Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1933-02-23

were. other things crowded In befol
them. He must, above all. keep til
Richards Lumber company alive unt
he could force matters to clear then
selves.
lie went at once to Jack TAFT an
they stood outside the barn and talke
for long. In the beginning the bar
boss nodded mildly from time to time
at the end. he was splitting Tobacco
juice and his old eyes were ablaz
with Whole-hearted enthusiasm.
A feam-a white team-came Ia OF
the job at oon The teamster wa
put at other work. The w~ood-butche
mad chopped stove length sticks In tw'
and had charred them In the black
smith shop. as car blocks are treated
AT two o'clock Jack TAFT hifchet
the white horses to a light sleigh
tossed the freshly made blocks In. am
drove of. chewing rapidly
John went II with the loads, ant
when he dropped off at the crossins
Nay-Bili looked at him in%quIringly.
Jim and his wife. here. are goina
to paint Shoestring tonIghtt I" John
laughed. I just wanted to see thai
you got up the hump. Jack Talt's
bringing In a team and I'll ride back
with him. S'longi Have a good
time, Jim, and buy the mIssus pop
corn! Where do you hide the KEY. In
case | want to get warm7s
@On top the door casing to the left
fright Good luck. |"
He stood there as the train broke
over TO the down grade, rocking In the
late afternoon stiffness towards Shoe
string.
1T WAS very quiet : a light snnw was
falling. flakes large and feathery. blot
ting out the tracks men had made not
long before. He strolled down the
main line, down we the break, on FOR
twenty rods. There he paused.
~Red right and left and nodded
grimly.
At dusk he heard Jack TAFT coming
and walked out to meet him.
Wen carry the blocks over he
said. This snow might stop; rnnner
tracks wouldn't be so good. Horse
tracks are harder to trace"
While Jack fed his team John went
Jim's house and telephoned. A
private line this, with no chance OF a
central operator o~verhearing. He
called for the mill foremanss Office.
and when Roberts answered. said
ITS Steele. Roberts. How do things
standy'
Not so goodi We've only got thirty
thousand In the yards tonight and IFS
showing here
Now listen: and don't ask oues-
Get your supper as soon as Won
come back to your Office and
by the telephone"
20. k answered the man.
Steele and Jack ate a cold meal
hastily and went outside. From the
sleigh they carried arm loads OF
blocks and strung them along
he track down beyond the break In
he grade. This done, Jack took the
svener from his sleigh, hooked q deck-
ng chain to It and drove his team
lcross the tracks to the long line OF
& Gorbel loads waiting on
he switch.
The wings Of the pillow had showed |
snow back to give ample room
'ack hooked his chain to the arch har .
II the first cars front trucks while
ohm knocked the blocks from the
wheels and mounted the car. crashing
he brake wheel.
"All right" he said, and Jack spoke
0 his horses. They leaned into the
strained, hung, and then the
slowly started to move.
With the wheels once turning 1t was
asy. Out on to the main line they
and John set the brake grad
ally, driving the shoes tighter against
he wheels as the grade became pro-
ounced-
STEADY now. She wants to
,ll |" He raj straining on the wheel
18th all his weight
Jack pulled In his team until slack
I the chain dangled In the snow. un-
seized a block and held 1t on
lie rail before the wheel while the
munched into Its charred surface.
Its own length then, the car anne
a grudging halt Quickly they thrust
ore blocks in place and turned the
am backward
Down they came with another car,
speating the process, careful to let 1t
lse most gently against the first they
Id moved. blocking 1t securely. max
z the coupling fast Back again. -.
They spoke but little and then in I'M
though they were miles from
her ears. Snow fell faster. Ankle
.ep, shin deep. light. fuzzy fakes fell
The last car went into place; the
lal coupling was made.
"Get your team back to the sleigh