Orde,aftertherearwaswellstarted,patrolledthelengthofthedriveinhislightbuckboard。Hehadafirst—classteamofyounghorses——high—spirited,somewhatfractious,butcapableonapinchoftheirhundredmilesinaday。Hehandledthemwellovertheroughcorduroysandswamproads。Fromjamtorearandbackagainhetravelled,pausingontheriverbankstoconverseearnestlywithoneoftheforemen,surveyingthesituationwiththebird’s—eyeviewofthegeneral。Attimesheremainedatonecampforseveraldayswatchingthetrendofthework。Theimprovementsmadeduringtheprecedingsummergavehimthegreatestsatisfaction,especiallytheapronatthefalls。
\"We’dhavehadadozenbadjamsherebeforenowwithalltheselogsintheriver,\"saidhetoTimNolan,whowasinchargeofthatbeat。
\"Andasitis,\"saidTim,\"we’vehadbuttheonelittlewingjam。\"
Thepierstodefinethechannelalongcertainshallowsalsosavedtherearcrewmuchlabourinthematterofstrandedlogs。
Everythingwasverysatisfactory。EvenoldmanReedheldtohischastenedattitude,andmadenotrouble。Infact,heseemedgladtoturnanhonestpennybyboardingthesmallcrewinchargeofsluicingthelogs。
NotroublewasexperienceduntilHeinzman’srollwayswerereached。
HereOrdehad,ashehadpromisedhispartner,boomedafreechanneltopreventHeinzmanfromfillinguptheentireriver—bedwithhisrollways。Whenthejamofthedrivehaddescendedtheriverasfarasthis,OrdefoundthatHeinzmanhadnotyetbeguntobreakout。
HardlyhadOrde’sfirstcrewpassed,however,whenHeinzman’smenbegantobreakdownthelogsintothedrive。Longbeforetherearhadcaughtup,allHeinzman’sdrivewasinthewater,inextricablymingledwiththesixtyoreightymillionfeetOrdehadincharge。
Thesituationwasplain。AllHeinzmannowhadtodowastoretainasmallcrew,whichshouldfollowaftertherearinordertosackwhatlogsthelattershouldleavestranded。Thisamountedpracticallytonothing。Asitwasimpossibleinsogreatamassoftimbers,andinthehasteofapressinglabour,todistinguishordiscriminateagainstanysinglebrand,Heinzmanwasinafairwaytogethislogssentdownstreamwithpracticallynoexpense。
\"Vell,myboy,\"remarkedtheGermanquitefranklytoOrdeastheymetontheroadoneday,\"lookslikeIgotyoudistime,eh?\"
Ordelaughed,alsowithentiregood—humour。
\"Ifyoumeanyourlogsaregoingdownwithours,whyIguessyouhave。Butyoupastethisinyourhat:you’regoingtokeepawfulbusy,andit’sgoingtocostyousomethingyettoget’emdown。\"
ToNewmark,ononeofhisoccasionalvisitstothecamps,Ordedetailedthesituation。
\"Itdoesn’tamounttomuch,\"saidhe,\"exceptthatitcomplicatesmatters。We’llmakehimscratchgravel,ifwehavetositupnightsandworkovertimetodoit。Wecan’tinjurehimorleavehislogs,butwecanannoyhimalot。\"
Thestateofaffairswasperfectlywellknowntothemen,andtheentireriverenteredintothespiritofthecontest。Thedriverskeptasharplookoutfor\"H\"logs,andwheneverpossiblethrustthemasideintoeddiesandbackwaters。This,ofcourse,merelymadeworkforthesackersHeinzmanhadleftabovetherear。Soontheywereinchargeofaveryfairlittledriveoftheirown。Theirlotwasnotenviable。Indeed,onlythepressureofworkpreventedsomeofthemoreaggressiveofOrde’srear——amongwhomcouldbenumberedtheRoughRed——fromgoingbackand\"cleaningout\"thisimpertinentbandofhangers—on。Onedaytwoofthelatter,conductingthejamoftheminiaturedriveastern,camewithinreachoftheRoughRed。Thelatterhadlingeredinhopesofrescuinghispeavy,whichhadgoneoverboard。Toloseone’speavyis,amongrivermen,themostmortifyingdisgrace。