The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-01-04
'Injin Charleyy he cried. The very
mani"
CHAPTER LII.


without a word departed swiftly in the
darkness. The two white men stood
a minute attentive Nothing was to
be heard but the steady beat of rain
and the roaring of the wind.
Near the bank of the river they en-
countered a man, visible only as an
uncertain black outline against the
glow Of the lanterns beyond Thorpe,
stopping him, found Big JunkO-
This is no time TO quit" said
Thorpe. sharply.
Il amt quittin'," replied Big Junko.
Where are you going, then?"
Junko was partially and stammer-
ingly unrespOnsive.
Looks bad" commented Thorpe.
You'd better get back TO your job"
Yes" agreed JunkO, helplesSly. In
the momentary slack tide of work the
giant had conceived the idea of search
ing out the driver crew Tor purposes
of pugilistic vengeance. Thorpe's sus-
piciOns stung him, but his simple mind
could see no direct way of explanation.
All night long in the chill of a spring
rain and windstOrm the Fighting Forty
and certain of the mill crew gave them
selves to the labor of connecting the
slanting stone cribs so strongly, by
means of heavy tImbers chained end 10
end, that the pressure Of break in the
jam might not sweep aside the de-
lenses Wallace Carpenter, Shorty, the
choreboy, and Anderson, the barn
boss, picked a dangerous passage back
and forth carrying pals of red-hot cof-
fee, which Mrs. Hathaway constantly
prepared. The cold water numbed the
mems hands. With difficulty could
they manipulate the heavy chains
through the augur holes; with pain
they twisted knots, bored holes They
did not complain. Behind them the
iar he
bursting point From it shrieked aloud
the demons of pressure. Steadily the
river rose, an inch an hour. The key
might snap at any given mOment-they
could not tell-and with the rush they
knew very well that themselves, the
tug and the disabled pile driver would
be swept from existence. The worst
of it was that the bIackness shrOuded
their experience into useIessness; they
were utterly unable to tell by the or
binary visual symptoms how near the
jam might be to. collapse
However. they persisted. as the old
time riverman always does, so that
when dawn appeared the barrier was
continuous and assured Although the
pressure Of the river had already forced
the logs against the defenSes, the latter
held the strain well.
The storm had settled, into its gait.
Overhead the sky was filed with gray,
beneath which darker scuds few across
the zenith before a bowling southwest
wind. Out in the clear river one could
hardly stand upright against the gusts.
In the fan of many directions, furious
squalls swept over the open water be-
low the boOms, sand an eager boiling
current rushed to the lake.
Thorpe now gave orders that the tug
and driver should take shelter. A few
moments later he expressed himself as
satisfied The dripping crew, their
harsh faces grag in the half-light,
picked their way to the shore.
In the darkness Of that long nights
work no man knew his neighbor- Men
from the river, men from the mill. men
from the yard, all worked side by side.
Thus no one noticed especially a tall,
slender, but well knit individual,
dressed in faded mackinaw and a
limp SLOUGH hat, which he wore pulled
over his eyes. This young fellow Occu-
pied himself with the chains. Against
| the racing current the crew held the
ends of the heavy booms while ne fas-
tened them together. He worked we'll,
| but seemed slow. Three times Shearer
hustled him on after the others had
| finished examining closely the work
that had been done. On the third &C.
i casion he shrugged his shoulder some
what impatiently.
I ne men SNtdSSASNA ~ SAoAN tAAC
young fellow Just described bringing up
| the rear He walked as though tired
/ out, hanging his head and dragging his
| feet. When, however, the boarding
/ house door had closed on the last of
those who preceded him, and the town
| lay deserted in the dawn, he suddenly
became transformed. Casting a keen
glance right and left TO be sure of his
/ opportunity, he turned and hurried
recklessly back over the logs TO the
! center bOoms There he knelt and
\ busted himself with the chains.
In his zigzag progression over the
/ jam he so blended with the morning
/ shadows as to seem one of them, and
| he would have escaped quite unnoticed
had not sudden shifting of the legs
4 under mis- feet compelled him to rise
for a moment TO his full height. So
/ Wallace Carpenter, passing from his
bed room, along the porch, to the din
| ing room, became aware Of the man on
the logs.
His first thought was that something
demanding instant attention had hap
pened to the boom. He, therefore. ran
at once to the mans assistance, ready
to help him personally or TO call other
aid, as the exigency demanded. Owing
TO the precarious nature of the pass
age he could not see beyond his feet
until very close to the workman Then
he looked up, to find the man. squatted
on the boom, contemplating him sar-
donicaliy.
Dyer" he exclaimed.
Right my son" said the other,
ccelly
What are you doing?"
IF you want to know, 1 am filing
this chain"
Wallace made one step forward and
SO became aware that at last firearms
| were taking a part in this desperate
game
You stand STILL commanded Dyer
from behind the revolver Its IN
fortunate for you that you happened
! along because now you'll have TO come
with me till this little row is over You
won't have TO stay long; your logs
I 90 out in an hour. III just trouble
you to go into the brush with me fol
awhile"
The sealer picked his file from beside
the weakened link.
What have ycu against US, anyway
Dyer?" asked Wallace. His quick
mind had conceived a plan. At the
moment he was standing near the cut
ermost edge of the jam. but now as l:s
spoke he stepped quietly to the boon
log.
Dyer's black eyes cleaned at hin
suspiciously but the movement ap.
peared wholly natural in view of the
return to shore.
Nothing" he replied. II didn't Hk,
your gang particularly. but that's moth
ing
why do you take such nerv,
chances to in5ure us2" aueried Car.
because there's something in II