第5章

refreshment"parlours，"wheredrinkswereservedbydozensof"prettywaiter—girls，"andhugedance—halls。

Theproprietorsoftheseplaceswereaboldandunscrupulouslot。

Intheireverydaybusinesstheyhadtodealwiththemostdangerousrough—and—tumblefightersthiscountryhaseverknown；withmenbubblingoverwiththejoyoflife，readyforquarrelifquarrelalsospelledfun，drinkingdeep，andheavy—handedandfearlessintheircups。Buteachoftheserivermenhadtwoorthreehundreddollarsto"blow"assoonaspossible。Thepickingsweregood。Mengotrichveryquicklyatthisbusiness。Andthereexistedthisgreatadvantageinfavourofthedive—keeper：nobodycaredwhathappenedtoariverman。Youcouldpoundhimovertheheadwithaleadpipe，ordrughisdrink，orchokehimtoinsensibility，orrobhimandthrowhimoutintothestreet，orevendrophimtidilythroughatrap—doorintotheriverflowingconvenientlybeneath。

Nobodybothered——unless，ofcourse，theaffairwassobungledastobecomepublic。Thepoliceknewenoughtostayawaywhenthedrivehittown。Theywouldhavebeenannihilatediftheyhadnot。Theonlyflyinthedivekeeper’sointmentwasthattherivermanwouldfightback。

Andfightbackhedid，untilfromoneendofhisstreettotheotherhehadleftthebatteredevidencesofhisskillasawarrior。Hisconstantheavyliftingmadehimashardasnailsandasstrongasahorse；thecontinualdemandonhisagilityinridingthelogskepthimactiveandpreventedhimfrombecomingmuscle—bound；inhiswildheartwasnottheleasttraceoffearofanythingthatwalked，crawled，orflew。Andhewasastirelessasmachinery，andapparentlyasindifferenttopunishmentasamancastiniron。

Addtothisahappyandcompletedisregardofconsequences——tohimselforothers——ofanythinghedid，and，inhisownwords，hewasa"hardmantonick。"

AsyettheseasonwastooearlyformuchjoyalongHell’sHalf—Mile。

Orde’slittlecrew，andthefortyorfiftymenofthedrivethathadprecededhim，constitutedtherankandfileatthatmomentintown。

Alittlelater，whenallthedrivesontherivershouldbein，andthoseofitstributaries，andthemenstilllingeringatthewoodscamps，atleastfivehundredwoods—wearymenwouldbeturnedloose。

ThenHell’sHalf—Milewouldawakeninearnestfromitshibernation。

Thelightswouldblazefromdaytoday。Fromitsopenedwindowswouldblarethemusic，thecriesofmenandwomen，theshuffleoffeet，thenoiseoffighting，theshrieksofwildlaughter，cursesdeepandfrankandunashamed，songsbrokenandinterrupted。Crewsofmen，armslocked，wouldsurgeupanddownthenarrowsidewalks，theirlittlefelthatscockedoneside，theirheadsback，theirfearlesseyeschallengingthedevilandallhisworks——andgettingthechallengeaccepted。Girlswouldflitacrossthelitwindowslikeshadowsbeforeflames，orstandinthedoorwayshailingthemenjoviallybyname。Andeveryfewmoments，abovetheroarofthiswildinferno，wouldsoundthesuddencrashandthedullblowsofcombat。Only，neverwasheardthebarkofthepistol。Thefightingwasfierce，anditincludedkickingwiththesharpsteelboot—

caulks，bitingandgouging；butitbarredknivesandfirearms。AndwhenHell’sHalf—Milewasthusinfulleruption，thecitizensofReddingstayedawayfromWaterStreetafterdark。"Drive’sin，"

saidthey，andhadbusinesselsewhere。Andthenextgroupofrivermen，hurryingtowardthefun，brokeintoaneagerdog—trot。

"Takingtheoldtownapartto—night，"theytoldeachother。"Let’sgetinthegame。"

To—night，however，thestreetwascomparativelyquiet。Thesaloonswereofmodifiedillumination。Inmanyofthemmenstooddrinking，butinasociableratherthanahilariousmood。Oldfriendsofthetwodrivesweregettingtogetherforafriendlyglass。Thebarkeeperswerelistlesslywipingthebars。The"prettywaiter—

girls"gossipedwitheachotherandyawnedbehindtheirhands。FromseveraldoorwaysOrde’slittlecompactgroupwasaccostedbytheburlysaloonkeepers。

"Hullo，boys！"saidtheyinvariably，"gladtoseeyouback。Comeinandhaveadrinkonme。"

Wellthesemenknewthatonefreedrinkwouldmeanadozenpaidfor。

Buttherivermenmerelyshooktheirheads。

"Huh！"sneeredoneofthegirls。"Them’snoriver—jacks！Them’sjustoffthehaytrail，Ibet！"