Consequently,theRoughRedwasinafitmoodfortrouble。Heattackedthetwosingle—handed。Adesperatebattleensued,whichlastedupwardofanhour。Thetworivermenpunched,kicked,andbatteredtheRoughRedinamannertotearhisclothes,deprivehimtosomeextentofredwhiskers,bloodyhisface,cuthisshoulder,andknockloosetwoteeth。TheRoughRed,morethantheequalofeithermansingly,hadreciprocatedinkind。Orde,drivingintowardtherearfromadetourtoavoidaswamp,heard,anddescendedfromhisbuckboard。Tyinghishorsestotrees,hemadehiswaythroughthebrushtothesceneofconflict。Sowindedandweariedwerethebelligerentsbynowthathehadnodifficultyinseparatingthem。Hesurveyedtheirwreckswithasardonichalfsmile。
\"Icallthisadraw,\"saidhefinally。Hisattitudebecamethreateningasthetwoup—rivermen,recoveringsomewhat,showeduglysymptoms。\"Git!\"hecommanded。\"Scat!Iguessyoudon’tknowme。I’mJackOrde。JimmyandItogethercoulddoadozenofyou。\"
Hemenacedthemuntil,muttering,theyhadturnedaway。
\"Well,Jimmy,\"saidhehumorously,\"youlookasifyou’dbeenrunthroughathrashingmachine。\"
\"Thosefellersmakemesick!\"growledtheRoughRed。
Ordelookedhimoveragain。
\"Youlooksick,\"saidhe。
Whenthebuckboarddrewintocamp,OrdesentBourkeawaytorepairdamageswhilehecalledthecookeetohelpunpackseveralheavyboxesofhardware。Theyprovedtocontainaboutthirtysmallhatchets,wellsharpened,andeachwithaleatherguard。Whentherearcrewhadcomeinthatnight,Ordedistributedthehatchets。
\"Boys,\"saidhe,\"whileyou’reonthework,Iwantyoualltokeepawatch—outforthese\"H\"logs,andwheneveryoustrikeoneIwantyoutoblazeitplainly,sotherewon’tbeanymistakeaboutit。\"
\"Whatfor?\"askedoneoftheSaginawmenashereceivedhishatchet。
Buttherivermanwhosquattednextnudgedhimwithhiselbow。
\"ThelessquestionsyouaskJack,themoreanswersyou’llget。Justdowhatyou’retoldtoonthisriverandyou’llseefunsure。\"
ThreedayslatertherearcrewranintotheheadofthepondaboveReed’sdam。Toeveryone’ssurprise,Ordecalledahaltontheworkandannouncedaholiday。
Now,holidaysareunknownondrive。Barelyistimeallowedforeatingandsleeping。Nevertheless,allthatdaythemenlayaboutincompleteidleness,smoking,talking,sleepinginthewarmsun。
Theriver,silencedbytheclosedsluice—gates,sleptalso。Thepondfilledwithlogs。Fromabove,thecurrent,aidedbyafairwind,wasdrivingdownstillotherlogs——theforerunnersofthelittledriveastern。Atsightofthese,someofthemengrumbled。
\"We’relosin’whatwemade,\"saidthey。\"Weleftthemlogs,andsorted’emoutoncealready。\"
Ordesentacoupleofaxe—mentoblazethenewcomers。Alittlebeforesundownheorderedthesluice—gatesofthedamopened。
\"Nightwork,\"saidthementooneanother。Theyknew,ofcourse,thatinsluicinglogs,thegatemustbeopenacoupleofhoursbeforethesluicingbeginsinordertofilltheriver—bedbelow。
Logsrunaheadfasterthanthewaterspreads。
Sureenough,aftersupperOrdesuddenlyappearedamongthem,thewell—knowndevilofmischiefdancinginhiseyesandbroadeninghisgood—naturedface。
\"Getorganised,boys,\"saidhebriskly。\"We’vegottogetthispondallsluicedbeforemorning,andthere’senoughofusheretohustleitrightalong。\"
Thementooktheirplaces。Ordemovedhereandthere,givinghisdirections。
\"Sluicethrougheverythingbutthe\"H\"logs,\"hecommanded。\"Workthemofftotheleftandleavethem。\"
Twilight,thendark,fell。Afterafewmomentsthemoon,thenjustpastitsfull,rosebehindthenew—buddingtrees。Thesluicing,undertheimpetusofabigcrew,wentrapidly。
