The Baltimore County union, the Towson news., 1909-09-04
JULES UNAFRAID.

self-Jules. If there was another
name, and there must have been, we
never heardit. Ifthere was French
Canadian ancestry, as we have sus-
pected, Jules made no mention of the
fact, and his speech did not betray
him. His talk smacked only of the
Vermont hills, from whence his latest
move in life's journey had brought
him to the lumber camp. Culture,
Jules had none, a wild simple child
of nature, counting for two men with
the ponderous sledge-hammer blows
of his double-bitted axe, and-a
stranger to fear.
There had been the making of
bad accident that afternoon among
the hauling gang, with two teams
and a forty-foot pine log over a
treacherous embankment- -steel-shod
hoofs beating the air madly, chains
groaning and creaking, the log poised
sickenly upon needle point of rock
above the foundering MIN al S.
Mackey, the boss, was telling how
Jules threw himself into the breach,
holding down Murphy's roam mare,
while her mates sharp steel calks
played within a hair s-breath of his
head. A gaunt figure slouched into
the shanty at this time and the con-
versa.ion lapsed. Then Morrison put
question to Jules, winking at me
across the cooks sizzling bacon.
"Fraid? Gawsh No."
"Gawsh" was the extreme of
Jules most emphatic profanity which
was much more than could be said of
some of the others. The tone was
mildly contemptuous, so was the
glance he bestowed upon Morrison.
Both implied that Morrison should
have been more considerate.
"Were You ever frightened in your
life, Jules1" asked, looking for the
customary boast of an untarnished
record.
There was a twinkle in the gray
eyes as Jules faced about to meet this
other question, searching the past
meditatively through the smoke of
his corncob pipe for the glaring ex-
ception.
"Wall, l,-Ya'asl' Encouragement
of letters can adequately express the
reluctant drawl of the admission.
"Once-once on time I was scairt-
scairt some consid' able, too." Jules
chuckled inwardly as though relieved
that the truth was out at last. "Ya-as,
I might say that safe 'nough, some
consid able %
"Tell us about it" chorused doz-
en- voices. We forgot the cook tar
dy supper. Some of the men filed
their pipes anticipatively.
"Wall, 1t wuz back in the '6o's as
l recon It," he began, dropping limp
| ly on the nearest bench and swinging
one foot over the other to bring
his water. soaked moccasin in range
of the red-hot stove. "Leastways, I
was twenty-odd and livin' at home
up on the far side O. Manchester
mountain. Robbins folks lived over
Sandgate way, and I was sort O.
shinin' up to the Oldest gal, Kate
mighty purity gal she was, too, If she
did give me the slip and run off with
Walt Burden" Jules eyes grew
fondly reminiscent as he unearthed the
buried romance. IT didn't git left
any wuss'n she did-that's one COM
fo't. You see it was quite step
over to OF man Robbins ten miles
on the stretch and some hills throwed
in-and Walt was right on the
ground, as you might say, mornin'
noon and night. Father and Bill and
me used ter cut heap o. lumber fer
the mills In winter time, and twan't t
often 1 could git over to see Kate In
side O. two weeks. I'd start, fer
common, right arter dinner, hit Rob-
bins place In time fer snack O. sup
per, have my little pow-wow with
Kate, an then strike out fer home
some time in the night or mex morn
in, 'cordin' to circumstances. 1t
Burden happened to be hangin'
round purity mum 'rous, it might be
some short O. I2 O'Clock, but If Kate
and me had 1t tmostly to ourselves and
she 'peared agree'bie to my stayin'
on, It might be warmin' up some In
the East over behind Shaggyback
mountain, when I'd hit the trail.
oval, it run long that way all
one Winter, an seemed to be pros
perrin, near's 1 could read the signs
on the outside, though I hadn't no.
where's near got my grit up to put
the question out -out, an take my
medicine like man, if 1t happened
to be the kind as didn't taste good.
1 kept argyin' that if Kate had a
sneakin' likin' fer me, she'd be likin'
me better the more she seed of me,
and if twas t'other way we'd never
drive stiddy in double harness with
out kickin' over the traces, anyway.
The Spring work come on arter a
spell, an with the plowin' an seed
in an tater plantin', I VOW it run
goin' on to FIVE weeks at I never
seed a sight of Kate, and tell you
what, my eyes got to smartin' mighty
bad. So, as soon as the last O. the
taters was under ground, 1 hitched
up the gray mare onto the blackboard
an made a bee.line fer Robbins.
couldn't make out no great change
in Kate's looks, fer all I hadn't seen
her in so long, but she acted kind O.
fiustered from the minnit I pulled in,
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