Buteventhistime—honouredandgenerallyeffectivetauntwasignored。

InthemiddleofthethirdblockOrdewheeledsharptotheleftdownadarkanddangerous—lookingalley。Anotherturntotherightbroughthimintoaverynarrowstreet。Facingthisstreetstoodathree—storywoodenstructure，intowhichledahigh—archedentranceupabroadhalf—flightofwoodensteps。ThiswasMcNeill’s。

AsOrdeandhismenturnedintothenarrowstreet，afiguredetacheditselffromtheshadowandapproached。Ordeutteredanexclamation。

"Youhere，Newmark？"hecried。

"Yes，"repliedthatyoungman。"Iwanttoseethisthrough。"

"Withthoseclothes？"marvelledOrde。"It’sawondersomeofthesethugshaven’theldyouuplongago！I’llgetJohnnyheretogobackwithyoutothemainstreet。"

"No，"arguedNewmark，"Iwanttogoinwithyou。"

"It’sdangerous，"explainedOrde。"You’relikelytogetslugged。"

"Icanstanditifyoucan，"returnedNewmark。

"Idoubtit，"saidOrdegrimly。"However，it’syourfuneral。Comeon，ifyouwantto。"

McNeill’slowerstorywasgivenoverentirelytodrinking。Abarrandownallonesideoftheroom。Dozensoflittletablesoccupiedthefloor。"Prettywaiter—girls"werepreparedtoservedrinksattheselatter——andtoshareinthem，atacommission。Thesecondfloorwasatheatre，andthethirdadance—hall。Beneaththebuildingwerestillvilerdepths。Fromthisbasementtherivermanandtheshantyboygenerallygraduatedpenniless，andperhapsunconscious，tothestreet。Now，yourlumber—jackdidnotcustomarilyarriveatthisstagewithoutmoreorlesslivelydoingsenroute；thereforeMcNeill’smaintainedaforceoffighters。Theywereburly，soddenmen，instrikingcontrasttotheclean—cut，clear—eyedrivermen，butstrongintheirexperienceandtheirdiscipline。Tobesure，theymightnotlastquiteaslongastheirantagonistscould——awhiskytrainingisnotconducivetolongwind——

buttheyalwayslastedplentylongenough。Sand—bagsandbrassknuckleshelpedsome，ruthlesssinglenessofpurposecounted，andteamworkfinishedthejob。Attimesthestormrosehigh，butuptonowMcNeillhadalwaysriddenit。

Ordeandhismenenteredthelowerhall，asthoughsaunteringinwithoutdefiniteaim。Perhapsascoreofmenwereintheroom。Twotablesofcardswereunderway——withagreatdealofnoisycard—

slappingthatproclaimedthegamemerelyfriendly。Eightortenothermenwanderedaboutidly，chaffingloudlywiththegirls，pausingtooverlookthecardgames，glancingwithpurposelesscuriosityattheprofessionalgamblerssittingquietlybehindtheirvariouslay—outs。Itwasadullevening。

Ordewanderedaboutwiththerest，awide，good—naturedsmileonhisface。

"Startyourlittleballtorollingforthat，"heinstructedtherouletteman，tossingdownabill。"Droppedagain！"helamentedhumorously。"Can’tseemtohaveanyluck。"

Hedriftedontothecrapgame。

"Throwusthelittlebones，pardner，"hesaid。"I’llgoyouafiveonit。"

Helosthere，andsofoundhimselfatthetablepresidedoverbythethree—cardmontemen。Therestofhisparty，whohadaccordingtoinstructionsscatteredabouttheplace，nowbeganquietlytogravitateinhisdirection。

"Whatkindofalay—outisthis？"inquiredOrde。

Thedealerheldupthethreecardsfaceout。

"Whatkindofaneyehaveyougot，bub？"heasked。

"Oh，Idon’tknow。Aprettyfaireye。Why？"

"DoyouthinkyoucouldpickoutthejackwhenIthrowthemoutlikethis？"askedthedealer。

"Sure！She’sthatone。"

"Well，"exclaimedthegamblerwithapretenceofdisgust，"damnifyoudidn’t！Ibetyoufivedollarsyoucan’tdoitagain。"

"Takeyou！"repliedOrde。"Putupyourfive。"

AgainOrdewaspermittedtopickthejack。

"You’vegotthebesteyethat’sbeeninthisplacesinceIgothere，"claimedthedealeradmiringly。"Here，Dennis，"saidhetohispartner，"tryifyoucanfoolthisfellow。"

Dennisobliginglytookthecards，threwthem，andlost。Bythistimethemen，augmentedbytheidlersnotbusywiththecardgames，haddrawnclose。