\"Ibetthere’smightynearamillionanhourgoingthroughthere,\"
speculatedOrde,watchingthesmooth,swift,butburdenedwatersofthechute。
Andinthisworkthemendistinguishedeasilythenewwhiteblaze—
marksonHeinzman’slogs;sotheywereablewithouthesitationtoshuntthemonesideintothesmootherwater,asOrdehadcommanded。
Abouttwoo’clockthelastlogshotthrough。
\"Now,boys,\"saidOrde,\"tearoutthebooms。\"
Thechutetothedamwasapproached,ashasbeenearlierexplained,bytworowsofboomsarrangedinaV,orfunnel,theapexofwhichemptiedintothesluice—way,andthewide,projectingarmsofwhichembracedthewidthofthestream。Thelogs,floatingdownthepond,werethusconcentratedtowardthesluice。Also,therivermen,walkingbackandforththelengthofthebooms,wereableeasilytokeepthedrivemoving。
Now,however,Ordeunchainedtheseboomlogs。Themenpushedthemashore。Thereasmanyascouldfindroomoneithersidetheboom—
polesclampedintheirpeavies,and,usingtheseimplementsashandles,carriedtheboomssomedistancebackintothewoods。Theneverybodytrampedbackandforth,roundandabout,toconfusethetrail。Ordewaslikeamischievousboyataschoolprank。Whenthelasttimberhadbeenconcealed,helifteduphisdeepvoiceinaroarofjoy,inwhichthecrewjoined。
Nowlet’sturninforalittlesleep,\"saidbe。
Thissituation,perhapsalittlecloudyinthereader’smind,wouldhaveclearedcouldhehavelookedoutoverthedampondthefollowingmorning。TheblazedlogsbelongingtoHeinzman,driftingslowly,hadsuckeddownintothecornertowardthepowercanalwhere,caughtagainstthegrating,theyhadjammed。Theselogswouldhavetobefloatedsingly,andpushedonebyoneagainstthecurrentacrossthepondandintotheinfluenceofthesluice—gate。
Someofthemwouldbehardtocomeat。
\"Iguessthatwillkeepthembusyforadayortwo,\"commentedOrde,ashefollowedthereardowntowhereitwassackingbelowthedam。
This,asOrdehadsaid,wouldbesufficientlyannoyingtoHeinzman,butwouldhavelittlerealeffectonthemainissue,whichwasthattheGermanwasgettingdownhislogswithacrewoflessthanadozenmen。Nevertheless,Orde,inavastspiritoffun,tookdelightininventingandexecutingpracticaljokesofthegeneralsortjustdescribed。Forinstance,atonespotwherehehadboomedthedeeperchannelfromtherocksoneitherside,heshuntedasmanyofHeinzman’slogsascamebyhandilythroughanopeninghehadmadeinthebooms。Theretheygroundedontheshallows——moreworkforthemenfollowing。Manyofthelogsinchargeofthelatter,however,catchingthefreecurrent,overtooktherear,sothatthenumberofthe\"H\"logsinthedrivewasnotmateriallydiminished。
Atfirst,ashasbeenhinted,thesevarioustacticshadlittleeffect。Oneday,however,thechoreboy,whohadbeenovertoSpruceRapidsaftermail,reportedthatanadditionalcrewoftwentyhadbeensentintoHeinzman’sdrive。Thiswasgratifying。
\"We’remakinghimscratchgravel,boys,anyway,\"saidOrde。
Themenenteredintothespiritofthething。Infact,theirenthusiasmwasalmosttooexuberant。Ordehadconstantlytonegativenewandingeniousschemes。
\"No,boys,\"saidhe,\"Iwanttokeepontherightsideofthelaw。
Wemayneeditlater。\"
Meanwhiletheentirelengthoftheriverwasbusyandexcited。
Heinzman’slogswereallblazedinsideaweek。Themenpassedthehatchetsalongtheline,andslimchancedidamarkedloghaveofrescueoncethepoorthingfellintodifficulties。Withthestrangeandinterestingtendencyrivermenandwoodsmenhaveofpersonifyingtheelementsoftheirdailywork,themenaddressedthehelplesstimbersintonesofcontempt。
