The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-22

W 10 lCliSClt. IL tAiS
course of their disjointed remarks
Thorpe explained that he was looking
for work in the woods and intended
first of all to try the Morrison ~ DAILY
camps at Beeson lake.
''Know anything about logging?" in
quired the stranger.
Nothing" Thorpe confessed.
'Ain't much show for anything but
lumber jacks. What did you think of
doing?'
81 don't know said Thorpe doubt
fully. Il have driven horses good
deal. thought l might drive team
The woodsman turned slowly and
looked Thorpe over with quizzical
eye Then he faced to the front again
and spat.
''Quite like" he replied. still more
dryly.
The boys remark had amused him.
and he had showed it, as much as he
ever showed anything. Excepting al
ways the river men, the driver Of a
team commands the highest wages
among out of door workers.
1t is easier to drive fire engine than
logging team.
But in spite Of the naivete of the re-
mark the woodsman had seen some
thing in Thorpe he liked. Such men be-
come rather expert in the reading Of
character. He revised his first inten-
ton to let the conversation drop.
81 think NJ. & d. is rather full up
Just now" he remarked. "I'm walkin'
boss over there. The roads is about
all made, and roadmaking is what
, a greenhorn tackles first. They's more
chance earlier in the year. But if
the old fellow"-he strongly accent
ed the first word-"hain't nothin' for
you, just ask for Tim Shearer. an I'll
try to put you on the trail for some
jobber's camp"
The three who had come into COLI
sion with Jimmy and Bud were getting
noisier. They had produced stone
jug and had collected the remainder of
the passengers. with the exception Of
Shearer and Thorpe. and now were
passing the jug rapidly from hand to
hand. Soon they became musical, strik-
ing up one of the wierd, long drawn
out chants SO popular with the shanty
boy. Thorpe shrewdly guessed his
companion to be a man of some weight
and did not hesitate to ascribe his inn
munity from annoyance to the others
presence.
cts bad thing said the walking
boss. Il used to be at it myself, and
know"
"Bees'n Lake!'' cried Jimmy fiercely
through the aperture of the door.
You'll find the boardin' house just
across over the track" said the woods
man. holding out his hand. $50 long.
See you again if you don't find a job
with the old fellow. My names
Shearer."
mine is Thorpe" replied the other.
THANK you
Thorpe followed and found himself
on the frozen platform of little dark
railway station. Directly across the
track from the railway station a sim
gle building waspricked from the dark
by a solitary lamp in lower story
room. The four who had descended
before Thorpe made over toward this
light, stumbling and laughing uncer-
tainly, so he knew it was probably the
boarding house and prepared to follow
them.
The five were met at the steps by the
proprietor of the boarding house. This
man was short and stout, with hare
lip and cleft palate, which at once gave
him the well known slurring speech
of persons so afflicted and impaired
also to the timbre of his voice a pecui-
iarly hollow, resonant, trumpetlike
note. He stumped about energetically
on a wooden leg of home manufacture
1t was a cumbersome instrument,
/ heavy, with deep pine socket for the
stump and a projecting brace which
passed under leather belt around the
mans waist. This instrument he used
with the deXterity of a third hand. As
Thorpe watched him he drove in pro-
jecting nail. kicked two turkeys" in
side the open door and stuck the armed
end of his peg leg through the top and
bottom of the whisky jug that one of
the new arrivals had set down near
! the door. The whisky promptly ran
out. At this the cripple fiirted the i'm
paled jug from the wooden leg far out
over the rail of the veranda into the
snow
A growl went up.
what N thunder's that for?" snarl-
ed one of the owners of the whisky
threateningly.
Don't allow no whisky here" snuff
ed the harelip.
The men were very angry. They adj
vanced toward the cripple, who re-
treated with astonishing agility to the
| lighted room. There he bent the wood
en- leg behind him, slipped the end of
the brace from beneath the leather
belt, seized the other peg end in his
right hand and so became possessed Of
a murderous bludgeon. This he brand
ished, hopping at the same time back
and forth in such perfect poise and yet
with so ludicrous an effect of popping
corn that the men were surprised into
laughing.
Bully for you, pegleg" they cried.
"Rules an regerlations, boys" replied
! the latter, without, however, a shade
of compromising in his tones. Had
supper"
Ito be Continued.)
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