Jasper County Democrat, Volume 7, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 June 1904 — The Blazed Trail [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Blazed Trail

By STEWART EDWARD WHITE

SYNOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. Chaftek I—Morrison A Daly, lumbermen on the Sagauaw waters of Michigan, drive a hard bargain with Radway, a contractor. II and lll—Harry Thorpe, having left liis dependent sister Helen, at service, tries for work at Morrison & Daly’s, fails and takes a job at choring until he can go to Radway's camp. IV—Thorpe at Radway's making lumber road. The men attempt hazing. Thorpe puts on the gloves and knocks out the champion. V and Vl—Radway running behind owing to slack management. Thorpe a "swamper.” Death of his chum, Paul. The men “chip in for the widow.” Radway goes home for Christmas, leaving Dyer, the scaler, in charge. VII and Vlll—Long delay waiting for roads to freeze. Thorpe hurt and sent to Sisters’ hospital. Radway fails Thorpe out of work. IX—Thorpe demands pay of M. A D. for work done by Radway. The contract was illegal, and the firm have profited by the work done. M. AD. settle the account. X—Thorpe provides for Helen's education and goes into the north woods to locate valuable tract. Makes a friend of Injun Charley and a Chicago boytourist. Wallace Carpenter. XI and Xll—Wallace has capital and helps Thorpe buy land. Dyer, the old scaler for Radway, is out looking for land for M. A D. Thorpe goes to Detroit to head off his rivals' land purchase. XIII and XIV —Wallace sends telegraph order to Thorpe at the land office just in time to head off M. A D. in a $30,000 purchase. M.AD. offer to buy. Thorpe wont sell. War declared. XV and XVl—Tim Shearer, former foreman for M. A D., hires with Thorpe. Thorpe takes forcible possession of a dock M. A D. have built abutting bis new purchase. The rival firms agree to work in harmony. XVII—M. A D. close a gate in the dam above Thorpe's logs. Thorpe puts out a sentinel with a Winchester. Mischief ends, but M. A D. bring two suits aginst Thorpe. XVIII. XIX. XXand XXl—Thorpe has a poor ease in court, but he buys a government tract which M. A D. have robbed of timber, to play off against them. Wallace loses heavilv in speculation, and Thorpe’s firm puts up $60,000 to save him. Five years pass, and Thorpe is bewitched by a dream girl. XXII and XXlll—Hilda Farrand reaches the woods with a party, including Wallace's sister. Hilda is an heiress, and Wallace urges Thorpe to win her. Love in the forest. Hilda saw Thorpe leave Detroit for the woods and always loved him. XXiV—Hilda asks Thorpe to spare the forest where they first met Its sale will save the sinking firm. "Nothing better than love," she says. "Yes. the duty of siu-cees " Thorpe declares. They separate XXV. XX VI. XXVII, and XXVIII—White driving the logs down stream the flood bursts. A dam has been blown up with dynamite. CHAPTER XXlX—Continued. They shrugged their Indifference and arose. This was an affair of caste brotherhood, and the blood of their mates cried out to them. "The work:*’ Thorpe shouted hoarsely. “The work! We must get those logs out! We haven’t time!” Then swiftly between the white, strained face of the madman trying to convince his heart that his mind had been right and the fanatk-ally exalted river men interposed the sanity of Uadway. The old jobber faced tls- men calmly, almost humorously, and somehow the very bigness of the man commanded attention. “You fellows make me sick.” said he. “You haven’t got the sense God gave n rooster. Don’t you see you’re playing right in those fellows' hands? What do you suppose they dynamited them dams for? To kill our boys? They never dreamed we was dry [rickin' that dam. They .sent some krw Bved whelp down there to bang oar drtws, and It looks like they was going to succeed, thanks to you mutton beads. "S’pose you go over and take ’em apart. What then? Then have a scrap. Probably you lick ’em. You whale daylights out of a lot of men who probably don’t know any more about this here shooting of our dame than a bog does about a ruffled shirt Meanwhile your drive hangs. Well? Well, do you suppose the men who were back of that shooting—do you suppose Morrison & Daly give a tinker’s Ham how mahy men of theirs you lick? What they want is to hang our drtre. If they hang our drive, it's cheap at the price of a few black eyes.” The speaker paused and grinned good humoredly at the ntenNs attentive faces. Then suddenly his ewen became grave. “Do you want to know how to get even?” he asked. “Do yaa want to know how to make those fellows sing so small you can’t hear them? Well, I’ll tell you. Take out this drive! Do it in spite of them. Show them they're no good when they buck up against Thorpe’s One. Our boys died doing their duty, the way a river man ought to. Now hump yourselves! Don’t let them die in vain!” The crew stirred uneafiUjt, looking at each other for approval off the conversion each had experienoad. Radway turned easily toward tbs blaze. “Better turn in, boys, axrt get some sleep,” he said. “We’ve got a hard day tomorrow.” He stooped to light his pipe at the fire. Wlren be had again straightened his back, after rather a prolonged Interval the group had already disintegrated. A tarn minutes later, the cookee scattered 'fbe brands of the fire from before « sleeping camp. Before daylight Injun, dknfey drifted into camp to find Tbtgpe already out With a curt nod the Zreßan seated himself by the fire and, producing a square plug of tobacco arid a knife, began leisurely to fill his Finally Injun Charley spoke in this red man’s clear cut imitative Engthfig a pause between each sentence. “I find trail three mens said he. “Both dam, thred men. One man go down river. Those men have cork boot One man no have cod hoot He boss." The Indian suddenly ttaw bis chin out his bead back, and half closed his eyes in a cynical squint As by a flash Dyer, the scaler, leered insolently from behind the Indian’s stolid mask. “How do you know?" said Thorpe. For answer the Indian threw his shoulders forward in Dyec*s nervous fashion. •

