Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-01-07


cut in DE- needle Of dc fores'."
That's risht." agreed Bob Stratton
"rhcy's the west half of eight aim
been cut yet"
So they sent n delegation to Railway
Big Nolan was the spokesman.
Boss" said he bluntly. shes tot
cold TO work OIL them plains today
She's the coolest day we had"
Railway was TOO old hand Mt thu
business TO make any promises on til,
suot.
"I'll see. boys" said he.
When the breakfast was over tho
crew were sent to making skidway.
and travoy ing roads on eight" Thi!
was a precedent. In time the work OF
the plains was grumblingly done in any
weather However. as to this Railway
proved firm enough. He was a goot
fighter when he knew he was being i'm
posed upon.
And ms the days slipped by he tight
ened the re!ns. Christmas was ap
preaching. An easy mathematical com
putation reduced the question Of com
pleting his contract with Morrison 4
DAILY to a certain weekly quota. II
fact he was surprised at the size of II
He would have to work diligently and
steadily during tho rest Of the winter.
Having thus definite task to &C
complish in a definite number Of days
Railway grew to be more OF tasl
master. Thus he regained to small
degree the respect of his men. Then he
lost it again.
One morning he came in from talk
with the supply teamster and woke
Dyer who was not up yet.
I'm going down home for two or
three weeks" he announced to Dyer.
You know my address. You'll have to
take charge, and | guess you'd better
let the scaling go. We can get the tally
ut the banking grounds when we begin
TO haul Now. we amt got all the time
at it pretty we'll"
Dyer twisted the little points OF his
mustarhe "All right. sir" said he,
with his smile so inscrutably insolent
that Eadway never saw the insOlence
Mt all. He thought this poor year for
q man in Railways position to spend
Christmas with his family, but it was
none of his business.
do as much as you can in the marsh,
Dyer" went on the jobber. II don't
believe it's really necessary to lay of
any more there on account of the
weather.
"All right repeated Dyer.
The scaler did what he considered
his duty. All day long he trampcd
back and forth from one gang Of men
to the other keeping a sharp eye on
the details OF the work. His practical
experience was sufficient to solve readi-
ly such problems as broken tackle, ex-
ira expedients or facility which the
days brought forth. The fact that in
him was vested the power to discharge
kept the men at work.
Dyer was in the habit Of starting for
the marsh an hour or 50 after sunrise
The crew, OF course. were at work by
daylight. Dyer heard them often
through his doze. just as he heard the
chore boy come in TO build the fire and
fill the water pal. afresh. After a
time the fire, built of kerosene and
pitchy black pine, would get so hot
dress. Then he would breakfast lei
surely.
Thus he incurred the enmity Of the
cook and cooked. Those individual Is
have to prepare food three times day
for half hundred caters, besides
which on sleigh haul they are sup
! posed TO serve breakfast at 8 O'Clock
for the leaders and variety of lunches
up to midnight for the sprinkler men
AS consequence they resent infrac
tons Of the little system they may
have been able To introduce.
Now, the business Of n foreman is I,
be up as soon us anybody lie does
none of the work himself. but he mui
see that somebody else does it and does
it well. lie must know how thin1
ought to he done. and he must be OF
hand unexpectedly to SEQ how its ac
complshmcnt is progressing. Dy,
should have been out of bed at frs
| horn blow.
One morning he slept until nearly II
o'clock. 1t was incSplicablc. lie hur
| ried from hs' bunk, made Il hasty toile
| and started for the dining room to ge
| some sort of n lunch to do him unit
| dinner time. As he stepped from tn,
| door of the office he caught sight Of
| two men hnrrying from the cook can't
| to the mems camp. He thought h
| heard the hum of conversation in Il
latter building. The cookee set b,
coffee before him. For the rest Ii,
took what he could find cold on the tn
BILE
Dyer sat down. feeling for the frs
time n little guilty This was not be
cause of sense OF n derclctiOn in du
! ty. but because he feared the stronl
mans contempt for inefticency.
Il sort of pounded my ear littl'
long this morning." he remarked. will
an unwontcd air of bonhomie.
The cook creased his paper with on
hand and went on reading.
II suppose the men got out to tn
marsh on time" suggested Dyer, Still
easily.
Tho cook laid aside his paper ant
looked the scaler i'm the eye.
you're the forcman I'm the cook.
said he. you ought to know"
Dyer was no weakling. The prof.
lem presenting, he rose TO the emergen
cy. Without another word he pnshc'
back his coffee cup and crossed tn