The Yale expositor., 1905-01-13

terially in his vague and uncertain
| quest by encountering an old acquaint-
ance, Jackson Hines.
The old man peered at Thorpe.
"Don't you know me-" inquired
Thorpe.
"Know you? You bet l do. How
are you, Harry? Where have you been
keepin' yourself? You look about as
fat as a stall fed knittin' needle"
1--WE been land looking In the upper
peninsula" explained Thorpe, ION the
0ssawlnamakee, up in the Marquette
country"
"Show commented Jackson i'm won
der. way up there where the moon
changesr'
cts fine country" went on Thorpe
so every one could hear, with a great
cutting of white pine. 1t runs as high
as twelve hundred thousand to the
forty sometimes"
'Trees clean an free of limbs?" ask
ed Jackson.
They're as good as the stuff over on
seventeen You remember that"
"Clean as a baby's leg" agreed Jack
ssn.
"Have glass of beerT asked
Thorpe.
DRY as a tobacco box" confessed
Jackson.
So they all drank.
On a sudden inspiration Thorpe re-
solved to ask the old mans advice as
to no
good for much, but it would do no
harm.
Jackson listened attentively to the
others brief recital.
"Why don't you see Tim Shearer?
He amt doin' nothin' since the jam
came down." was his comment.
Isn't he with the NJ. Sc d. people?'
asked Thorpe.
"Nope. Quit"
Flows thatY
"Count of Morrison. He's been film
his teeth for NJ. 81 d. right along.
Somethin' behind it all, 1 reckon"
"Where'll find him?" asked Thorpe.
Jackson gave the name of small
boarding house. Shortly after Thorpe
Z
unique conversation and hunted up
Shearer's stopping place.
The boarding house proved to be Of
the typical lumber jack class-a mar
row stoop. n hallway and stair in the
center and an Office and bar on either
side. Shearer and n half dozen other
men about his own age sat, their
I al, s,.- nj hot CpIy
boots on the rounds Of the chairs,
smoking placidly in the tepid evening
air. He approached and attempted an
identifying scrutiny. The men, with
the taciturnity of their class in the
presence of q stranger said nothing.
"Well, bub," finally drawled a voice
from the corner, "blowed that stake
you made out of Railway yet?'
"That you, Shearer| inquired
Thorpe, advancing. You're the man
I'm looking for"
you've found me-" replied the old
man dryly.
Thorpe was requested deliberately to
''shake hands" with the owners of six
names. Then he had a chance to init
q word with him alone. The river man
rose silently and led the way up the
straight, uncarpeted stairs, along a mar
row, uncarpeted hall, to a square, I'M
carpeted bedroom. The walls and cell
ings Of this apartment were Of I'M
painted planed pine. 1t contained a
cheap bureau, one chair and a bed and
washstand to match the bureau. Shear
er lit the lamp and sat on the bed.
"What is it?" he asked.
81 have a little pine up In the north
ern peninsula within walking distance
of Marquette" said Thorpe, "and 1
want to get crew of about twenty
men. 1t occurred to me that you might
be willing to help me-"
The river man frowned steadily at his
interlocutor from under his bushy
brows.
"How much pine you got?" he asked
finally.
about 3OO,ooO,ooo," replied Thorpe
quietly.
The old mans blue eyes fixed them
selves with unwavering steadiness on
Thorpe's face.
you're jobbing some of It, eh?" he
submitted finally as the only probable
conclusion. do you think you know
enough about It? Who does 1t belong
tor
at belongs to a man named Carpen-
ter and myself"
The river man pondered this slowly
for an appreciable interval, and then
shot out another question:
How'd you get itT'
Thorpe told him simply, emitting
nothing except the name of the firm
up river. When he had finished Shear.
er evinced no establishment nor ap-
prevail.
you done WELL" he commented final
ly. Then, after another interval:
"Have you found out who was the
men stealth the pineT
"Yes," replied Thorpe quietly, at was
Morrison & DAILY"
The old man fiickered not an eye
lid. He slowly filled his pipe and Lit 1t
1 r~.A - 1