“He make trail big by the toe, light by the heel. He make trail big an inside.” Charley arose and walked after Dyer's springy fashion, illustrating his point in the soft wood ashes of the Immediate fireside. Thorpe looked doubtful. “I believe yon are right, Charley," said he. “But it is mighty little to go on. You can’t be sure.” *T sure,” replied Charley. He puffed strongly at the heel of his smoke, then arose and without farewell disappeared in the forest Then began the wonderful struggle against circumstances which has become a byword among river men everywhere. A forty day drive bad to go out in ten. A freshet had to float out 30,000.000 feet of logs. It was tremendous. Fourteen, sixteen, sometimes eighteen hours a day the men of the driving crew worked like demonA Jams had no chance to form. Of course under the pressure the lower dam had gone out. Nothing was to be depended on but sheer dogged grit Far up river Sadler & Smith had bung tbeir drive for the season, and so had resigned themselves to a definite but not extraordinary loss. Thorpe bad at least a clear river. Wallace Carpenter could not understand how human flesh and blood endured. The men themselves had long since reached the point of practical exhaustion, but were carried through by the Are of their leader. Work was dogged until he stormed into sight; then it became frenzied. When he looked at a man from his cavernous, burning eyes, that man jumped. Impossibilities were puffed aside like thistles. The men went at them headlong. They gave way before the rush. Thorpe always led. Not for a single instant of the day nor for many at night was he at rest Instinctively lie seemed to realize that a let down would mean collapse. After the camp had fallen asleep he would often lie awake half of the few hours of their night every muscle tense, staring at tbe sky. His mind saw definitely every detail of tbe situation us he had viewed it. In advance his imagination stooped and sweated to the work which liis liody was to accomplish the next morning. Thus be did everything twice. Then at lust tbe tension would relax. He would ‘fall into uneasy sleep. But twice that did not follow. Through the dissolving iron mist of his striving a sharp thought cleaved like an arrow. It was that, after all. he did not care. Subconsciousness, the other influence, was growing like a weed. Perhaps thejre were greater things than to succeed, greater tilings than success. And then the keen, ixiignant memory of the dream girl stole into the young man’s mind and in agony was immediately thrust forth. He woukl not think of her. He had given her up. He refused to believe that he had been wrong. In the still darkness of tbe night he would rise and steal to the edge of the dully roaring stream. There. hLs eyes blinded and his throat choked with a longing more manly than tears, he would reach out and smooth tbe round rough coats of the great logs. “We’ll do it” he whispered to them ami to himself. "We’ll do it. We can’t be wrong.”

CHAPTER XXX. expedition had proved a falU ure, as Thorpe had foreseen, l»ut at the end of the week, when the water began to recede, they came upon a mass of flesh and bones. The man was unrecognizable. The remains were wrapped in canvas and sent for interment to the cemetery at Marquette. Three of the others were never found. The last did not come to light until after the drive had quite finished. Down at the booms the jam crew received the drive as fast as it came down. From one crib to another across the broad extent of the river’s mouth heavy booms were chained end to end effectually to close the exit to Lake Superior. Agaiust these the logs caromed softly in the slackened current and stopped. The cribs were very heavy, with slanting instead of square tops, in order that the pressure might be downward instead of sidewise. In a short time the surface of {he lagoon was covered by a brown carpet of logs running in styange patterns like windrrows of fallen grain. Tbe drive was all but ov^r. Up till now the weather had been clear, but oppressively hot for this time of year. The heat had come suddenly and maintained itself well. The men had worked for the most part in undershirts. They were as much in the water as out of It. for the icy bath had become almost grateful. Hamilton, the journalist, who had attached himself definitely to the drive, distributed bunches of papers, in which the men read that tbe unseasonable conditions prevailed all over the country. At length, however, it gave signs of breaking. The sky, which had been of a steel blue, harbored great piled thunder heads. Toward evening the thunder beads shifted and finally dissipated, to be sure, but the portent was there.

