The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-10-05

= {. x - T. Z 8
Thorpe found himself waist deep In
the pitchy aromatis top of an old
bul1-sap, clipping away at the project
ing branches. After a time he heard
Paul's gray halloo
'Tinlibre!' came the cry. and then
the -sh-sh,-crash! Of the trees
fall
Thorpe knew that now either Hank
or Tom must be climbing with the
long measuring pole along the pros
trate trunk. marking by means OF
shallow-ax-clips where the saw was
to divide the logs. Then Tom shouted
& something unintelligible. The other
men seemed to understand. however.
for they dropped their work. and ran
hastily in the direction of the voice.
Thorpe, after a moments indecision,
did the same. He arrived to find
Il group about a PROSTATE man. The
man was Paul.
Two Of the older woodsmen. kneel-5
ing. were conducting cody hasty ex-
animation. At the front every man
is more or less of a surgeon.
Us he hurt badiy?' asked Thorpe:
what is it?''
Hes dead answered one OF the
other men. soberly.
With the skill of chastity practice
some OF them wove a litter on which
the body was placed Tho pathetic lit
tie procession moved in the solemn,
inscrutable forest.
When the tree had fallen 1t had
crashed through the top of another.
leaving suspended in the branches of
It the latter a long. heavy limb. "A slight
breeze dislodged it. Paul was INHALED
as by a javel:n. This is the chief of
the msry perils Of the woods.
Thatsevening the camp was unusual
ly quiet. Taller. let his fiddle hang.
After supper Thorpe was approached
by Purdv. the reptilan red-head with
whom he had the row some evenings
before
you in. chummy?" he asked in a
quiet voice. It's a five apiece for
Hanks woman.
Yes. said Thorpe.
The men We're earning from twenty
to thirty dollars a week. They had
most of them. never seen Hank Paul
bIfore 'tl:ss autumn. He had noe.
mainly because of his modest DISPOSE
ton. enjoyed any extraordinary de-
gree of popularity. Yet these stran-
,
K gave up the proceeds of a weeks
hard work. and that without expect
ing the slightest personal credit. The
money Was sent from the boys
Thorpe later read a heart-broken let,
ter to the unknown benefactorS. 1t
touched him deeply. and he suspected
the other men of the same emotions.
but by that time they had reSained
the independent self-contained polse
of the frontiersman. They read it
with unmoved faces, and tossed 1t
aside with Il more than ordinarily
rough joke or oath. Thorpe under
stood their reticence. It was part
of his own nature He felt more than
ever akin to these men.
As swamper he had more or less to
do with a cant-hook in help
in the teamsters roll the end
of the log on the little ''dray.'' He
soon caught the knack. Towards
Christmas he had become a fairly
efficient caht-llock man, and was
helping roll the great sticks Of timber
I'D the slanting skids. Thus always
intelligence counts, especially that
rare intelligence which resolves into
the analytical and the minutely OBJ
serving.
He was getting Just the experience
and the knowledge he needed; but
that was about all. His wages We're
TWENTY-FIVE dollars a month. winch
his van bill would reduce to the dou-
bic eagle. At the end Of the winter
he would have but little over
hundred dollars to show for his sea-
sons work, and this could mean at
most only fifty 3douers for Helen.
But the future was his. He saw now
more plainly what he had dimly per
ceived before. that for the man VINO
buys timber, and logs 1t well, sure
future IS waiting. And in this camp
he was. beginning to learn from iaii-
IRE the conditions of success