White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1936-12-24
CHAPTER xIV-continued


Doug came furiously into sight
around the bend, preceded by the
roar of the wheels on the infirm
tracks.
"It's Doug Mason. He's gone
plum crazy" Abral said.
While he was yet speaking, the
heavy load struck weak joint in
the wooden rails in the middle Of
the curve and plunged down the
foot of the hill to the creek bank.
They rolled the worthless log
from his torn body and carried him
bleeding to the camp. Spared must
hurry.
There was nothing much Spared
could do for the left hand, flattened
and punctured, with the white brok-
en- bones, hanging by single string
of skin at the wrist. The left eye
was struck too hard by the heavy
links of the log chain, and was no
longer an eye.
Spared did we'll by him with his
turpentine and salve and CASTLE
soap. When the worst Of pain had
passed, they carried him out of the
bunk in the lumber camp to his
own house. A moan came sometimes
from his lips out of his control.
He would twitch the handless stump
of his arm, his teeth grinding, and
stare at the blank wall with a bit
ter eye.
His mother, hobbling about on
her poor legs, and his sister Hes
sic did the weeping. 4:
Cynthia, preparing things to bear
to the Masons, riding down: Wolf
pen ant Cannon Greek with them
on the Finemare, kept thinking over
and over, worrying and regretting
are what you can't help and they
don't, make things a bit different.
But a body can't hardly see why
things in the world can be the way
they sometimes are. Seems like
there has been a plague on this
year that just hangs around Dry
Creek Hollow waiting to reach out
and do everybody an i'll turn. I'm
downright sorry about DOUG
December was dreary and full of
heaviness. 1t was as if the sorrow
for Doug Mason had taken visible
form over the houses. Day after
day the thick clouds lay on the hills.
All day long the house was as
quiet as death. Shellenberger was
still away down the river some
where getting ready for the RATS
in the spring. Jasper was busy in
the hollows and at the barn. Abral
went each day to Dry Greek.
Nearly every day Spared would
go down to see Doug, and when
Cynthia asked about him, replied :
''Poorly, Cynthia, he's getting well,
but he's in bad shape. And he's
that proud he won't let anybody see
him only me-
They were trying days, and they
trailed one another through the
gloom. Then Jesse came one warm
weekend when the wind blew into
the hollows and pressed the rain
from the clouds, driving them from
before the sun. The darkness lifted
for moment, the grass looked uI
wondering and the birds sang
Jesse was happy. He filled the
house with his enthusiasm and good
will. He talked about the law anC
the lawsuits pending next term Of
court, of the people and the activ
ity Of Pikeville, feeling himself NJ
longer a spectator but part of it
He described the new brick Jail tt
be built on the lower corner Of tn,
courthouse square, the new Baptis
church by the Institute, the genera
store the George Brothers wer,
putting up, the stone sidewalks be
ing laid all through the town, an,
the talk about even lighting up tn
streets at night. He could see al
this progress from Tandy Morgan