Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-03-19

5oouoy W lis aCCenQant. lie TOOK TWO
days OF trampfng the little town to re-
gain the use OF his legs and boarded
the morning train for Beeson, Lake. He
dld not pause in the village. but bent
his steps to the river trail.
he followed the trail by the river,
Butterballs and scoters padded up at
his approach. Bits Of rotten ice occa-
s1onally swirled down the diminishing
stream. Around every bend Thorpe
looked for some Of Railways crew
driving" the logs down the current.
He knew from chance encounters with
several of the men in Bay City that
Radway was still in camp. which
meant, of course. that the season's oper-
atoms were not finished. Five miles
Farther Thorpe began to wonder wheth-
er this last conclusion might not be err
roneous. The Cass branch had shrunk-
en- almost to it's original limits. The
drive must have been finished even this
early, for the stream in Its present con-
dition would hardly float saw logs.
Thorpe, puzzled, walked on. At the
banking ground he found empty skids.
Evidently the drive was over. And yet
even to Thorpe's ignorance it seemed
Incredible that the remaining million
and half of logs had been hauled,
banked and driven during the short
time he had lain in the Bay City hos
pital. More to solve the problem than
in any hope Of work he set out for the
logging road.
Another three miles brought him to
camp. 1t looked strangely wet and
sodden and deserted. In fact, Thorpe
found bare half dozen people in it,
Railway, the cook and four men who
were helping to pack up the movables.
The jobber showed strong traces Of
the strain he had undergone, but greet
ed Thorpe almost jovially.
Hello, young manp' he shouted at
Thorpe's mud splashed figure. Come
back to view the remains? All well
again, heigh? That's goodp'
II didn't know you were through
explained Thorpe, "and came to see
if I could get a job"
We'll, now, am sorryv cried Rad
way. "You can turn in and help,
though, if you want to-"
Thorpe greeted the cook and old Jack
son Hines, the only two whom he
knew, and set to work to tie up bum
dies of blankets and to collect axes,
peavies and tools of all descriptions.
That evening the seven dined together
at one end Of the long table. The big
room exhaled already the atmosphere
Of desertion.
"Not much like old times, is she?'
laughed Railway. Cant you just shut
your eyes and hear Baptiste say, Max
heem de soup one tam more for mel?
She's pretty empty now"
Jackson Hines looked whimsically
down the bare board. more room
than God made for geese in Ireland"
was his comment.
After supper they sat outside for
little time to smoke their pipes, chair
tilted against the logs Of the cabins,
but soon the chill of melting snow
drove them indoors. The four team
sters played seven up in The cook camp
by the light of barn lantern, while
Thorpe and the cook wrote letters.
Thorpe's was to his sister.
II have been in the hospital for
about month";" he wrote. Nothing
serious--a crack on the head, which is
all right now. But cannot get home
this summer, nor, am afraid, can we
arrange about the school this year. I
am about $40 ahead of there I was
last fall, so you see it is slow business.
This summer am going into a mill,
but the wages for green labor are not
very high there either and SO on.
When Miss Helen Thorpe, aged sew
enteen, received this document she
stamped her foot almost angrily.
you'd think he was day laborcr"
she cried. "Why doesn't he try for
clerkship or something in the city
where he'd have chance to use his
brains?"
And thus she came to feeling rebel
liously that her brother had been lit
tie selfish in his choice of an occupa-
ton; that he had sacrificed her inclina-
tons to his own.
After finishing the letter Thorpe lit
his pipe and strolled out into the dark
ness. Opposite the little Office he
stopped amazed.
Through the narrow window he could
see Railway seated in front of the
stove. He had sunk down into his
chair until he rested on almost the
small Of his back. his legs were stuck
straight out in front Of him, his chin
rested on his breast, and his two arms
hung listless at his side, "a pipe half
falling from the fingers Of one hand.
All the facetious lines had turned to
pathos.
whats the matter with the boss.
anyway" asked Thorpe in low voice
of jackson Hines when the seven up
game was finished.
"Hain't ye heard2" inquired the old
man in surprise.
Why, no. WhatT,
Busted" said the old men senten-
tiously.
"How? What do you meanY'
what I say. He's busted. That
freshet caught him too quick. They's
more than a million and half logs
left in the woods that can't be got out