The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1904-02-06

tue NATdtH ne hdu uHutISOut, out kIett-
ed Thorpe almost jovially.
"IIello. young man. he shouted at
Thorpe's mud splashed figure. Come
back 10 view the remains? All well
again, heigh? That's goodD
II didn't know you were through"
explained Thorpe. "and l came TO see
II ! could get job
swell. now. | am sorryw cried Rad
way. You can turn I'm and help.
though, IL 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 bun
dies of blankets and TO collect axes,
peavles 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.
mot much like old times. is sheT'
laughed Railway. Cant you just shut
your eyes and hear Baptiste say, Max
heem de soup one tam more for mer
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 10 his sister.
II have been in the hospital for
about a 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. 1
am about $40 ahead of where l was
last fall, so you see 1t 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 a day laborerr'
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 be had sacrificed her inclina-
tons TO his own.
After finishing the letter Thorpe lii
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 I'm 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. pipe half
falling from the fingers of one hand.
All the facetlous lines had turned TO
pathos
whats the matter with the boss.
anyway asked Thorpe in a low voice
OF Jackson Hines when the seven up
game was finished.
"Hain't We heardf" inquired the old
man in surprise.
why, no. What?n
Busted" said the old men senten-
tiously.
"How? What do you meanT
what | say He's busted. Nhat
freshet caught him too quick. rhey's
more than n million and q half logs
left In the woods that can't be got out
this year, and as his contract calls for
finished job he don't get nothln' for
what he's done"
That's queer rig" commented
Thorpe Hes done n lot of valuable
work here. The timber's cut and skid
ded anyway. and he's delivered good
deal of 1t to the main drive. The M.
g. ID. outfit get all the advantage Of
that"
''They do. my son. When old Days
hand gets near any thing 1t cramps. /
don't know how the old man come to
make such contrac'. but he did. Re-
suit is he's out his expenses and time"
The exceptionally early break up OF
the spring, combined with the fact
that owing to the series of incidents
and accidents already sketched the ac-
tual cutting and skldding had fallen so
far behind. caught lladway unawares
He saw the rolways breaking out
while his teams were still hauling In
the woods. In order TO deliver TO the
mouth Of the Cass branch the 100000
already banked he was forced to drop
everything else and attend strictly TO
the drive. This left still. as has been
stated. million and half on skid
ways. which Railway knew lie would
be unable to get out that year.
In spite OF the jobbcr's certainty that