Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-04-05
"Step into the Office and get YOUR

| "step into the Office and get your
time" said he.
| whats the matter?" asked the man.
| Il don't need you any longer"
The two entered the little Office.
Thorpe looked through the ledger and
van book and finally handed the man
his slip.
I'll have no GROWERS in this camp"
said Thorpe, with decision.
BY thunder" cried the man, YOU
"You get out Of herew cried Thorpe,
with a concentrated blaze of energetic
passion that made the fellow step back.
Il amt goin' to get on the wrong
side of the law by foolin' with this
office" cried the other at the door, "but
If l had you outside for a minute
Leave this ofice!" shouted Thorpe.
"S'pose you make me!' challenged
the man insolently.
In moment the defiance had come,
endangering the careful structure
Thorpe had reared with such pains.
The young man was suddenly angry in
exactly the same blind, unreasoning
manner as when he had leaped single
handed to tackle Dyer's crew.
| Without word he sprang across the
shack. seized two bladed ak from the
pile behind the door, swung it around
his head and cast it full ut the now
frightened teamster. The latter lodged,
and the swirling steel buried itself in
the snow bank beyond. Without an in
stant's hesitation Thorpe reached back
for another. The man took to his
heels.
81 don't want to see you around here
again! shouted Thorpe after him.
Then in moment he returned to the
office and sat down. overcome with con-
triton.
1T might have been MURDER" he told
himself, awe stricken.
But, as it happened, nothing could
have turned out better.
Thorpe had instinct;vely seized the
only method by which these strong
men could be impressed. Now the en-
tire crew looked with vast admiration
on their boss as man who intended to
have his own way no matter what diff
ficulties or consequences might tend to
deter him. And that is the kind of man
they liked.
Injun Charley, silent and enigmatical
as ever had constructed a log shack
near little creek in the hard wood.
There he attended diligently to the
business Of trapping. Thorpe rarely
found time to visit him, but he often
glided into the office, smoked pipeful
of the white mans tobacco in friendly
fashion by the stove and glided out
again without having spoken dozen
words.
Wallace made one visit before the
big SHOWS came, and was charmed He
ate with gusto of the salt horse"
baked beans, stewed prunes, mince pie
and cakes He tramped around gayly
in his moccasins or on the fancy snow
shoes he promptly purchased Of Injun
Charley. There was nothing new to
report in regard to financial matters.
The loan had been negotiated easily on
the basis of mortgage guaranteed by
Carpenters personal signature. Moth
Ing had been heard from Morrison &
DAILY.
By the end Of the winter some 400O,-
600 feet Of logs were piled in the bed or
upon the banks Of the stream. To I'M
derstand what that means you must
imagine pile of solid timber mile in
length. This tremendous mass lay di-
rect]y in the course Of the stream.
When the winter broke up 1t had to be
separated and foated piecemeal down
the current The process is an interest
ing and dangerous one and one of
great delicacy. 1t requires for it's sue
cessful completion picked men Of skill
and demands as toll its yearly quota of
cripples and dead. While on the drive
men work fourteen hours day up to
their waists in water filled with float
ing ice.
On the Ossawinamakee, as has been
stated, three dams had been erected to
simplify the process of driving. When
the logs were in right distribution the
gates We're raised, and the proper head
of water foated them down.
Now. the river being navigable,
Thorpe was possessed of certain rights
on it. Technically he was entitled to a
normal head of water whenever he
needed it. or special head. according
to agreement with the parties owning
the dam. Early in the drive he found
that Morrison & DAILY intended to cause
him trouble. 1t began in narrows of
the river between high. rocky banks.
Thorpe's drive was floating though
close packed. The situation was tic
klish. Men with spiked boots ran here
and there from one bobbing log to an
other, pushing with their peaveys. hur-
rying one log, retarding another, work
ing like beavers to keep the whole mass
straight The entire surface of the wa
ter was practically covered with the
floating timbers.
In moment, as though by magic,
the loose wooden carpet ground togeth-
er. log in advance appended, another
thrust under it. The whole mass ground
together, stopped and began rapidly to
! pile up. The men escaped to the shore
in marvellous manner of their own.
Tim Shearer found that the gate at
| the dam above had haen closed Tho