Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-12-05

But Tn spite or the na1VeIe or the re. mark the woodsman had seen some thing in Thorpe he liked. Such men be- come rather expert in the reading of character. He revised his first fnten- ton to let the conversation drop.
 'I think NJ. & D. is rather full up just now" he remarked. 'Im walkin' boss over there. The roads is about all made, and roadmaking is what a greenhorn tackles first. They's more chance earlier in the year. But if the old fellow"-he strongly accent ed the first word-"hain't nothin' for you, just ask for Tim Shearer, an I'll try to put you on the trail for some jobber's camp"
 The three who had come into colli- sion with Jimmy and Bud were getting noisier They had produced stone jug and had collected the remainder of the passengers, with the exception of Shearer and Thorpe, and now were passing the jug rapidly from hand to hand. Soon they became musical, strik- ing up one of the wierd, long drawn out chants so popular with the shanty boy. Thorpe shrewdly guessed his companion to be man of some weight and did not hesitate to ascribe his inn munity from annoyance to the others presence.
 .'It's bad thing said the walking boss "I used to be at it myself, and know"
 "Bees'n Laker cried Jimmy fercely through the aperture of the door.
 You'll find the boardin' house just across over the track" said the woods man, holding out his hand. "So long, See you again if you don't find job with the old fellow. My names Shearer."
 Mine is Thorpe" replied the other. Thank you"
 Thorpe followed and found himself on the frozen platform of little dark railway station. Directly across the track from the railway station a sim gle building was pricked from the dark by solitary lamp in a lower story room. The four who had descended before Thorpe made over toward this light, stumbling and laughing uncer- tainly, so he knew 1t was probably the boarding house and prepared to follow them.
 The five were met at the steps by the proprietor of the boarding house. This man was short and stout, with, hare lip and cleft palate, which at once gave him the we'll known slurring speech of persons so afflicted and imparted also to the timbre of his voice a pectl- farlys hollow, resonant, trumpetlike note. He stumped about energetically on a wooden leg of home manufacture. It was cumbersome instrument, heavy, with deep pine socket for the stump and projecting brace which passed under aaleather belt around the mans waist This instrument he used with the dexterity of third hand. As Thorpe watched him he drove in pro- jecting nail, kicked two turkeys in side the open door and stuck the armed end of his peg leg through the top and bottom of the whisky jug that one of the new arrivals had set down near the door. The whisky promptly ran out At this the cripple f1irted the im- paled jug from the wooden leg far out over the rail of the veranda into the, snow.
 A growl went up.
 what n thunderS that Tor v snarl- ed one of the owners of the whisky threateningly.
 Don't allow no whisky nere,~ snun- ed the harelip.
 The men were very angry. They ad- vanced toward the cripple, who re- treated with astonishing agility to the lighted room. There he bent the wood en leg behind him, slipped the end of the brace from beneath the leather belt, seized the other peg end in his right hand and so became possessed of murderous bludgeon. This he brand ished, hopping at the same time back and forth in such perfect boise and yet with so 1udicrous an effect of popping corn that the men were surprised into laughing.
 Bully for you, peglegv' they cried.
 Rules an negotiations, boys" replied the latter, without, however, shade of compromising in his: tones. Had supperW