The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-26


can probably get freight rates direct by
boat. Wen be a little late in starting.
but We'll get in some logs this winter,
anyway"
CHAPTER XVI.
Now in August, however, the first
turmoil had died. The jam" had boiled
| into town, taken it apart" and left
the inhabitants to piece it together
| again as they could; the rear" had not
yet arrived. AS a consequence. Thorpe
found the city comparatively quiet.
Although his ideas were not as yet
formulated, he hoped to be able to
| pick up a crew of first-class men from
those who had come down with the
advance, or jam" of the springs
drive. They should have finished their
orgies by now, and, empty of pocket,
should be found hanging about the
clearinghouse and the quieter sa-
| looms Thorpe intended to offer good
wages for good men. He would not
need more than twenty at first, for
during the approaching winter he in
tended to log on a very small scale in
deed. The time for expansion would
come later.
With this object in view he set out
| from his hotel about half-past seven on
the day of his arrival, to cruise about
in the lumber-jack district. The ho-
tel clerk had obligingly given him the
names of a number of the quieter sa-
looms, where the boys hung out" be-
tween bursts of prosperity. In the
| first of these Thorpe was helped ma
terially in his vague and uncertain
quest by ecountering an old acquain-
tance-Jackson Hines.
The old man peered at Thorpe.
Don't you know me?" inquired
| Thorpe.
Know you? You bet do! How are
| you Harry? Where have you been
keepin' yourself? You look about as
| fat as stabilized knittin' needle"
I've been landlooking in the upper
peninsula" explained Thorpe on the
Ossawinamakee, up in the Marquette
country"
"shol" commented Jackson in Won
| der, way up there where the moon
| changes!"
TITS a fine country" went on Thorpe
so everyone could hear, with a great
cutting of white pine. 1t runs as high
as twelve hundred thousand to the for
ty sometimes"
"Trees clean an free of limbs?" ask
ed Jackson.
They're as good as the stuff over on
| seventeen; you remember that"
Clean as baby's leg" agreed Jack
son.
Have a glass of beer?" asked
| Thorpe.
DRY as a tobacco box" confessed
| Jackson.
So they all drank.
On sudden inspiration Thorpe re-
| solved to ask the old mans advice as
| to crew and horses. 1t might not be
| good for much. but it would do no
| harm.
Jackson listened attentively to the
| others brief recital.
why don't you see Tim Shearer?
He amt dom nothin' since the jam
came down." was his comment
Isn't he with the NJ. & D. people p"
asked Thorpe.
| Nope. Quit"
| Flows that?"
"'Count of Morrison. He's been film
his teeth for NJ & d. right along Some
thin behind it all, reckon"
| "Where'll find him?" asked Thorpe.
Jackson gave the name of a small
boarding house. Shortly after, Thorpe
left him to amuse the others with his
| unique conversation, and hunted UP
Shearer's stopping place.
The boarding house proved to be of
| typical lumber-jack class-a narrow
"stoop," a hallway and stair in the
center, and an office and bar on either
side. Shearer and a half dozen other
men about his own age sat, their chairs
on two legs and their cork boots
on the rounds of the chairs, smoking
placidly in the tepid evening air. He
approached, and attempted an identi-
flying scrutiny. The men, with the
taciturnity of their class in the pres
ence of stranger, said nothing.
well, bub," finally drawled a voice
from the corner, "blowed that stake
you made out of Railway yet?"
THAT you, Shearer?" inquired
Thorpe, advancing. You're the man
I'm looking for"
you've found me-" replied the old
man, dryly.
Thorpe ives requested deliberately to
shake hands, with the owners of six.
names. Then he had chance to inti-
mate quietly to Shearer that he want
ed a word with him alone. The river
man rose silently and led the way up
the straight, uncarpeted stairs, along
a narrow, uncarpeted hall, to a square
uncarpeted bedroom. The walls and
ceilings of this apartment were of I'M
| painted planned pine. 1t contained a
cheap bureau, one chair, and a bed and
washstand to match the bureau. Shear
er lit the lamp and sat on the bed.
What is it?" he asked.
II have little pine up in the north
ern peninsula, within walking distance
of Marquette" said Thorpe, land 1
want to get a crew of about twenty
! men. 1t occurred to me that you might
be willing to help me-"
The riverman frowned steadily at his
fnterlocutor from under his bushy
brows.
How much pine you got?'' he
asked, finally.
About three hundred Million" re-
piled Thorpe. quietly.
The old mans blue eyes fixed them
selves with unwavering steadiness on
Thorpe's face.
You're jobbing some of 1t, eh?" he
submitted, finally, as the, only probable
conclusion. do you think you know
enough about it? Who does it belong
to?"
ut belongs to a man named Carpen-
ter and myself"
The riverman pondered this slowly
for an appreciable interval, and then
shot out another question.
How'd you get it?''
Thorpe told him simply, emitting
nothing except the name of the firm
up-river. When he had finished,
Shearer evinced no establishment nor
approval.
You done WELL" he commented
finally. Then after another interval:
Have you found out who was the
| "a Al he