Hamilton’s papers began to tell of washouts and cloudbursts In the south and west. Tbe men wished they typd some of that water Imre. So Anally tbe drive approached its end ni*l all concerned tx>gan In anticipation to taste tbe weariness that awaited them. The few remaining tasks still confronting them all at onee seemed more formidable than what they had accomplished. The w’ork for the first time tx*oame dogged, distasteful. Even Thorpe was Infected. He, too, wanted more than anything else to drop on the bed in Mrs. Hathaway’s boarding bouse. *. There remained but a few things to do. A mile of sacking would carry tbe drive beyond the Influence of freshet water. After that there would be no hurry. He looked round at the hard, fatigue worn faces of tbe men about him, and he suddenly felt a great rush of affection for these comrades who had so unreservedly spent themselves for his affair. Their features showed exhaustion, it is true, but tbeir eyes gleamed still with the steady, half humorous purpose of tbe pioneer. When they caught his glance they grinned good bumoredly. All at once Thorpe turned and started for the bank. "That ’ll do, boys,” be said quietly to tbe nearest group. "She’s down.” It was noon. Tbe suckers looked up in surprise. Behind them, to their very feet, rushed the soft smooth slope of Hemlock rapids. Be krw them flowed a broad, peaceful river. The drive bad passed its last obstruction. To all intents and purposes It was over. Calmly, writb matter of fact directness, as though they had not achieved the impossible, they shouldered their peaveys and struck into the broad wagon road. In tbe middle distance loomed thp tall stacks of the mill, with the little board town about it Across the eye

spun the thread of tlie railroad. Far away gleamed the broad expanses of Labe Superior. The men [wired off naturally and fell into a dragging, dogged walk. Tborjie found himself unexpectedly with Big Junko. For a time they plodded on without conversation. Then the big man ventured a remark. T’m glad she’s over,” said he. "I got a good stake cornin'.” "Yes,” replied Tlwrpe indifferently. "I got most sdoo cornin’,” persisted Junko. “Might as well he (SOO cents,” commented Thorpe. “It ’d make yin ju3t as drunk.” Big Junko laughed self consciously, but without tbe slightest resentment. "That’s all right” said ha. “but you batcher life I don't blow this stake,” "I’ve heard that talk before,” shrugged Thorpe. “Yes, but this is different. I'm goin’ to git married on this. How’s that?” Thorpe, his attention struck at last, stared at his companion. "Who is she?” be asked abruptly. “She used to wash at Camp Four.” Thorpe dimly remembered the woman now—an overweighted creature with a certain attraction of elfishly blowing hair, with a certain pleasing, full cheeked, full bosomed health. The two walked on in reestablished silence. Finally the giant, unable to contain himself longer, broke out again. "I do like that woman,” said he with a quaintly deliberate seriousness. "That’s the finest woman in this district.” Thorpe felt the quick moisture rush to his eyes. There was something inexpressibly touching in those simple words as Big Junko uttered them. “And when you are married,” he asked, “what are you going to do? Are you going to stay on tbe river?” “No, I’m goin’ to clear a farm. Tbe woman says that’s the thing to do. I like tbe river too. But you bet when Carrie says a thing that’s plenty good enough for Big Junko.” Thorpe looked at his companion fixedly. He remembered Big Junko as a wild beast when his passions were aroused, as a man whose honesty had been doubted. “You’ve changed. Junko,” said be. “I know,” said tbe big man. "I been a scalawag all right I quit it I don’t know much, but Carrie she’s smart, »nri I’m goin* to do what she says. "When you get stock on a good woman like Carrie, Mr. Thorpe, you don’t give much for anything else. Sore. That’s right It’s the biggest thing top of earth.” Here it was again—tbe opposing creed. And from snch a source! Thorpe’s iron will contracted again.

“A woman Is no excuse for n man’s neglecting his work,” he snapped. “Shorely not,” agreed Junko serenely. **i aim to finish out my time all right, Mr. Thorpe. Don’t you worry none about that. I done my best for you. And,” went on the river man In the expansion of this unwonted confidence with his employer, "I’d like to rise to remark that you’re the best boss I ever had, and we boys wants to stay with her till there’s skating In hades.” “All right,” murmured Thorpe Indifferently. Suddenly the remaining half mile to town seemed very long indeed. (TO BE CONTINUED.) /

“You've changed. Junko," said he.