Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-12-31
CHAPTER xXXI.

CHAPTER XXI.
 a%ATlALLACE CARPENTER and
 RkIn Hamilton, the journalist, seat AV1 ed against the sun warmed
 bench of Mrs. Hathaway s boarding house, commented on the band as it stumbled into the wash room. Their conversation was inter rupted by the approach of Thorpe and Big Junko. The former looked twenty years older after his winter. His eye was dull, his shoulders dropped, his gait was inelastic. The whole bearing of the man was that of one weary to the bone.
 t'I've got something here to show you, Harryr' cried Wallace Carpenter, waving a newspaper. ''It was a great drive, and here's something to remem- Der it by."
 "All right, Wallace, by and by" re- piled Thorpe duly. 'sI'm dead. I'm going to turn in for awhile. I need sleep more than anything else"
 He passed through the little passage into the ''parlor bedroom" which Mrs. Hathaway always kept in readiness for members of the firm. There he fell heavily asleep almost before his body had met the bed.
 Tn the long dining room the river men consumed belated dinner. They had no comments to make. It was over.
 The two on the veranda smoked. To the right, at the end of the sawdust street, the mill sang it's varying and 1ulling keys. The odor of fresh sawed pine perfumed the air. Not hundred yards away the river slipped silently to the distant blue Superior, escaping between the slanting stone filled cribs which held back the logs. Down the south and west the huge thunder heads gathered and flashed and grumbled, as they had done every afternoon for days.
 Queer thing,' commented Hamilton finally, ''these cold streaks in the air. They are just as distinct as though they had partitions around them"
 Queer climate anyway" agreed Car penter.
 little settlement appeared asleep. The main booms were quite deserted. Aft or awhile Hamilton noticed something. Look here, Carpenter" said he. Whats happening out there? Have some of your confounded logs sunk, or what? There don't seem to be near so many of them somehow"
 "No; it isn't that" proffered Carpen- ter after a moments scrutiny "There are just as many logs, but they are getting separated a little so you can see the open water between them"
 Guess you're right. Say, look here, I believe that the river is rising"
 Nonsense! We haven't had any rain."
 She's rising just the same. You see that spile over there near the left hand crib? We'll, I sat on the boom this morning watching the crew, and I whittled the spile with my knife. You can see the marks from here. I cut the thing about two feet above the water. Look at it now"
 She's pretty near the water line, that's right admitted Carpenter About an hour later the younger man in his turn made a discovery.
 She's been rising right along,' he, submitted. "Your marks are nearer the water, and. do you know, I believe the logs are beginning to feel it. See, they've closed up the little openings between them. and they are beginning to crowd down to the lower end of the pond."
 Il don't know anything about this business" hazarded the journalist, but l should think there was a good deal of pressure on that same lower end. By love, look here! See those logs up-end. l believe you're going to have a jam right here in your own booms."
 II don't know" hesitated Wallace. 'I never heard of it's happening" You'd better let some one know" II hate to bother Harry or any of the river men. I'll just step down to the mill. Mason-he's our mill fore man-he'll know" Mason came to the edge of the high trestle and took one look
 Jumping fishhooksr' he cried. "Why, the rivers up six inches and still a-comin'! Here you, Tomv' he called to one of the yard hands. You tell Solly to get steam on that tug dou- ble quick and have Dave hustle to- gether his driver crewv'
 What are you going to do?" asked Wallace.
 T got to strengthen the booms," ex- plained the mill foreman. "We'll drive some niles 4so o-ita ;,
 "