Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-03-15

the SwiSh-Sh-Sh-craSh Of the trees
fall.
Inorpe knew that now e1rner Hank
or Tom must be climbing with the long
measuring pole along the PROSTATE
AK clips where the saw was to divide
the logs. Then Tom shouted some
thing unintelligible. The other men
seemed to understand, however, for
they dropped their work and ran hasti-
ly in the direction Of the voice. Thorpe
after d moments indecision did the
same. He arrived to find a group
about O PROSTATE man. The man was
Paul
Two Of the older woodsmen, kneel-
ing were conducting coolly hasty
examination. At the front every man
is more or less of surgeon.
is he hurt badly?" asked Thorpe.
''What is til"
Hes dead" answered one Of the
| ether men soberly.
With the skill Of CHASTITY practice
some of them wove litter, on which
the body was placed. The pathetic
little procession moved in the solemn,
inscrutable forest.
When the tree had fallen it had
crashed through the top Of another,
leaving suspended in the branches of
the latter long, heavy limb. A slight
breeze dislodged it. Henry Paul was
impaled as by javelin. This is the
chief of the many perils of the woods.
That evening the camp was unusual
ly quiet. Taller let his fiddle hang.
After supper Thorpe was approached
by Purdy, the reptilian redhead with
whom he had had the row some even
ings before.
you in, chummy!" he asked in a
quiet voice. Its five apiece for
Hanks woman"
"Yes," said Thorpe.
The men were earning from $40 to
$50 month. They had most of them
never seen Hank Paul before this au,
tumn. He had not, mainly because OF
his modest disposition, enjoyed any ex-
traordinary degree of popularity, YET
these strangers cheerfully, as a matter
of course, gave up the proceeds Of a
! weeks hard work, and that without
expecting the slightest personal credit
The money was sent from the boys
| Thorpe later read a heartbroken letter
| to the unknown benefuctors. 1t touched
him deeply, and he suspected the Other
men of the same emotions, but by thai
time they had regained the independ
1 ent, self contained poise of the from
| tiersman. They read it with unmovet
faces and tossed it aside with a more
than ordinarily rough joke or oath
Thorpe understood their reticence. Il
was part of his own nature. He fell
more than ever akin to these men.
AS swamper he had more or less tt
do with cant hook in helping the
Transfers roll the end of the log on the
little "dray." He soon caught thu
/ knack. Toward Christmas he had be
/ come a fairly efficient cant hook mai
and was helping roll the great sticks o.
timber up the slanting skids. Thus al
ways intelligence counts, especially
| that rare intelligence which resolves
| into the analytical and the minutel.
observing.
He was getting just the experience
and the knowledge he needed. but tina
was about all. His wages were $50
month, which his van bill would re
duce to the double eagle. At the enc
of the winter he would have but lit
tie over $500 to show for his seasons
work, and this could mean at most on
ly $50 for Helen. But the future wa
his. He saw now more plainly wha
he had dimly perceived before, tina
for the man who buys timber, and log
1t we'll, a sure future is waiting. Ant
in this camp he was beginning to learl
from failure the conditions of success.