\"Thoughtyou’dridethatrock,you————————————,\"saidthey,\"andgotleft,didyou?Well,liethereandbe————toyou!\"
Andifchanceoffered,andtimewasnotpressing,therivermanwouldgivehishelplessvictimajerkorsointoamoredifficultposition。Timesofrisingwater——whenthesluice—gatesabovehadbeenopened——werethemostprolificofopportunities。Logsrarelyjamonrisingwater,forthesimplereasonthatconstantlythesurfaceareaoftheriverisincreasing,thustendingtoseparatethelogs。Ontheotherhand,fallingwater,tendingtocrowdthedriveclosertogether,isespeciallyprolificoftrouble。
Therefore,onfloodwaterthewatchersscatteredalongthestretchesoftheriverhadlittletodo——savestrandHeinzman’slogsforhim。
Andwhenfloodwaterhadpassed,someofthoselogswerecertainlyhighanddry。
Uptoacertainpointthiswasallverywell。Ordetookpainsnottocountenanceitofficially,andcausedwordtobepassedabout,thatwhilehedidnotexpecthismentohelpdriveHeinzman’slogs,theymustnotgooutoftheirwaytostrandthem。
\"Ifthingsgettoobad,he’llhavespiesdownheretocollectevidenceonus,\"saidOrde,\"andhe’lljugsomeofusforinterferencewithhisproperty。Wedon’towntheriver。\"
\"Howaboutthembooms?\"askedtheRoughRed。
\"Ididownthem,\"explainedOrde,\"andIhadarighttotakethemupwhenIhadfinishedwiththem。\"
Thishintwasenough。Themendidnotceasefromalabourthattickledthemmightily,buttheyadoptedacodeofsignals。
Strangerswerenotuncommon。Spectatorscameoutoftenfromthelittletownsandfromthefarmsround—about。Whenoneoftheseappearedtherivermannearestraisedalongfalsettocry。Thiswastakenupbyhisnextneighbourandpassedon。Inafewminutesallthatsectionofthedriveknewthatitwouldbewiseto\"lielow。\"
AndinsideoftwoweeksOrdehadthegreatsatisfactionoflearningthatHeinzmanwasworking——andworkinghard——acrewoffiftymen。
\"Aprettyfaircrew,evenifhewastakingouthiswholedrive,\"
commentedOrde。
Thegodsofluckseemedtobewiththenewenterprise。AlthoughOrdehad,ofcourse,takentheutmostpainstoforeseeeverycontingencypossibletoguardagainst,nevertheless,asalwayswhendealingwithNature’slargerforces,heanticipatedsomeofthosegiganticobstacleswhichcontinuallyrenderuncertainwildernesswork。Nothingofthekindhappened。Thereformednoneofthetremendouswhite—waterjamsthatpileupseveralmillionfeetoflogs,taxeveryresourceofmen,horses,andexplosives,andrequireaweekorsotobreak。Nomenwerekilled,andonlytwoinjured。
Nounexpectedfloodssweptawayworksonwhichthedrivedepended。
Thewaterheldouttocarrythelaststickoftimberovertheshallowestrapids。Weatherconditionswerephenomenal——andperfect。
Allupanddowntherivertheworkwentwiththatvimanddashthatisinitselfanassuranceofsuccess。TheHeinzmanaffair,whichunderauspicesofevilaugurymighthavebecomeaseriousmenacetothesuccessoftheyoungundertaking,nowservedmerelytoaddaspiceofhumourtothesituation。Amongthemengainedcurrencyahalf—affectionatebeliefin\"Orde’sluck。\"
