Evening star., 1934-01-28


Pinetop In the track Of the
b6ixard snapped the hounds OF frost.
It'll be fine weather now on the eyes,, SAID
Make Hyatt to the lone supper customer left at
the counter of the Elite Eats House. by night
. fan the stars will be sparkling out"
II reckon" agreed Smoky Dyer.
II like a morning when it clears after snow
storm" Maize mused on. "A frost-white sun
rise. and such shine on the snowy woods! It
gives me notions
Smoky Dyer was a hobo logger He had felt
such things. Every natural woodsman leelS
them But Smoky was no hand at putting pine
land beauty into words Besides. now that they
were alone for q minute he must break oao
news to Maize. It came hard.
"Ihe river will likely be ice-locked by morn
ing" he said woodenly. TN through.
hckout."
.You mean-Jeff Cable has fred YOU Smoky?"
he nodded once. Silence between them.
Hammer beat ticks from the wall clock The
pouderous tramp and hefty grrnts Of Mr.. Proto-
kopolis in the kitchen sounded like thunder 70
Smoky's ears Slowly he forced his gaze around.
Il oawled along the battered counter, was heio
hv his hands by Mazies, which were moving
toward his own.
The knotty paws of man who lived BY hard
labor The fists of fighter the oversiaeo
knuckles bulging back from the fingers
The rough and Redeemed hands OF girl VINO
hyod by hard labor hands coarsened by singing
hash, wrestling crockery, securing pots
hobo logger and lunch room waitress. Two
human souls caught in the same LIE trap
Workers Owning no gift, no force, to be any
thing more, ever. But they asked notnh3 ese.
Just to work and be let alone.
In the case of Maize Hyatt and Smoky Dyer
the common problem had human drama IN It,
Maize had revolted against dismal rouno OF
drudgery, and her revolt had brought her the
name of being one of the bad girls OF Plnetop
"a
town on q northbound freight and was launcneo
On the cinders from the business end OF
brakeman's boot.
And Smoky Well. Smoky but now Maize
made him say It.
"Was it that jeff found out, boy?" she de-
mAnded.
ssWhat else?" said Smoky, in that wooden
vay. He said, This town won't stand for no
- iaiibird. Dyer, you get out and stay out III
see that you do-jailbird.' That was what
be said"
~ROCKERY clattered along the counter
- for Mr. Protokopolis had beloved from
The kitchen for Maize to get busy, tamn
aueeck" She listlessly gathered up the dishes
left by the other night-shift patrons.
Fbr 4 moment the glow Of . ceiling lamp
caught her soft dark hair, touched her brown
eyes, In a glimpse Smoky saw that she wes
winiing her eyelashes hard that her mouth
was q tight quivering line. The thing that wac
like a frozen wood-chunk under his left rios
seemed to melt all OF Suooen ano DuIn up
chokingly into his throat
He shifted his gaze to the front window Hs
saw jeff Gable glaring through the misty glass
So the mill boss had trailed him from the saw
mill office. But the mans glare was Tor MAIZE.
He had already fixed Smoky Dyer Maze
still had her job, and Mr.. Protokopoiis was
stubborn Greek.
rloIln n
mill mechanic on his job. In person he was
q grim, dour rock of self-righteousness. Ills
single passion, apart from his machines, was
for hunting down sin and Staying 1t without
quarter. From the first he had scented the
hellion in Smoky Dyer.
But Dyer had been given chance. Tne
lob Cable offered him was q man-killer or 1t
would not have been open. It was loading the
heavy timbers sawed in the night SHIFT
Smoky was considerably weak 1t the start
from tire hunger and hardships Of hoboing
1000 i-.es. He was lame. His legs were
yet shackle-sore from six months on cnan
gang in the longleaf-pine country Of the South.
Smoky Dyer, half starved, had pilfered spuds
from q grocery store. Six months at hard
labor-slave labor. in shackles. He had taken
it - the luck Of life. His debt paid to society
and the grocer, Smoky had hoboed for Oregon.
THEN, Maize Hyatt. She had fed him when
] he wabbled into the elite She had dug
him up an old macknaw and pair of calked
boots She had tipped him off to the job.
A good kid. Smoky Dyer was nobody to
say that any one was good or bad. But they
didn't crack loose about Maize in the lunch
hour CAB while he was on deck. Not after
two he-gossips had sampled his fists, they
didn't The word got to Maize After that
wen they just clung to each other. And
Smoky worked like the mischief. Holding
that job.
But he was a hobo logger. There was
birthstone in him. JEFF Gable scented it.
Smoky got cocksure and careless. One night,