New-York tribune., 1904-08-12
DOING THEIR BEST.
True Tales Of LmmberiHg on the
JVest Branch Drgce.

q-tzE rENoBsCoT NAN. BY Fannie Hardy Eek
-2uo pp. ssS- Houghton NiHiin & Co
These little stor1es. t-as ones. With the reA-
names OF the persons concerned frankly gwen
,.ves. the .ifs and romance OF the Maine woods
--aot the romance OF love, hut the romance OF
adventure and OF human character. The tales
ere AL OF men, the Penobscot lumbeTmen VINO
syioted the logs or the West Branch drive, IN the
DAYS OF John Ross. before the company" the
great soulless corporation, strung telephone
wires aicng the river banks and introduced
other modern and disconcer1ing improvements
Diverse =, race Yankees. Frenchmen, Irishmer-
Traiauf Province men, they were al one IN
their classification with the river and their de-
voiion 70 - service and ideals I'm Fehoo-
scot. nor OF" or from" but I'm Penooscot'
ons their method OF referring 70 themselves
the guinea stamp OF their worth and the guaran-
Ice Of thelr genuineness, and few there were
wno failed 10 ring true when put TO The test
-hem i might be said. owen Wister wrote
OF the cowboys OF the Western plains In their
aesl our natural passions ran tumultuous; but
In their spirit sat hidden true noblhty' and
often beneath its unexpected shining their ns-
ures took on heroic stature"
Among such men the author was brought up,
.na the tales she has selected TO set forth the
su,lst IN which they lived and worked and died
were told to her by those who performed the
deeds recorded or by those who were partici-
pants or eye witnesses OF them. She says:
Each story is not merely personal and solitary
hut nl9strates typicaLy some tEaiS OF the; the Whole
are not denied; in black and white. for good or
selves would prefer TO stand on record
When the book Is finished we begin to under
ezznd how Il is that State like Maine. sparse
y settled. poor, weak in ali external aids. has
been able 60 send forth such throngs OF master
ful men who. East and West, have steppeE 10
The front. Two dominant characteristics marked
their devotion 70 work FOR the works sake. and
pzi6e IN accomplishment This is the way
Penobscot man. an English Indian. Tobque
bred, described the spirit that animated The
drive In the ola days:
n was hard and dangerous. but We did il be
cause we liked It It's whole lot OF fun 10
INTO a bad place where you just know you can
sef 70 iiking III You get TO wanting il when the
year comes round. We always went on the drive
men on the logs and all trying TO get them along
sae oeat eaoh othef, ana al az haElhg gooa time
moneys worth. There was all those logs 10 he
1s to s % G he aa Il he 0S 0Sud Hf od In oso
days did the best he could.
And the pride OF them! When Big Sebattls
Mitchell and his bowman ran the Sowadnehun,
Falls. they waited until the two other boats
crews had carried their heavy two-streakers
forty rods across the portage. and were resting
at the lower end OF the carry. Thus they made
sure Of a full house OF spectators-and wit
nesses. And when the daredevil deed was
oomplished in safety, then without word the
twelve men put their CALLED shoulders under the
gunwales OF their batteaux, and started back
20 the upper end OF the carry. What for?'
asks the author. And thus she answers the
question: 1t was that in his own esteem a
Penobscot man viii not stand second to any
other man" Both boats were wrecked and one
man was drowned. But they went over II
too bad about the boats. That was the
part Of the tale that ranked with Sebattis when
be used TO tell #.
Berry much she blame 81 as (that is himself,
mat Time John Loss always 10 the Indian
mind John Ross, the head contractor OF the drive,
was the power that commanded wind logs and
Heather.l She don't much cause dToUned
Il man cause she can get blenty Of il men; but
Hose ere boats she talk bout berry hard