Afterthishappyfashionthedrivewent,untilatlastitenteredthebroad,deep,andnavigablestretchesoftheriverfromReddingtothelake。Here,barringtheaccidentofanextraordinaryflood,thetroubleswereover。Onthebroad,placidbosomofthestreamthelogswouldfloat。Acrew,following,woulddotheeasyworkofsackingwhatlogswouldstrandoreddyinthelazycurrent;wouldrollintothefasterwatersthecomponentpartsofwhatwerebycourtesycalledjams,butwhichwereinrealitypile—upsofafewhundredlogsonsandbarsmid—stream;andinthegrowingtepidwarmthofsummerwouldtramppleasantlyalongtherivertrail。Ofcourse,adryyearwouldmakenecessaryalargercrewandmorelabour;ofcourse,abigfloodmightsweepthelogspastalldefencesintothelakeforanirretrievableloss。Butsuchfloodscomeonceinacentury,andeventhedryestofdryyearscouldnotnowhangthedrive。AsOrdesatinhisbuckboard,readytogointotownforafirstglimpseofCarrollinmorethantwomonths,hegazedwithanimmensesatisfactionoverthebroadrivermovingbrownandglacier—likeasthoughthelogsthatcovereditwereviscidandcomposedallitssubstance。Theenterprisewaspracticallyassuredofsuccess。
ForawhilenowOrdewastohaveabreathingspell。Alargenumberofmenwereherelaidoff。Theremainder,underthedirectionofJimDenning,wouldrequirelittleornoactualsupervision。UntilthejamshouldhavereachedthedistributingboomsaboveMonrovia,theaffairwasverysimple。Beforeheleft,however,hecalledDenningtohim。
\"Jim,\"saidhe,\"I’llbedowntoseeyouthroughthesluicewaysatRedding,ofcourse。Butnowthatyouhaveagood,stillstretchofriver,Iwantyoutohavetheboysletuponsackingoutthose\"H\"
logs。AndIwantyoutoincludeinourdrivealltheHeinzmanlogsfromaboveyoupossiblycan。Ifyoucanfixit,lettheirdrivedriftdownintoours。
\"Thenwe’llhavetodrivetheirlogsforthem,\"objectedDenning。
\"Sure,\"rejoinedOrde,\"butit’seasydriving;andifthatcrewofhishasn’tmuchtodo,perhapshe’lllaymostofthemoffhereatRedding。\"
Denninglookedathisprincipalforamoment,thenaslowgrinoverspreadhisface。Withoutcommentheturnedbacktocamp,andOrdetookuphisreins。
XXV
Oh,I’msoGLADtogetyouback!\"criedCarrolloverandoveragain,assheclungtohim。\"Idon’tlivewhileyou’reaway。Andeverydropofrainthatpattersontheroofchillsmyheart,becauseI
thinkofitaschillingyou;andeverycreakofthisoldhouseatnightbringsmeupbroadawake,becauseIhearinitthecrashofthosecruelgreattimbers。Oh,oh,OH!I’msogladtogetyou!
You’rethelightofmylife;you’remywholelifeitself!\"——shesmiledathimfromherperchonhisknee——\"I’msilly,amInot?\"shesaid。\"Deargheart,don’tleavemeagain。\"
\"I’vegottosupportanextravagantwife,youknow,\"Orderemindedhergravely。
\"Iknow,ofcourse,\"shebreathed,bendinglightlytohim。\"Youhaveyourworkintheworldtodo,andIwouldnothaveitotherwise。Itisgreatwork——wonderfulwork——I’vebeenaskingquestions。\"
Ordelaughed。
\"It’swork,justlikeanyother。Andit’shardwork,\"saidhe。
Sheshookherheadathimslowly,amysterioussmileonherlips。
Withoutexplainingherthought,sheslippedfromhiskneeandglidedacrosstothetallgoldenharp,whichhadbeenbroughtfromMonrovia。Thelightanddiaphanoussilkofherloosepeignoirfloatedabouther,definingthematuringgraceofherfigure。
Abruptlyshestruckagreatcrashingchord。
Then,withanabandonofecstasysheplungedintooneofthosewildandsea—blownsaga—likerhapsodiesoftheHungarians,fullofthewindinrigging,thestorminthepines,ofshrieking,vastforceshurtlingunchainedthrougharesoundingandinfinitespace,asthoughdeepdowninprimevalnaturethepowersoftheworldhadbeenloosed。Backandforth,hereandthere,erraticandswiftandsuddenaslightningthethemeplayedbreathless。Itfell。
\"Whatisthat?\"gaspedOrde,surprisedtofindhimselftense,hisbloodrioting,hissoulstirred。
Sherantohimtohideherfaceinhisneck。
\"Oh,it’syou,you,you!\"shecried。