"Sailinto’em，bub，"encouragedone。

Whetheritwasthatthegamblers，expertinthereadingofaman’smoodandintentions，sensedthefactthatOrdemightbeledtoplunge，orwhether，moresimply，theywereusinghimasacappertodrawthecrowdintotheirgame，itwouldbedifficulttosay，buttwicemoretheybungledthethrowandpermittedhimtowin。

Newmarkpluckedhimatthesleeve。

"You’retwentydollarsahead，"hemuttered。"Quitit！Ineversawanybodybeatthisgamethatmuchbefore。"

Ordemerelyshruggedhimoffwithanappearanceofgrowingexcitement，whileanHABITUEoftheplace，probablyoneofthehiredfighters，growledintoNewmark’sear。

"Shutup，youdamndude！"warnedthisman。"Keepoutofwhatain’tnoneofyourbusiness。"

"Whatlimitdoyouputonthisgame，anyway？"Ordeleanedforward，hiseyesalight。

Thetwogamblersspokeswiftlyapart。

"Howmuchdoyouwanttobet？"askedone。

"Wouldyoustandforfivehundreddollars？"askedOrde。

Adeadsilencefellonthegroup。Plainlycouldbeheardthemen’squickenedbreathing。Theshoutsandnoisefromthecardpartiesblunderedthroughthestillness。Someonetiptoedacrossandwhisperedintheearofthenearestplayer。Amomentlaterthechairsatthetwotablesscrapedback。Oneofthemfellviolentlytothefloor。Theiroccupantsjoinedthetensegroupaboutthemontegame。Allthegirlsdrewnear。Onlybehindthebarthewhite—apronedbartenderswipedtheirglasseswithapparentimperturbability，theireyes，however，ontheirbrassknuckleshangingjustbeneaththecounter，theirearsprickedupfortheriotcall。

Thegamblerpretendedtodeliberate，hiscool，shiftyeyesrunningoverthegroupbeforehim。Asmalldoorimmediatelybehindhimswungslowlyajaraninchorso。

"Gotthemoney？"heasked。

"Haveyou？"counteredOrde。

Apparentlysatisfied，themannodded。

"I’llgoyou，bub，ifIlose，"saidhe。"Layoutyourmoney。"

Ordecountedoutninefifty—dollarbillsandfivetens。Probablynooneinthegroupofmenstandingabouthadrealisedquitehowmuchmoneyfivehundreddollarsmeantuntiltheysawitthustalliedoutbeforethem。

"Allright，"saidthegambler，takingupthecards。

"Holdon！"criedOrde。"Where’syours？"

"Oh，that’sallright，"thegamblerreassuredhim。"I’mwiththehouse。IguessMcNeill’screditisgood，"helaughed。

"Thatmayallbe，"insistedOrde，"butI’mputtingupmygoodmoney，andIexpecttoseegoodmoneyputupinreturn。"

Theywrangledoverthispointforsometime，butOrdewasobstinate。

Finallythegamblersyielded。Acanvassofthedrawer，helpedoutbythebarandtheothergames，madeupthesum。ItbulkedlargeonthetablebesideOrde’shigherdenominations。

TheinterestedaudiencenowconsistedofthedozenmencomprisedbyOrde’sfriends；nearlytwiceasmanystrangers，evidentlyrivermen；

eighthangers—onofthejoint，probablyfightersand"bouncers"；

halfadozenprofessionalgamblers，andseveralwaitresses。Thefourbarkeepersstillheldtheirpositions。Ofthese，therivermenwerescatteredlooselybackofOrde，althoughOrde’sownfriendshadbynowgatheredcompactlyenoughathisshoulder。Themercenariesandgamblershaddivided，andflankedthetableateitherside。

Newmark，agrowingwonderanddisgustcreepingintohisusuallyunexpressiveface，recognisedthestrategicadvantageofthisarrangement。Incaseofdifficulty，adeterminedpushwouldseparatetherivermenfromthegamblerslongenoughforthelattertodisappearquietlythroughthesmalldoorattheback。

"Satisfied？"inquiredthegamblerbriefly。

"Letherflicker，"repliedOrdewithequalbrevity。

Agaspofanticipationwentup。Quitecoollythegamblermadehispasses。Withequalcoolnessandnottheslightesthesitation，Ordeplantedhisgreatredfistononeofthecards。

"Thatisthejack，"heannounced，lookingthegamblerintheeye。

"Oh，isit？"sneeredthedealer。"Well，turnitoverandlet’ssee。"

"No！"roaredOrde。"YOUTURNOVERTHEOTHERTWO！"

