Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-01-18

FRE|C.klES
by
Gene SaraGG@m-
Porter
COPYRIGHT. 1904 BY DOUBLEDAY. PACE
.
COPYRIGHT. 1904. BY DOUBLEDAY. PAGE
n, ~

SOSINlAnls wv oJ OOOolE0AIs FN\SE
be In hurry or to lose his temper.
Discipline was inflexibIe, but the boss
always ms kind. He shared camp
life with his gangs. The only visible
signs Of his great wealth consisted OF
a big, shimmerfng diamond stone o!
ice and fire that glittered and burned
on one Of his fingers and the dainty.
beautiful, thoroughbred mare he rode
No man Of McLean's gangs could
honestly say that he bad ever been
overdriven or underpaid. They all
knew that up In the great timber city
several millions stood to his credit
he was the only son Of that Nc
Lean who had sent out the finest ships
ever built in Scotland. That his son
should carry on this business after his
death had been the fathers ambition.
He sent the boy through Edinburgh
university and Oxford and allowed
him several years travel.
Then he was ordered through south
ern Canada and Michigan to purchase
consignment Of tall. straight timber
for masts and down into Indiana for
oak beams. The young man entered
these mighty forests. parts of which
still lay untouched since the dawn of
the morning of time. The intense ST.
lence, like that Of great empty cathe-
dral, fascinated him. He gradually
learned that to the shy wood crea-
lures that darted across his path or
peeped inquiringly from lcafy ambush,
he was brother. He found himself
approaching, with feeling of rever-
ence, those majestic trees that had
stood through ages Of sun, wind and
snow. Soon 1t became difficult
thing to fell them. When he had fill
ed his order and returned home he
was amazed to find that in the swamps
and forests he had lost his heart. and
it was calling, forever calling him.
{ When he inherited his fathers prop
erty he promptly disposed Of it and.
with his mother, founded q home in a
splendid residence IN the outskirts OF
Grand Rapids. With three partners
he organized q lumber company. His
work was to purchase, fell and ship
the timber to. the mills. Marshall
managed the milling process and pass
ed the lumber on to the factory. From
the lumber Barthol made beautiful
and useful furniture, which Uptegrove
scattered all over the world from q
big wholesale house.
Mclean faced young man, still I'M
der twenty, tall. spare. heavily framed,
thickly freckled and red haired, with
a ehomely Irish face. but in the steady
gray eyes, straightly meeting his
searching ones Of blue. there were un'
swefvfng candor and . look Of long
ing not to be ignored.
"You are looking for work." ques-
toned Mclean.
"Yis," answered Freck1es.
II am very sorry" said the boss,
''but there IL only one man want at
present-a good. big fellow with q
stout heart and strong body. I hoped
that you would do, but am afraid
you are too young and hardly strong
enough"
"And what was 1t you thought I
might be doing?" asked Freckles.
The boss could scarcely repress a
start. Somewhere back Of accident
and poverty had been an ancestor who
used cultivated English. even with an
accent. The boy spoke in a mellow
irish voice. sweet and pure. 1t was
scarcely definite enough to be called
brogus, yet there was trick in the
turning of the sentence. the wrong
sound Of q letter here and there, that
was almost irresistible to Mclean.
He was Of foreign birth, and, despite
years Of alienation. in times Of strong
feeling he fell into inherited sins Of
accent and construction.
tits no child's job answered Nc
Lean. 81 am the field manager OF a
lumber company. We have just leased
1900 acres Of the Limberlost. Many
Of these trees are Of great value. We
can't leave our camp, six miles south.
for almost year yet. SO we have
blazed trail and strung barbed wires
securely about the extent Of this lease.
Before we return to our work must
put this Limbeflost lease in the hands
OF reliable, brave, strong man who
will guard It every hour of the day
and sleep with one eye open at night.
I should require the entire length of
the trail to be walked ut least twice
every day, to make sure that our lines
were up and no one had been tres
passing"
"But why wouldn't that be the finest
job in the world for mey' pleaded
Freckles. ~ am never sick. could
walk the trail twicesh.ee times ~
day, and I'd be watching sharp all the
while"
.'It's because You are little more than
q boy. and this will be trying job
for a work hardened man." answered
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