The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1904-02-25

been cut yet"
So they sent deiega ton to Radway.
Big Nolan was the spokesman.
Boss" said he bluntly. "she's too
cold to work on them plains today.
She's the coolest day we had"
Radway was too old hand at the
business to make any promises on the
spot.
"Ill see. boys" said be.
When the breakfast was over the
crew were sent to making skidways
and travoying roads on "eight." This
was a precedent In time the work OH
the plains was grumblingly done In any
weather. However as TO this Radway
proved Arm enough. Hc was good
fighter when he knew he was being Inn
posed upon.
And as the days slipped by he tight
ened the reins. Christmas was ap-
preaching. An easy mathematical com
putation reduced the question Of COM
pleting his contrac, with Morrison &
Daily to n certain weekly quota. In
fact. he was surprised Mt the size of It.
He would have to work diligently and
steadily during the rest of the winter.
Having thus definite task to ac-
complish In n definite number Of days,
Radway grew to be more Of task
master Thus he rcgair,ed to a small
degree the respect of his men. Then he
lost it again.
One morning he came in from a talk
with the supply teamster and woke
Dyer, who was not up yet.
I'm going down home for two or
three weeks he announced TO Dyer.
You know my address. You'll have 10
:ake charge. and | guess you'd better
let the scaling go. We can get the tally
at the banking grounds when we begin
to haul. Now, We amt got all the time
there is. SO you want to keep the boys
at it pretty WELL
Dyer twisted the little points of his
mustachc "All right. SIR" said he.
with his smile so inscrutably insolent
that Radway never saw the insolence
at all. He thought this poor year for
man in Railways position to spend
Christmas with his family. but 1t was
none of his business.
''Do as much as you can in the marsh,
Dyer" went on the jobber 81 don't
believe it's really necessary to lay of
any more there on account of the
weather"
"All right" repeated Dyer.
The scaler did what he considered
his duty. All day long he tramped
back and forth from one gang of men
to the other, keeping sharp eye on
the details of the work. His practical
experience was sufficient to solve readi-
ly such problems as broken tackle. ex-
ira expedients or facility which the
days brought forth. The fact that In
him was vested the power to discharge
kept the men at work.
Dyer was In the habit of starting for
the marsh an hour or so after sunrise.
The crew. of course. were at work by
daylight. Dyer heard them often
through his doze, just as he heard the
chore boy come in to build the fire and
fill the water pail afresh. After
time the fire, built of kerosene and
pitchy black pine, would get so hot
that in self defense he would arise and
dress. Then he would breakfast lei
surely.
Thus he incurred the enmity of the
cook and cookee. Those individuals
have to prepare food three times day
for half hundred eaters. besides
which Oh sleigh haul they are sup
posed to serve breakfast at 3 o'clock
for the leaders and variety of lunches
up to midnight for the sprinkler men.
As consequence they resent infrac.
tions of the little system they may
have been able to introduce.
Now, the business Of foreman is to
be up as soon as anybody. He does
none OF the work himself, but he must
see that somebody else does it and does
it well. lie must know how thing
ought to be done, and he must be on
hand Unexpectedly to see how Its ac-
complishment is progressing. Dyer
should have been out of bed at first
horn blow.
One morning he slept until nearly 10
o'clock. 1t was inexplicable! He hur-
ried from his bunk, made hasty toilet
and started for the dining room to get
some sort of lunch to do him until
dinner time. AS he stepped from the
door Of the Office he caught sight of
two men hurrying from the cook camp
to the mems camp. He thought he
heard the hum of conversation in the
latter building. The cookee set shot
coffee before him. For the rest he
took what he could find cold on the ia
BILE.
Dyer sat down, feeling for the first
time little guilty. This was not be-
cause Of sense of dereliction I'm du-
ty, but because he feared the strong
mans contempt for inefficiency.
II sort of pounded my ear q little
long this morning." he remarked. with
an unwonted air Of bonhomie.
The cook creased his paper with one
hand and went on reading.
II suppose the men got out to the
marsh on time." suggested Dyer. still
easily.
The cook laid aside his paper and
looked the scaler in the eye.
You're the foreman; I'm the cook"
said he. "You ought to know"
Dyer was no weakling. The prob.
lem presenting. he rose to the emergen-
cy. Without another word he pushed
back his coffee cup and crossed the
narrow, open passage to the mems
camp.
When he opened the door q silence