The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1905-04-07
CHAPTER XXXI.

II
bench of Mrs. Hathaway's
boarding house. commented on the
band as 1t stumbled into the wash
room. Their conversation was inter
rupted by the approach of Thorpe and
Big Junko. The former looked twenty
years older after his winter His eye
was dull, his shoulders dropped, his
gait was inelastic. The whole bearing
of the man was that of one weary to
the bone.
'I've got something here to show
you, Harryp' cried Wallace Carpenter,
waving n newspaper. ut was n great
drive, and here's something to remem-
Der it by"
"All right, Wallace, by and by" re-
piled Thorpe DULY. I'm dead. I'm
going to turn in for awhile. l need
sleep more than anything else"
He passed through the little passage
into the 'parlor BEDROOM" which Mrs.
Hathaway always kept in readiness
for members of the firm. There he fell
heavily asleep almost before his body
had met the bed.
In the long dining room the river
men consumed n belated dinner. They
had no comments to make. 1t was
over.
The two on the veranda smoked. To
! the right. at the end of the sawdust
street. the mill sang its varying and
! lulling keys The Odor of fresh sawed
pine perfumed the air. Not hundred
yards away the river slipped silently
to the distant blue Superior, escaping
! between the slanting stone filed cribs
which held back the logs. Down the
south and west the huge thunder heads
gathered and flashed and grumbled, as
they had done every afternoon for
days.
Queer thing" commented Hamilton
finally. these cold streaks in the air.
They are just as distinct as though
they had partitions around them"
queer climate anyway" agreed Car
penter.
Excepting always for the mill, the
little settlement appeared asleep. Tie
main booms were quite deserted. Aft
er awhile Hamilton noticed something.
Look here, Carpenter" said he.
whats happening out there? Have
! some of your COMPOUNDED logs sunk, or
what? There don't seem TO be naar so
many Of them somehow"
NO; it isn't that" proffered Carpen-
ter after moments scrutiny. "Thcre
are Just as many logs, but they are
getting separated a little so you can
see the open water between them"
Guess you're right. Say, look here,
/ l believe that the river is rising"
Nonsense! We haven't had any
rain"
shes rising just the same. You see
that Spite over there near the left hand
crib? Well, I sat on the boom this
morning watching the crew, and l
! whitfield the Spite with my knife. You
! can see the marks from here. cut the
| thing about two feet above the water.
| Look ut it now"
"Shes pretty near the water line,
lhat's right" admitted Carpenter.
About an hour later the younger man
in his turn made discovery.
"She's been rising right along" liz
submitted. "Your marks are nearer
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the logs are beginning to feel it. See,
they've closed up the little openings
between them, and they are beginning
to crowd down to the lower end of the
pond"
81 don't know anything about this
business" hazarded the journalist, "but
/ should think there was a good deal of
| pressure on that same lower end. BY
Jove, look herel See those logs up-end.
/ believe you're going to have a jam
right here in your own booms."
81 don't know" hesitated Wallace.
IL never heard of its happening"
You'd better let some one know"
81 hate to bother Harry or any Of
the river men. I'll just step down to
the mill. Mason-hes our mill fore
man-he'll know"
Mason came to the edge of the high
trestle and took one look.
jumping fishhOoks!' he cried. "Why,
the rivers up six inches and still
a-comin'! Here you, Tom" he called
to one of the yard hands. You tell
Solly to get steam on that tug dou-
BILE quick and have Dave hustle to-
| gether his driver crew.
what are you going to do?" asked
Wallace
II got to strengthen the booms," ex-
! planned the mill foreman. "We'll drive
home piles across the cribs"
"Is there any dangerT
ooh, no. The river would have to
rise good deal higher than she is now
to make current enough to hurt.
| They've had a hard rain up above.
This will go down in few hours"
After time the tug pulled up to the
booms, escorting the pile driver. The
latter towed little raft of long. sharp
ened piles, which il at once began to
drive in such positions as would most
effectually strengthen the booms. In
the meantime the thunder heads had
slyly climbed the heavens, so that a
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