Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-12-11

sters played seven up in the cook camp by the light of barn lantern, while l Thorpe and the cook wrote letters ] Thorpe's was to his sister.
 1T have been in the hospital for l about month," he wrote. Nothing serious-a crack on the head, which is all right now. But I cannot get home l this summer, nor, am afraid, can we arrange about the school this year am about $T0 ahead of where l was last fall so you see 1t is slow business. | This summer I am going into mill, but the wages for green labor are not l very high there either" and so on. l When Miss Helen Thorpe, aged sev- l enteen, received this document she | stamped her foot almost angrily. 1 You'd think he was a day laborerp' l she cried. "Why doesn't he try for l clerkship or something in the city where he'd have chance to use his brains?"
 | And thus she came to feeling rebel 1 liously that her brother had been lit 1 tie selfish in his choice of an occupa- | tion; that he had sacrificed her inclina- l tions to his own.
 After finishing the letter Thorpe lit l his pipe and strolled out into the dark ness. Opposite the little office he stopped amazed.
 Through the narrow window he could see Radway seated in front of the l stove. He had sunk down into his 1 chair until he rested on almost the small of his back his legs were stuck straight out in front of him, his chin rested on his breast, and his two arms hung listless at his side, pipe half l falling from the fingers of one hand. All the facetious lines had turned to l pathos.
 I Whats the matter with the boss, anyway asked Thorpe in low voice l of Jackson Hines when the seven up game was finished.
 'tHain't ye heard? inquired the old man in surprise.
 Why, no WhatY Busted" said the old men senten- l tiously.
 How? What do you mean?" What I say. He's busted. That freshet caught him too quick. They's more than million and a half logs left in the woods that can't be got out this year, and as his contract calls for finished job he don't get nothin' for what he's done"
 That's a queer rig" commented Thorpe. sHes done lot of valuable 1 work here. The tlmber's cut and skid ded anyway, and he's delivered good deal of it to the main drive. The M & D. outfit get all the advantage of that"
 They do, my son. When old Daly's hand gets near anything it cramps. I don't know how the old man come to make such contrac', but he did. Re- suit is he's out his expenses and time" The exceptionally early break up of the spring, combined with the fact that owing to the series of incidents and accidents already sketched the ac- tual cutting and skidding had fallen so far behind, caught Railway unawares. He saw the rollways breaking out while his teams were still hauling in the woods. Tn order to deliver to the mouth of the Cass branch the 100000 already banked he was forced to drop everything else and attend strictly to the drive. This left still, as has been stated, million and half on skid ways, which Radway knew he would be unable to get out that year.
 In spite of the Jobber's certainty that his claim was tnus annulled and that he might as we'll abandon the enter prise entirely for all he would ever get out of it, he finished the drive con sc1entiously and saved to the company tBe logs already banked. Then he had interviewed naly. The latter refused to bay him one cent
 Tle next day Radway and Thorpe walked the ten miles of the river trail together, while the teamsters and the cook drove down the five teams. Un- der the influence of the solitude and certain sympathy which Thorpe mani fested Radway talked-a very little.
 II got behind; that's all there is to it." he said q bit off more than I could chew.'
 Thorpe noticed a break in the mans him, was astounded to catch his eyes brimming with tears. Radway per ceived the surprise.
 You know when left Christmas7'' he asked
 "Yes."
 "The boys thought 1t was mighty poor rig-my leaving that way.'
 He paused again in evident expecta- ton of reply. Again Thorpe was si- lent.
 Didn't they?" Radway insisted
 "Yes, they did" answered Thorpe.
 The older man sighed. T thought SOL he went on. "Well, I didn't go to spend Christmas. went because Jim my brought me telegram that Lida was sick with diphtheria. I sat up nights with her for eleven days
 "No bad after effects, I hope?'' in qufred Thorpe.
 ''she died" said Railway simply.
 fro BE CONTINUED.