Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-05-03


"The work. Thorpe shouted noarse-
". "The work! We must get those
logs out! We haven't time"
Then swiftly between the white,
strained face Of the mailman trying to
convince his heart that his mind had
been right and the fanatically exalted
river men interposed the sanity of Rad
way. The old jobber faced the men
calmly, almost humorously, and some
how the very bigness of the man COM
manded attention.
ttYou fellows make me SICK" said he.
NYou haven't got the sense God gave
rooster. Don't you see you're playing
right in those fellows hands? What
do you suppose they dynamited them
dams for? To kill our boys? They
never dreamed we was dry pickin' that
dam. They sent some low lived whelp
down there to hang our drive, and 1t
looks like they was going to succeed,
thanks to you mutton heads.
''S'pose you go over and take 'em
apart. What then? Then have scrap.
Probably you lick 'em. You whale day
lights out of lot of men who probably
don't know any more about this here
shooting of our dams than hog does
about a ruffied shirt. Meanwhile your
drive hangs. Well? Well, do you sup
pose the men who We're back of that
shooting-do you suppose Morrison &
DAILY give tinker's dam how many
men of theirs you lick? What they
nj IS 70 1,o, Ir.;y
hang our drive, it's cheap at the price
of a few black eyes,"
The speaker paused and grinned
good hunloredly at the mems attentive
faces. Then suddenly his own became
grave.
eyen?" he asked. "Do you want to
know how to make those fellows sing
so small you can't hear them? Well,
I'll tell you. Take out this drive! Do
it in spite of them. Show them they're
no good when they buck up against
Thorpe's One. Our boys died doing
their duty, the way river man ought
to. Now hump yourselves! Don't let
them die in vainy'
The crew stirred uneasily, looking at
each other for approval of the con-
version each had experienced. Rad
way turned easily toward the blaze.
Better turn in, boys, and get some
Sleep" he said. We've got a hard
-rsh tomorrow: Alsf.e stopped to light
his pipe at the fireA When he had
again Strengthened his back after rath-
er prolonged interval the group had
already disintegrated. A few minutes
later the cookee scattered the brands
of the fire from before a sleeping
camp.
Before daylight Injun Charley drift
ed into camp to find Thorpe already
out. With curt nod the Indian seat
ed himself by the fire and, producing
a square plug of tobacco and a knife,
began leisurely to fill his pipe. Finally
Injun Charley spoke in the red mans
clear cut, initiative English, a pause
between each sentence
81 find trail three men," said he.
"Both dam, three men. One man go
down river. Those men have cork
boot One man no have cork boot. He
boss.''
The Indian suddenly threw his chin
out, his head back. and half closed his
eyes in cynical sauint. AS by a flash
Dyer, the scaler, leered insolently from
behind the Indians stolid mask.
How do you know" said Thorpe.
For answer the Indian threw his
shoulders forward in Dyer's nervous
fashion.
He make trail big by the toe, light
by the heel. He make trail big on in-
side"
Charley arose and walked after Dy-
er's springy fashion, illustrating his
point in the soft wood ashes OF the
Immediate fireside
Thorpe looked doubtful. 81 believe
you are right. Charley" said he. "But
st is mighty little to so on. You cant
be sure
II sure" se2lied Charley.
He puffed strongly at the heel of his
smoke, then arose and without farewell
disappeared in the forest
Then began The wonderful struggle
dSuiuSt OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES WHICH HIS DC-
come byword among river men every
where. A forty day drive had to go
out in ten. A freshet had to float out
100000 feet of logs. 1t was tremen-
dous. Fourteen, sixteen. sometimes
eighteen hours day the men of the
driving crew worked like demons.
Jams had no chance to form. OF
course under the pressure the lower
dam had gone out Nothing was to be
depended on but sheer logged grit.
Far up river Sadler & Smith had hung
their drive for the season. and so had
resigned themselves to definite but
not extraordinary loss. Thorpe had at
least clear river.
Wallace Carpenter could not under
stand how human flesh and blood en-
dured. The men themselves had long
since reached the point of practical
exhaustion, but were carried through
by the fire of their leader. Work was
logged until he stormed into sight;
then it became frenzied. When he
looked at man from his cavernous,
burning eyes. that man jumped.
Impossibilities were puffed aside like
thistles. The men went at them head