Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-06-01

road. In two minutes more one end
| of 1t had been rolled on the little fat
wooden sledge and, the other end drag
ging, it was winding majestically down
through the ancient forest.
When Molly and Fabian. had havOy-
ed the log to the skidway they drew
it with bump across the two parallel
skids and left it there to be rolled to
the top of the pile.
| Then Mike McGovern and Bob STRAIT
ton and Jim Gladys took charge of it.
Mike and Bob were running the cant
hooks, while Jim stood on top of the
great pile of logs already decked. A
slender, pliable steel chain like gray
snake ran over the top of the pile and
disappeared through pulley to an
| invisible horse-Jenny, the mate Of
Molly. Jim threw the end of this
chain down. Bob passed 1t over and
under the log and returned 1t to Jim,
who reached down after 1t with the
hook of his implement. Thus the
stick of timber rested in q long loop,
one end Of which led to the invisible
horse, and the other Jim made fast to
/ the top Of the pile. He did SO by jam
ming into another log the steel swamp
hook with which the chain was armed.
| When all was made fast the horse
started.
"She's bumper" said Bob. Look
out, Mike!''
The log slid to the foot of the two
| parallel poles laid slanting up the face
of the pile Then it trembled on the
ascent But one end stuck for an in
slant, and at once the log took on
dangerous slant. Quick as light Bob
and Mike sprang forward, gripped the
hooks Of the cant hooks like great
thumbs and forefngers, and, while one
held with all his power, the other
gave sharp twist upward. The log
Strengthened. 1t was a master feat OF
power and the knack Of applying
strength justly.
At the top Of the little incline the
| timber lowered for second.
Zone morer' sang out Jim to the
driver He poised, stepped lightly up
and over and avoided by the safe
hairbreadth being crushed when the
log rolled. But it did not lie quite
straight or even. So Mike cut short,
thick block and all three stirred the
heavy timber sufficiently to admit of
the billets insertion.
| Then the chain was thrown down for
another.
| Jenny, harnessed only to q short,
straight bar with hook In It, leaned
| to her collar and dug her hoofs at the
word Of command. The driver. close
to her tail, held fast the slender steel
chain Of an ingenious bitch about the
ever useful swamp hook. When Jim
shouted "Whoa!' from the top of the
skidway the driver did not trouble to
| stop the horse; he merely let go the
hook So the power was shut of sud-
denly, as is meet and proper in such
ticklish business. he turned and walk
ed back, and Jenny, like dog, without
the necessity Of command, followed
him in slow patience.
Now came Dyer, scaler, rapidly
down the logging road, small, Slender
man with little, turned up mustache.
The men disliked him because Of his
affectation of city smartness and be-
cause he never ate with them, even
when there was plenty of room. The
scaler's duty at present was to measure
the diameter Of the logs in each skid
way and so compute the number OF
board feet. At the Office he tended van,
kept the books and looked after sup
plies
He approached the skidway rapidly.
laid his flexible rule across the face
OF each log. made mark on his pine
tablets in the column to which the log
belonged, thrust the tablet in the peck
ct of his coat, seized blue crayon, in
long holder, with which he made an
as indication that the log had been
scaled. and finally tapped several
times strongly with a sledge hammer.
On the face Of the hammer in relief
was an n inside Of delta. This was
the company's brand, and so the log
was branded as belonging to them. He
ewarmed 0T,er the skidway. rapid ana
absorbed, in strange activity to the
slower power of the actual skidding.
In a moment he moved on to the next
scene Of operations without having
said word to any Of the men.
"a fine ting" said Mike, splitting.
So day after day the work went on.
Railway spent his time tramping
through the woods, figuring on new
work. showing the men bow to do
things better or differently, discussing
minute expedients with the blacksmith,
the carpenter, the cook.
He was not without his troubles.
First he had not enough men. the snow
lacked and then came too abundantly.
horses fell sick of collie or calked
themselves, supplies ran low unexpect-
eddy, trees turned out punk" a GER
tain bit of ground proved soft for ira
vcying, and 80 on. AT election time. OF
course, number Of the men went
out.
And one evening, two days after cleo
ton time, another and important char
acter entered the North woods and |
(To Be Continued)
Was Wasting Away.
U,ho fo1lou,ipu laffar from Robert r |