to market on the customary
June freshet" but the rains had come
Unexpectedly early and sent their logs
adrift. 1t seemed great pity to JEFF. for
he had a conscience somewhere under his
jacket, and he knew some logger families,
and he knew also that such of the men
who had been cutting for their own ac-
count would lose lot of money if all of
their property went astray; so he said to
Clay:
II wonder whether it's right for US to
the money ourselves?"
Findings is keepings," Clay replied. 'Say,
aren't you losing the chance to catch
log?"
Jen gave his conscience a rest for a
moment as Clay pulled the boat beside a
big log which was drifting along as rap
idly and carelessIy as If 1t hadn't an owner
on the face Of the earth.
MAKE a slip-noose in the end Of your
rope-quick," said Clay. That's right.
Now drive one Of the nails in the end Of
the log. and throw the loop over it. and
draw 1t tight"
jeff obeyed orders, SO far as he could,
but as he held nail in place and attempt
ed to hit the head Of 1t with the ak he hit
his finger and thumb instead and then he
yelled "Ouch," and put his finger and
thumb into his mouth, and looked like
boy having tooth pulled, while the log
slipped away down stream, giving the boat
an ugly lurch as 1t scraped along the side.
You're a nice one " shouted Clay, who
had been resting on his oars and looking
on. "Come here and row, and let me show
you how to catch a log"
jeff obeyed; not 50 much that he wanted
to learn as that he had done enough log
catching to last him for the day Still, he
laid the boat alongside of another log, and
Clay took nail and ak in hand, first plac-
ing the rope with slip-noose Just where he
could handle it quickly.
A saw log afioat in a rising river looks as
quiet ard business-like as a boy who is
going out melon stealing: 1t moves along
silently and swiftly. not disturbing any
one, but intent only on going its way. It
Is bigger. though, than a boy-much big
hoin