Heheldhertohimcloselyuntilherexcitementhaddied。
\"Doyouthinkitisgoodtogetquitesonervous,sweetheart?\"heaskedgently,then。\"Remember——\"
\"Oh,Ido,Ido!\"shebrokeinearnestly。\"EverymomentofmywakingandsleepinghoursIrememberhim。AlwaysIkeephislittlesoulbeforemeasalightonashrine。Butto—night——oh!to—nightI
couldlaughandshoutaloudlikethepeopleintheBible,withclappingofhands。\"ShesnuggledherselfclosetoOrdewithalittlemurmurofhappiness。\"Ithinkofallthebeautifulthings,\"
shewhispered,\"andofthenoblethings,andofthegreatthings。
Heisgoingtobesturdy,likehisfather;awonderfulboy,aboyalloffire——\"
\"Likehismother,\"saidOrde。
Shesmiledupathim。\"Iwanthimjustlikeyou,dear,\"shepleaded。
XXVI
ThreedayslaterthejamofthedrivereachedthedamatRedding。
OrdetookCarrolldowntowninthebuckboard。Thereaseatbythedam—watcher’slittlehousewasgivenher,backofthebrickfactorybuildingsnextthepowercanal,whenceforhoursshewatchedtheslowonwardmovementofthesullenbrowntimbers,thesmooth,polished—steelrushofthewatersthroughthechute,thegracefulcertainmovementsoftherivermen。SomeofthelatterwerebroughtupbyOrdeandintroduced。Theywereveryawkward,andsomewhatembarrassed,buttheyalllookedherstraightintheeye,andCarrollfeltsomehowthatbackoftheirdiffidencetheywerequitedispassionatelyappraisingher。Afterafewgraciousspeechesonherpartandmonosyllabicresponsesontheirs,theyblunderedaway。
Inspiteofthescantcommunication,theseinterviewsleftsomethingofafriendlyfeelingonbothsides。
\"IlikeyourJimDenning,\"shetoldOrde;\"he’sanice,clean—cutfellow。AndMr。Bourke,\"shelaughed。\"Isn’thefunnywithhisfierceredbeardandhislittleeyes?Buthesimplyadoresyou。\"
OrdelaughedattheideaoftheRoughRed’sadoringanybody。
\"It’sso,\"sheinsisted,\"andIlikehimforit——onlyIwishhewerealittlecleaner。\"
Shethoughtthefeatsof\"log—riding\"littlelessthanwonderful,andyoumaybesuretheknowledgeofherpresencedidnotdiscouragespectaculardisplay。Finally,JohnnyChallan,utteringaloudwhoop,leapedaboardalogandwentthroughthechutestandingboltupright。Byamarvelofagility,hekepthisbalancethroughthewhite—waterbelow,andemergedfinallyintothelowerwatersstillproudlyupright,anddryabovetheknees。
Carrollhadarisen,thebettertosee。
\"Why,\"shecriedaloud,\"it’smarvellous!Circusridingisnothingtoit!\"
\"No,ma’am,\"repliedagiganticrivermanwhowasworkingnearathand,\"thatain’tnothin’。Ordinary,however,wetravelthatwayontheriver。Atnightwehavethecookeepassusouteachagoose—
ha’rpiller,andlaydownforthenight。\"
Carrolllookedathiminreproof。Hegrinnedslowly。
\"Don’tgitworriedaboutme,ma’am,\"saidhe,\"I’mhopeless。FortwentyyearnowIbeenwearin’crapeonmyhatinmemoryofmydepartedvirtues。\"
AftertherearhaddroppeddownriverfromRedding,CarrollandOrdereturnedtotheirdesertedlittleboxofahouseatMonrovia。
Ordebreatheddeepofanewsatisfactioninwalkingagainthestreetsofthislittlesandy,sawdust—paved,shantyfiedtown,withitsyellowhillsanditswideblueriveranditsglimpseofthelakefarintheoffing。Ithadnevermeantanythingtohimbefore。Nowheenjoyedeverybrickandboardofit;hetrodthebroken,aromaticshinglesoftheroadwaywithpleasure;hetrampedupthebroadstairsanddownthedarkhalloftheblockwithanticipation;hebreathedthecompoundedofficeodourofledgers,cocoamatting,andoldcigarsmokeinalong,reminiscentwhiff;hetookhisseatathisroll—topdesk,enchantedtobeagaininthesehomelythoughfamiliarsurroundings。
