The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-04
A CHANGED UNCLE,
Or, THE DEN OF THE REDWOOD
Log.
Franklin Powers Won His Way BY
a Feat of Gallant Daring.
BY PHILIP MIGHELS,

Copyrighted, 1896, by S. S. Mcclure Co.
In the depths of the redwood forest
of California, where the huge trees
lowered up gigantically, harsh and
modern noise came echoing from
afar. Then louder and nearer it be-
came until presently snorting and
putting locomotive, diminutive in size,
seemed to issue directly from behind a
monster tree, on a curved and winding
track. Behind it a train of fat cars
crawled, reminding one of a great,
many-Jointed worm. Two blasts, shrill
and startling, came from the small
whistle then, and the rumbling strang-
er slowed down and halted, the cars
being stopped beside a rough and
dusty platform made OF logs.
three or four men. who had been lazi-
~ lying or sitting on the cars, now
arose, and flinging their great hooked
levers TO the platform, made ready the
cars for their loads, and lay down
again to wait-all but one. The one
wasn't a man at all. He was young
Franklin Powers, a tall, wiry lad, who
stepped about actively as if in search
Of something upon which to try the
bullying sinews of his arms and legs.
Up a small nearby ravine he went.
whistl3ng an answer to a mountain
quail. This place was SCARED with evil
dsnces of mans advent, for bushes and
trees had been cleared away to form a
wide path, and a deep-cut groove, or
runway, was worn in the soil
THE BULL TEAM.
Far away up above a series OF sounds
came down through the trees Faint
they were at first, but growing rapidly
clearer and louder. Then, amid a fear
full dust, a clanking of chains, a below
ing, low and painful-and the wild
shouting of a man, a queer procession
came suddenly into view. Procession?
No, hardly that, either. 1t was team
of bulls. yoked in pairs, hitched to a
long heavy chain and dragging a
train of giant logs from the ridges
above to the platform beside the rail
road. Fifteen yoke there We're OF the
great straining beasts in line their
heads thrown wildly forward, their
shoulders thrust stoutly against the
yolles, their TANKS reeking with per-
spiTation, their muscles swelling big
upon their legs and their tongues lolling
forth from red and dripping mouths.
Beside them ran manor rather he
bounded along-a fierce, red-eyed Mex
lean, six feet in height, rod in hand,
shod in heavy boots, clad in rough
pantaloons and half-open red shirt
bareheaded and shouting like a demon.
"Hoil Hahl Gee! Sacra! Hen up!'
he bawled, dancing and tearing along
from one end of the bull team to the
other and back, lashing and prodding
with his fear-compelling gCad, till the
bulls beloved sullenly, the lead be-
hind creaked and rumbled and the
whole wood echoed with the din of it.
oil cd y1vi16 fl
mutt in it's clouds of dust yet the bulls
well knew their part and were glad in
deed to strain and haul in redouhled
effort to jerk the sliding logs at last
afthwart the loading place, alongside
the waiting cars.
The sight was ever of interest to
Franklin, and he watched the weary
bulls go off, spiritless and with droop-
ing heads, every day, always with a
feeling of pity in his breast for the
dumb brutes.
A STINGY UNCLE.
However, little time he had now for
anything but work; he therefore picked
UP his lever hook and helped to roll
the mighty logs on the cars and chain
them down. No easy task was this, for
the lever handle was large, the logs
were not always round and the lifting
at times was exceedingly heavy His
hands had spread and hardened till he
looked dismayed upon them, but moth
ing could he do about it. Ever and
ever the mill down below required the
timber for its hungry saws, making it
necessary for the train crew to fetch
at least four loads daily from the rug
ged mountain above. And whole armies
of log-cutters and woodsmen were en-
camped far back in the virgin forests
to fell the monarchs and saw them up
to furnish the logs. Young Franklin
had, indeed, been very thankful to get
a chance to work at anything, for his
fathers death had left his mother and
him in desperate straits. Not know
IN, o. what else m do he had anralied m