The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-10-12
CHAPTER WI

CHAPTER VIZ
Railway returned to camp by tho sixth Of January
He went on snowshoes over the entire job and the
silently in the office smoking. The jobber locke
older The lines OF dry good humor about his eyes ha
ruhty changed to an expression OF pathetic anxiet,
He attached no blame to anybody but rose the neg
morning at horn-bow, the found that the
had a master. them
for hauling All winter the blacksmith had occupie
his time In fitting the iTon-work on eight os.sleist
which the carpenter had hewed from ron, solid sticks
six feet apart hunks nine feet in width for tn
reception o. 'esIhe had aso e en IN
barrels OF water. and with holes so arranged that o
entire width Of the n roaa The sprniiers were n,e
by horse power A chain running through blocks al
befry Of an Italian monastery. dragged barrel up
wooden track from water hole to an opening in Il,
weigher nearly and resembled a movin
house. Other had felled two big hemlocks fror
which they had hewed beams for plow.
i. down the road each pair superintendent by a driver
LAID across the arms. Men guided It by levers an
BY throwine their weight against the fans Of tn
the spirit winter-te ploddng. straning horses
10 .sr s e ss arnss
commands To right and left grew white banks Q
scant inch hid the bare earth.
For some distance the way led along comparatvel,
plunged into deep creek bottom between hills Here
earlier in the eleven bridges had been constructs
oorduroyed BY earpeng them With long paralle
poles. Now the first difficulty heran.
Some OF the bridges had sunk below the level and the
approaches had to be corduroycd practicable grade
Others again bumped up like and had II
Gtll. that OF thing was to be expected gang Of
who followed the plow carried and cant-hooks
the purpose repairing suck
defects which would have been discovered other
wise than by the practical experience Railway him
SELF accompanied the plow. Thorpe who went along
as ono OF the road monkeys,' why such care
had been required OF him in smoothing the way OF
stubs, knots and humnoclks.
When the road had been partly cleaned Railway start
"a one OF his sprlnkers water holes OF suitable size
the machines filled Straton attached his horse
barrel up and the slideway At the bottom it
capslzed and filled by means of long pole shacled to
Its bottom and manipulated by old Heath. At the
top It turned by its weight Thus seventy odd
horses ore" the creek'ns, cumnrous Vehlclc spouun
down the road Water gushed in fans from the open
ings either side and beneath ard in streams from
holes behind Not for instant as long the
continued dared the teamsters breathe their horses
at either end obviated the necessity OF turning
around.
aided by shift OF wind.
.'she's goin' to RAIN said old Jackson. The air
.Ilolow?" said Thorpe laughing is that?'
II dom no., confessed Hines. hut she is She Just
In the morning the ccles dripped from the roof
the snow became pock-marSed on the SURFACE.
Railway down looking at the
holdn her own said he but there amt any use
putting more water on her. She amt freezing mite.
Wen pillow her out
they finished the Job and powed her leaving
posed the marshy surface Of tic creek bottom on
which at night thin formed
She'll freeze little Tonight said Railway hopeful-
ly You sprinkler boys get at her and wet her down
Until o'clock In the morning the four the
six creaked back and forth splitting
Then they in and ate seepy the food that
Q Sleepy cookee set out for them.
By morning the surface of the sprinked water had
uoh ha he he
The out. Nu-hatcl1es and wood-peckers ran
dumed and pered and screamed in the hardwood tops
A OF grouse ventured from the
vainy, pause Of contemplation between step
Railway walking on the t1amped road of the marsh
cracked the artificial skin and thrust his foot through
into icy That night sprinllers stayed In
The deyi seemed in 1T. Mon were lying Idle: teams
doing the same. Nothing but the days
year. and four OF them had already of
calendar. The deep Of the unusually cold autumn
had disappeared from the tops Of the stumps It
stopped freezing during the night At times Overs
Mt:le thermometer marked as high forty degrees
Il often heard this was sort'v summer resort OBJ
served Tom Broadhead but DANCED If knew it was
summer resort all the year round "
BY and by It got to be case Of looking the bright
side OF the affair from pure reaction.
II don't known. said Railway, at won't be SO bad az
ter ALL couple OF days Of zero weather. with all this
shape If she only freezes tight Wen have good solid
bottom to build on.
The nscrutablc goddess Of the wilderness smiled and
eamly. reentlessly, moved her next pawn.
1t all 50 unutterably simple. and yet effective.
1t showed.
All night and eli day the great flakes sszassed softly
Of it. The surface wac promptly covered BY second
storm. Railway doegedy ploughed it out again.
This time the goddess seemed to relent. The ground
froze solid Tho sprinklers became assduous
labor Two days later the road ready the
sleigh its surface OF thick CLASSY beautiful
hold the rs cut deep and true the glades sanded
sprinkied with retardine hay on the sdescents At the
river the banking ground solid Railway
ed again. then sighed. Spring eight days nearer
He was eight days behinds
AS soon as loading began the cook served breakfast at
o'clock The worked by the light torches which
were often merely catsup jugs with wickns necks
zee ear~- 80