\"HangedifIknowwhat’sstruckme,\"hemused。\"Neverexperiencedanyremarkablejoybeforeingettingbacktothissortoftruck。\"
Then,withawarmglowattheheart,therealisationwasbroughttohim。Thiswashome,andoveryonder,undertheshadowoftheheaven—pointingspire,aslipofagirlwaswaitingforhim。
Hetriedtotellherthiswhennexthesawher。
\"IfeltthatIoughttomakeyoualittleshrine,andburncandlestoyou,thewaytheCatholicsdo——\"
\"TotheMaterDolorosa?\"shemocked。
Helookedatherdarkeyessofullofthesweetnessofcontent,athersensitivelipswiththequaintlyupturnedcorners,andhethouhtofwhatherhomelifehadbeenandoftherealsorrowthatevenyetmustsmouldersomewheredowninthedeepsofherbeing。
\"No,\"saidheslowly,\"notthat。IthinkmyshrinewillbededicatedtoOurLadyoftheJoyousSoul。\"
TherestoftheweekOrdewasabsentuptheriver,superintendinginageneralwaythelatterprogressofthedrive,lookingintotheneedsofthecrews,arrangingforsupplies。Themillswereallworkingnow,busilycuttingintotheresidueoflastseason’slogs。
Soontheywouldneedmore。
Attheboomseverythingwasinreadinesstoreceivethejam。Thelongswingarmslantingacrosstheriverchannelwasattachedtoitswinchwhichwouldoperateit。Whenshutitwouldclosethemainchannelandshuntintotheboomsthelogsfloatingintheriver。
There,pennedatlastbythepilesdriveninarowandheldtogetheratthetopbyboltedtimbers,theywouldliequiet。Menarmedwithpike—poleswouldthentakeuptheworkofdistributionaccordingtothebrandsstampedontheends。Eachbrandhaditsownseparate\"sortingpens,\"thelowerendleadingagainintotheopenriver。
Fromtheseeachowner’spropertywasraftedandtowedtohisprivateboomsathismillbelow。
Ordespentthedaybeforethejamappearedinconstructingwhathecalleda\"boomerang。\"
\"Inventionofmyown,\"heexplainedtoNewmark。Secretinventionjustyet。I’mgoingtoholdupthedriveinthemainriveruntilwehavethingsbunched,thenI’mgoingtothrowabigcrewdownherebytheswing。Heinzmananticipates,ofcourse,thatI’llruntheentiredriveintotheboomsanddoallmysortingthere。Naturally,ifIturnhislogslooseintotheriverasfastasIrunacrossthem,hewillbeabletopickthemuponeatatime,forhe’llonlygetthemoccasionally。IfIkeepthemuntileverythingelseissorted,onlyHeinzman’slogswillremain;andaswehavenorighttoholdlogs,we’llhavetoturnthemloosethroughthelowersortingbooms,wherehecanbereadytoraftthem。Inthatwayhegetsthemallrightwithoutpayingusacent。See?\"
\"Yes,Isee,\"saidNewmark。
\"Well,\"saidOrde,withalaugh,\"hereiswhereIfoolhim。I’mgoingtorushthedriveintotheboomsallatonce,butI’mgoingtosortoutHeinzman’slogsattheseopeningsneartheentranceandturnthemintothemainchannel。\"
\"Whatgoodwillthatdo?\"askedNewmarksceptically。\"Hegetsthemsortedjustthesame,doesn’the?\"
\"Thecurrent’sfairlystrong,\"Ordepointedout,\"andtheriver’salmightywide。Whenyouspringsevenoreightmillionfeetonaman,allatonceandunexpected,andhewithnocrewtohandlethem,he’sgoingtokeepalmightybusy。Andifhedon’tstopthemthissidehismill,he’llhavetoraftandtowthemback;andifhedon’tstop’emthissidethelake,hemayaswellkissthemallgoodbye——
exceptthosethatdriftintothebayousandinletsandmarshes,andotherungodlyplaces。\"
\"Isee,\"saidNewmarkdrily。
\"Butdon’tsayawordanywhere,\"warnedOrde。\"Secrecyisthewatchwordofsuccesswiththismerrylittlejoke。\"