Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-12-09

&mw& DeSlu OH SeCliOn lt, WHICH lay two miles to the east. Tn that direction the character of the country changed somewhat.
 The pine there grew thick on isolated islands" of not more than an acre or so in extent-little knolls rising from the level of marsh. In ordinary con ditions nothing would have been easier than to have plowed roads across the frozen surface of this marsh. The pe- culiar state of the weather interposed tremendous difficulties.
 The early part of autumn had been characterized by heavy snowfall inn mediately after a series of mild days. A warm blanket of some thickness thus overlaid the earth, effectually pre- venting the freezing which subsequent cold weather would have caused. All the season Radway had contended with this condition. Even in the woods, muddy swamp and spring holes caused endless difficulty and necessitated a great deal of ''corduroying," or the lay ing of poles side by side to form an artificial bottom. Here in the open some six inches of water and unlimit- ed mud awaited the first horse that should break through the layer of snow and thin ice. Between each pair of is- lands a road had to be .tramped"
 Thorpe and the rest were put at this disagreeable job. All day long they had to walk mechanically back and forth on diagonals between the marks set by Railway with his snowshoes. Early in the morning their feet were wet by icy water, for even the light weight of man sometimes broke the frozen skin of the marsh. By night a road of trampled snow of greater, or less strength was marked out across the expanse. Thus the blanket was thrown back from the warm earth, and thus the cold was given chance at the water beneath. In day pr so the road would bear a horse. A bridge of ice had been artifcially constructed, on either side of which lay unsounded depths. This road was indicated by a row of frs stuck in the snow on either side.
 It was very cold. All day long the restless wind swept across the shiver- ing surface of the plains and tore around the corners of the islands. The big woods are as good as an overcoat. The overcoat had been taken away.
 When the lunch sleigh arrived the men huddled shivering in the lee of one of the knolls and tried to eat with benumbed fingers before fire that was but a nockery. Often ittWas near ly dark before their work warmed them again. All of the sideways had to be placed on the edges of the is- lands themselves, and the logs had to be travoyed over the steep little knolls. A single misstep out on to the plain meant a mired horse Three times heavy snows obliterated the roads, so that they had to be plowed out before the men could go to work again. It was a struggle.
 Railway was evidently worried. He often paused before a gang to inquire how they were making it." He seem ed afraid they might wish to quit, which was indeed the case, but he should never have taken before them any attitude but that of absolute con fldence in their intentions. His anx- iety was natural, however. He re alized the absolute necessity of skid ding and hauling this job before the heavy choking snows of the latter part of January should make it impossible to keep the roads open. So insistent was this necessity that he had seized the first respite in the phenomenal snowfall of the early autumn to begin work The cutting in the woods could wait.
 Left to themselves, probably the men would never have dreamed of objecting to whatever privations the task. car ried with it. Railways anxiety for their comfort, however, caused them finally to imagine that perhaps they, might have some just grounds for com plaint after all. That is a great trait of the lumber jack.
 But Dyer, the scaler, finally caused the outbreak. Dyer was an efficient enough man in his way, but he loved his own ease. His habit was to stay in his bunk of mornings until well after daylight To this there could be no objection except on the part of the cook, who was supposed to attend to his business himself, for the scaler was active in his work when once he began it and could keep up with the skidding. But now he displayed q strong antipa- thy to the north wind on the plains.
 T don't pose for no tough son of a gun!'' said he to Radway. "And I've got some respect for my ears and feet. She'll warm up a little by tomorrow, and perhaps the wind Fl die. can catch up to you fellows by hustling a little, so guess I'll stay in and work on the books today.''
 "All right,' Radway assented, a lit tlc doubtfully.
 This happened perhaps two days out of the week Finally Dyer hung out thermometer, which he used to consult. The men saw 1t and consulted it too. At once they felt much colder.
 "She was stan 10 below" sputtered Baptiste Teller, the Frenchman who