Courier Democrat., 1904-05-05


ed Thorpe almost jovially.
"Hello, young mani" he shouted at
Thorpe's mud splashed figure. Come
back to view the remains? All we'll
again, heigh? That's good!'
II didn't know you were through -
explained Thorpe, "and came to see
IL could get a job"
"Well, now, I am sorryy' 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 bun
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 meg
She's pretty empty now"
Jackson Hines looked whimsically
down the bare board. "AIore room
than God made for geese in ireland" :"
was his comment.
After supper they sat outside for a
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. l
am about $40 ahead of where l was
last fall, so you see it is slow business.
This summer I 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 laborer!'
she cried. "Why doesn't he try for a
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.
tion; that he had sacrificed her inclina-
lions to his own.
After finishing the letter Thorpe Ii;
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 !istless at his side, pipe half
falling from the fingers of one hand
All the fAcetious lines had turned to
pathos.
"What's the matter with the boss
anyway" asked Thorpe in low voice
of Jackson Hines when the seven up
game was finished.
"Hain't ye heard?" inquired the old
man in surprise.
"Why, no. What?'
Busted" said the old men senten-
tously.
"How? What do you mean:''
"What 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
this year, and as his contract calls for
finished job he don't get nothin' for
what he's DONE"
THAT'S a queer rig" commented
Thorpe. "He's done lot of valuable
work here. The timber's cut and skid
ded anyway, and he's delivered good
deal Of It to the main drive. The NJ.
q D. outfit get all the advantage of
that"
'They do, my son. When old Days
hand gets near anything it cramps.
don't know how the old man come to
make such a 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-
tnal cutting and skidding had fallen 90
far behind, caught Radway unawares.
He saw the rollways breaking out
while his teams were still hauling in
the woods. In order to deliver to the
mouth Of the Cass branch the 5000, 600
already banked he was forced to drop
everything else and attend strictly to