The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1919-07-10

NJ tho peace CputfrenCf.
OF these, woods. I'll make delivery
after ALL"
That's good she remarked. but
noticeabiy without enthusiasm. The
heat OF that low.roofed shanty had
taken all possible enthusiasm for
anything out OF her for the time
being. Always toward the close of
each day she was gripped by that
feeling of deadly fatigue, in the face
OF which nothing much mattercd but
TO get thru the last hours somehow
and drag herself YEARLY to bed.
Benton piayfuiiy tweaked Katy
Johns ear and went whistling up the
trail. IL was plain sailing for him
now. and he was correspondingiy
elated.
He tried to talk to Stella that even.
ing when she was thru. all about
big things In the future. big con
tracts he could get. big money ne
could see his way to make. II fell
mostly on unappreciativc ears She
was tired, 80 tired that his egotisti-
cal chatter irritated her. beyond
| measure What she would have well
coined with heartfelt gratitude was
not so much prospect OF future
affiuence In which might or might
not share an a tightening of her
present burden. SO far as his con-
versation ran. Benton's sole concern
seemed to be more equipment, more
men. so that he might get out more
logs. In the midst of this opumis
tic talk Stella walked abruptly into
her room
Noon Of the next day brought the
Panther coughing into tho bay
thanked on the port side by a scow
upon which rested a twin to the iron
monster that jerked logs into her
brothers chute. To starboarti was
made fast like scow. That was
housed over. a smoking stovepipe
stuck thru the roof. and n capped
and aproned cook rested his arms on
tho window sill as they floatcd IN,
Men to the number Of twenty or
moro clustered about both scows and
the Panthcr's deck, busy with pipe
and cigarette and rude Jest. The
clatter Of their voices uprosc thru
tho noon meal. But when tho don
key scow thrust its blunt nose
against the beach. the chaff and
laughter died into silent, capable &C
ton.
"A Seattle yarder properly handled
can do anything but climb a tree
Charlie had once boosted to her. in
reference TO his own machine
1t seemed quite possible to Stella.
watching Jack Fyfe's crew at work.
Steam was up In the donkey. They
carried a line from its drum thru a
n snatch block ashore and jerked
half a dozen logs crosswise before
the scow in a matter of minutes.
Then the same cable was made fast
to a sturdy fir. the engineer stood
by. and tho ponderous machine slid
forward on its own slkids, like an
up-ended barrel on sled. down off
tho scow, up the bank, smashing
brush, branches. dead roots, all that
stood in Its path, drawing steadily
up to the anchor tree as the cable
spoiled up on the drum.
A dozen men tailed on TO the inch
and quarter cable and bore the
loose end away up the path. Pres
emily one stood clear. waving n sig.
nal. Again the donkey began to
puff and CULVER, the line began to
roll up on the drum and the big
yarder walked up the slope under its
own power. n locomotive unneedful
OF rails. making it's own right OF way.
Upon the platform built over the
skids were piled the tools OF the
crew. sawed blocks for the fire box,
axes, saws, grindstones. all that was
necessary in their task. At one
o'clock they made their first move.
At two the donkey was vanished into
that regioh where the chute-head lay
and the great frs stood waiting the
slaughter.
BY mid-afternoon Stella noticed an
acceleration OF numbers in the logs
that came hurting lakeward. Now
at shorter intervals arose the grind
ing sound of their arrivals, the pom
derous splash as each leaped to the
water. 1t was a good thing. she sur
mised--for Charlie Benton. She
could not see where II made much
difference to her whether ten logs
a day or a hundred came down to
the boomsticks.
| Late that afternoon Katy vanished
upon one OF her periodic visits to
| the camp OF her kindred around the
point. Bred out of doors, OF tribe
whose immemorial custom 1t Is that
women do all the work, the Siwash
| girl was strong as an OK. and nearly
as bovine in temperament and move.
ments. She could lift with ease a
weight that taxed Stella's strength,
and Stella Benton was no wealSling,
either. II was therefore part of
Katy's routine to keep water pals