The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1904-11-23
CHAPTER w.

CHAPTER w.
THOR five days Thorpe cut wood,
made fires, drew water, swept
floors and ran errands. At the
end Of the week he received 81
from his employer, dumped his va
lise into low bobsleigh driven by a
man muffled in a fur coat, assisted in
loading the sleigh with a variety of
things, from Spearhead plug to raisins,
and turned his face at last toward the
land of his hopes and desires.
The long drive to camp was at once
delight and misery to him. First his
feet became numb, then his hands, then
his nose was nipped, and finally his
warm clothes were lifted from him by
invisible hands, and he was left naked
to shivers and tremblings. He found it
torture to sit still on the top of the bale
of hay, and yet he could not bear to
contemplate the cold shock of jumping
from the sleigh to the ground. The
driver pulled up to breathe his horses
at the top of hill.
You're dressed pretty light" he ad-
vised. Better hoof it ways and get
warm"
The words tipped the balance of
Thorpe's decision He descended stiff1y,
conscious of disagreeable shock from
six inch jump.
In ten minutes the wallowing, slip
ping and Ieaping after the tail Of the
sled had sent his blood tingling to the
last of his protesting members. Cold
withdrew.
After little while they arrived by
way of hill, over which they plunged
into the middle of the camp. Thorpe
saw three large buildings, backed end
to end, and two smaller ones, all built
of heavy logs, rooted with plank and
lighted sparsely through one or two
windows apiece. The driver pulled up
opposite the space between two larger
buildings and began to unload his pro-
visions. Thorpe set about aiding him
and so found himself for the first time
in "cook camp"
1t was a commodious building. One
end furnished space for two cooking
ranges and two hunks placed one over
the other. Along one side ran broad
table shelf, with other shelves over 1t
and numerous barrels underneath, all
filed with cans, loaves Of bread, cook
les and pies. The center was occupied
by four long bench fianked tables, down
whose middle struggled utensils con-
tanning sugar, apple butter, condiments
and sauces and whose edges were set
with tin dishes for about forty men.
The cook, rather thin faced man
with mrstache, directed where the
provisions were to be slowed, and the
"cookee," a hulking youth, assisted
Thorpe and the driver to carry them in.
In few moments the task was fin
ished, with the exception of half doz-
en- other cases, which the driver desig-
mated as for the evan" The horses
were unhitched and stabbed in the
third of the big log buildings. The
driver indicated the second.
Better go into the mems camp and
sit down till tn boss gets in," he adj
vised.
Thorpe entered a dim, overheated
structure lined on two sides by a dou-
BILE tier of large hunks partftioned
from one another like cabins of a boat
and centered by huge stove over
which hung slender poles. The latter
were to dry clothes on. Just outside
the hunks ran straight, hard bench.
Thorpe stood at the entrance trying to
accustom his eyes to the dimness.
''Set down." said voice, ION tn floor
If you want to, but I'd prefer tn dea-
con seat"
Thorpe obediantly took position on
the bench, or deacon seat" His eyes,
more used to the light, could make out
thin, tall, bent old man. with bare
Uranium, two visible teeth and a three
days stubble Of white beard over his
meager, twisted face.
He caught, perhaps, Thorpe's surpris-
ed expression.
''You think tn old mans no good, do
your" he cackled without the slightest
malice. Looks is deceivin'." He
sprang up swiftly, seized the toe of his
right foot in his left hand and jumped
his left foot through the loop thus
formed. Then he sat down again and
laughed at Thorpe's establishment.
''Old Jackson's still purity smart"
said he. "Im barn boss. They amt
man in tn country knows as much
about bosses as l do. We amt had
but two sick this fall, an between you
an me they's skate lot You're a.
greenhorn. amt your"