Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-02-23
gae had seen and pulled sharply. The
end of the log slid around the stump.

gae had seen and pulled sharply. The
end of the log slid around the stump.
"Allez!" commanded Laveque.
And Molly started gingerly down the
hill. She pulled the timber, heavy as
an iron safe, here and there through
the brush, missing no steps, making
no false moves, backing and finally
getting out Of the way Of an unex-
pected roll with the ease and intelli-
gence of Laveque himself. In five
minutes the burden lay by the travoy
road. In two minutes more one end
of it had been rolled on the little fiat
wooden sledge and, the other end drag
ging. it was winding majestically down
through the ancient forest.
When Molly and Fabian had travoy-
ed the log to the skidway they drew
it with bump across the two parallel
skids and left it there to be rolled to
the top Of the pile. .
Then Mike McGovern and Bob STRAIT
ton and Jim Gladys took charge of it.
Mike and Bob were running the cant
hooks while Jim stood on top of the
great pile of logs already decked. A
slender, pliable steel chain like a gray
snake ran over the top of the pile and
disappeared through pulley to an
Invisible horse-Jenny, the mate of
Molly. Jim threw the end of this
chain down. Bob passed it over and
under the log and returned it to Jim,
who reached down after it with the
hook of his implement. Thus the
stick of timber rested in long loop,
one end of which led to the invisible
horse, and the other Jim made fast to
the top of the pile. He did so by jam
ming into another log the steel swamp
hook with which the chain was armed.
When all was made fast the horse
started.
"She's bumper" said Bob. "Look
out, Mike"
The log slid to the foot of the two
parallel poles laid slanting up the face
of the pile. Then it trembled on the
ascent. But one end stuck for an in
slant, and at once the log took on a
dangerous slant. Quick as light Bob
and Mike sprang forward, gripped the
hooks of the cant hooks like great
thumbs and forefngers, and, while one
held with all his power, the other
gave sharp twist upward The log
Strengthened. 1t was a master feat of
power and the knack of applying
strength justly.
At the top Of the little incline the
timber lowered for second.
Zone morew sang out Jim to the
driver. He poised, stepped lightly up
and over and avoided by the safe
hairbreadth being crushed when the
log rolled. But it did not lie quite
straight or even. So Mike cut short
thick block and all three stirred the
heavy timber sufficiently to admit Of
the billet's insertion.
Then the chain was thrown down for
another.
Jenny, harnessed only to short,
straight bar with hook in it, leaned
to her collar and dug her hoofs at the
word Of command. The driver, close
to her tail, held fast the slender steel
chain of an ingenious hitch about the
ever useful swamp hook. When Jim
shouted "Whoa!' from the top of the
skidway the driver did not trouble to
stop the horse; he merely let go the
hook. So the power was shut off sud-
denly, as is meet and proper in such
ticklish business. He turned and walk
ed back, and Jenny, like dog, without
the necessity of command, followed
him in slow patience.
Now came Dyer, scaler, rapidly
down the logging road, small, slender
man with little, turned up mustache.
The men disliked him because Of his
affectation Of city smartness and be-
cause he never ate with them, even
when there was plenty of room. The
scaler's duty at present was to measure
the diameter Of the logs in each skid