Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-05-08
CHAPTER l.
CHRISTMAS EVE IN A LUMBER CAMP.

l%sgD that | found myself in the
heart of the Selkirks for my Christmas
eve as the year 1882 was dying. 1t had
been my plan to spend my Christmas
far away in Toronto. with such bo
heman and boon companions as could
be found in that cosmopolitan and
kindly city. But Leslie Graeme chang
ed all that, for. discovering me in the
village of Black Rock. with my traps
all packed waiting for the stage tn
start for the Landing, thirty miles
away, he bore down upon me with re-
sistless force and | found myself re-
covering from my surprise only after
we had gone in his lumber sleigh some
six miles on our way to his camp up in
the mountains. l was surprised and
much delighted, though l would not
allow him to think so, to find that his
old time power over me was still there.
He could always in the old varsity
days-dear. wild days-make me do
what he liked. He was so handsome
and so reckless, brilliant in his class
work and the prince Of halfbacks OH
the Rugby field and with such power
OF fascination as would extract the
heart out of a wheelbarrow," as Barney
Lundy used to say. And thus it was that
/ found myself just three weeks later
/ was to have spent two or three days
on the afternoon of the oath of Decem-
ber standing in Graeme'S Lumber
Camp No. ., wondering at myself. But
i did not regret my changed plans. for
I hoe ni1 nd
cinnamon bears den and had Weakened
up grizzly. But 1 shall let the grizzly
finish the tale. He probably sees more
humor in it than l.
| The camp stood in n little clearing
and consisted of a group of three long,
low shanties. with smaller shacks near
them, il built Of heavy, unhewn logs,
with door and window in each. The
grub camp, with cook shed attached
stood in the middle Of the clearing; at
little distance was the sleeping camp
with the Office built against it, and
about hundred yards away on the
other side Of the clearing stood the
stables and near them the smiddy. Tho
mountains rose grandly on every side,
throwing up their great peaks into
the sky. The clearing in which the
camp stood was hewn out of a dense
pine forest that filled the valley and
climbed half way up the mountain
sides and then frayed out in scattered
and stunted trees.
1t was one of those wonderful Cana
dian winter days, bright and with a
touch of sharpness in the air that did
not chill, but warmed the blood like
drafts of wine. The men We're up in
the woods, and the shrill scream of the
bluejay flashing across the open, the
impudent chatter Of the red squirrel
from the top of the grub camp and the
pert chirp of the whisky jack hopping
about on the rubbish heap, with the
long, lone cry of the wolf far down the
valley, only made the silence felt the
more.
AS l stood drinking in with all my
soul the glorious beauty and silence of
mountain and forest, with the Christ.
mas feeling stealing into me, Graeme
came out from his office and, catching
sight of me, called out, GLORIOUS
Christmas weather, old chap" and
then, coming nearer. "Must you go to-
morrow"
that the Christmas feeling was on him
too.
81 wish were going with you," he
said quietly.
turned eagerly to persuade him, bu
at the look of suffering in his face III,
words died on my lips. for we boil
were thinking of the awful night Of
horror when all his bright, brilian
life crashed down about him in blacl
ruin and shame. could only throw IN!
arm over his shoulder and stand silen
beside him. A sudden jingle of bells
reused him and, giving himself littl,
shake. he exclaimed:
There are the boys coming home"
Soon the camp was filed with mer
talking laughing. chatting, like light
hearted boys.
'"They are little wild tonight" said
Graeme, "and tomorrow they'll paint
Black Rock red"
Before many minutes had gone the
last teamster was washed up" and all
were standing about waiting impa
tiently for the cooks sgnal-the SUD
per tonight was to be something Of 9
feed"-when the sound of bells drew
their attention to light sleigh drawn
by a bucksliin broncho coming dowr
the hillside at great pace.
"The preacher, I'll bet, by his drlv
Ing" said one of the men.
"Bedad, and it's him has the font
nose for turkey" said Blaney, a goot
natured, jovial Irishman.
eyes, or for pay day, more like
said Keefe, black proved, vilainous
fellow countryman of Blaney's and
strange to say, his great friend
Big Sandy McNaughton, Canadian
highlander from Glengarry, rose up il
wrath. "Bill Keefe," said he, with de
liberate emphasis, you'll Just keel
your dirty tongue off the minister, and
as for your pay, it's little he sees o.
1t or any one else, except Mike Slavin
when you're too dry to wait for some
one to treat you, or perhaps Father
Ryan, when the fear of hell fire is OF
to you"
The men stood amazed at Sandy
sudden anger and length Of speech.
BON OATS good for you, my bull,
hn - cola Oh uripy al