Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-12-14

waved his pipe, calling attenIlOn to the pine and rawhide deadfalls.
 They chatted few moments. Then two wagons creaked lurching by, fol lowed by fifteen or twenty men. The last of these, evidently the foreman, was joined by the two scalers.
 Injun Charley was setting about the splitting of a cedar log.
 You see," he remarked. 'T big frien'"
 Tn the days that followed Thorpe cruised about the great woods. It was slow business, but fascinating. He knew that when he should embark on his attempt to enlist considerable cap- ital in an ''unsight, unseen invest ment he would have to be we'll sup piled with statistics.
 First of all he walked over the coun-. try at large to find where the best tim Der lay. This was a matter of tramp ing, though often on an elevation he succeeded in climbing a tall tree whence he caught birdseye views of the country at large. He always car K ried his gun with him and was pre- pared at moments notice to seem en- gagged in hunting.
 Next heeascertained the geographical location of the different clumps and forests, entering the sections, the quar- ter sections, even the separate forties, in his notebook, taking in only the ''de- scriptions" containing the best pine.
 Finally he wrote accurate notes con corning the topography of each and every pine distrfct-the lay of the land, the hills, ravines, swamps and valleys, the distance from the river, the char acter of the soil. In short, he accumu- lated all the information he could by which the cost of logging might be es- timated.
 For this he had really too little ex- perience. He knew it, but determined to do his best. The weak point of his whole scheme lay in that it was going to be impossible for him to allow the prospective purchaser chance to ex anime the pine. That difficulty Thorpe hoped to overcome by inspiring per sonal confidence in himself. If he failed to do so he might return with a land locker whom the investor trusted, and the two could re-enacf the comedy of this summer Thorpe hoped, how ever, to avoid the necessity. He set about rough estimate of the timber
 One evening just at sunset Thorpe was helping the Indian shape his craft. The two men bent there at their task, the dull glow of evening falling upon them. Behind them the knoll stood out in picturesque relief against the darker pines. The river rushed by with a never ending roar and turmoil Through its shouting one perceived, as through a mist, the still lofty peace of evening.
 A young fellow, hardly more than a boy, exclaimed with keen delight of the picturesque as his canoe shot around the bend into sight of it.
 The canoe was large and powerful, but well filled. An Indian knelt in the stern Amidships was we'll laden with duff1e of all descriptions. The young fellow sat in the bow. He was bright faced, eager eyed, curly haired young fellow, all enthusiasm and fire. His figure was trim and clean, but rather slender, and his movements were quick, but nervous. When he stepped carefully out, on the flat rock to which his guide brought the canoe with a swirl of the paddle one initiat- ed would have seen that his clothes, while strong and serviceable, had been bought from sporting catalogue. '.This is good place." he said to the guide. ..We'll camp here Then he turned up the steep bank without look | ing back.
 '.Hellop' he called in cheerful, un- embarrassed fashion to Thorpe and l Charley. "How are you? Care if l camp here? What you making? By love! I never saw canoe made be- fore I'm going to watch you. Keep right at it."
 He sat on one of the outcropping powders and took off his hat.
 Say. you've got great place here! You here all summer? Hello! You've got a deer hanging up. Are there many of lem around here? I'd like to kill deer first rate. never have. It's sort of out of season now, isn't it?"
 we only kill the bucks" replied Thorpe.
 q like fishing too,'' went on the boy. Are there any here? Tn the pool?