Alowoathbrokefromthegambler，andhisfacecontortedinaspasm。Thebarkeepersslidoutfrombehindthebar。Foramomentthesituationwastenseandthreatening。Thedealerwithasweepingglanceagainsearchedthefacesofthosebeforehim。Inthatmoment，probably，hemadeuphismindthatanopenscandalmustbeavoided。Forceandbrokenbones，evenmurder，mightbeallrightenoughundercolourofright。IfOrdehadturnedupforajackthecardonwhichhenowheldhisfist，andthenhadattemptedtoprovecheating，acryofrobberyandalivelyfightwouldhavegivenopportunityformakingwaywiththestakes。ButMcNeill’scouldnotaffordtobeshownupbeforethirtyinterestedrivermenasrunninganopen—and—shutbrace—game。However，thegamblermadeadesperatetryatwhathemusthaveknownwasaveryforlornhope。

"Thatisn’tthewaythisgameisplayed，"saidhe。"Showupyourjack。"

"It’sthewayIplayit，"repliedOrdesternly。"Thesegentlemenheardthebet。"Hereachedoveranddexterouslyflippedovertheothertwocards。"Yousee，neitheroftheseisthejack；thismustbe。"

"Youwin，"assentedthegambler，afterapause。

Orde，hisfiststillonthethirdcard，beganpocketingthestakeswiththeotherhand。Thegamblerreached，palmup，acrossthetable。

"Givemetheothercard，"saidhe。

Ordepickeditup，laughing。Foramomentheseemedtohesitate，holdingthebitofpasteboardtantalisinglyoutstretched，asthoughheweregoingtoturnalsothisonefaceup。Then，quitedeliberatelyhelookedtorightandtoleftwherethefightersawaitedtheirsignal，laughedagain，andhandedthecardtothegambler。

Atoncepandemoniumbrokeloose。TherivermenofOrde’spartyfairlyshoutedwithjoyovertheunexpectedtrick；theemployeesoftheresortwhisperedapart；thegamblerexplained，low—voicedandangry，hisreasonsfornotputtingupafightforsorichastake。

"Alltothebar！"yelledOrde。

Theymadearush，andlinedupandorderedtheirdrinks。Ordepouredhisonthefloorandtooktheglassbelongingtothemannexthim。

"Getthemtogiveyouanother，Tim，"saidhe。"Noknock—outdrops，ifIcanhelpit。"

Themendrank，andsomeoneorderedanotherround。

"Tim，"saidOrde，low—voiced，"getthecrowdtogetherandwe’llpullout。I’veathousanddollarsonme，andthey’llsand—bagmesureifIgoalone。Andlet’sgetoutrightoff。"

TenminuteslatertheyallstoodsafelyonthelightedthoroughfareofWaterStreet。

"Good—night，boys，"saidOrde。"Goeasy，andshowupattheboomsMonday。"

Heturnedupthestreettowardthemainpartofthetown。Newmarkjoinedhim。

"I’llwalkalittlewayswithyou，"heexplained。"AndIsay，Orde，Iwanttoapologisetoyou。’MostoftheeveningI’vebeenthinkingyoutheworstfoolIeversaw，butyoucantakecareofyourselfateverystageofthegame。Thetrickwasgood，butyourtakingtheotherfellow’sdrinkbeatit。"

VIII

OrdeheardnomoreofNewmark——andhardlythoughtofhim——untilovertwoweekslater。

Inthemeantimetheriverman，assumingthemoreconventionalgarmentsofcivilisation，livedwithhisparentsintheoldOrdehomesteadattheedgeoftown。Thiswasaratherpretentioustwo—

storybrickstructure，intheoldsolid，squarearchitecture，surroundedbyasmallorchard，somehickories，andagarden。Orde’sfatherhadbuiltitwhenhearrivedinthepioneercountryfromNewEnglandfortyyearsbefore。Atthattimeitwasconsideredwelloutinthecountry。Sincethenthetownhadcrepttoit，sothattherowofgrandoldmaplesinfrontshadedastone—gutteredstreet。A

littlepatchofcornopposite，andmanystillvacantlotsabove，placedit，however，asaboutthepresentlimitofgrowth。

JackOrdewastheyoungestandmostenergeticofalargefamilythathadlongsincescatteredtodiversecitiesandindustries。HeandGrandpaandGrandmaOrdedweltnowinthebig，echoing，old—

fashionedhousealone，savefortheonegirlwhocalledherselfthe"help"ratherthantheservant。GrandpaOrde，nowabovesixty，wastall，straight，slender。Hishairwasquitewhite，andwornalittlelong。Hisfeatureswerefinelychiselledandaquiline。Fromthemlookedapairofpiercing，young，or，standingasidefromthedoorway。

Newmarkenteredthecool，duskyinterior，andwasshowntotheleftintoadim，longroom。Heperchedonamahoganychair，andhadtimetonoticethebookcaseswiththewhiteowlatop，theoldpianowiththeyellowingkeys，thehairclothsofaandchairs，thesteelengravings，andthetwooilportraits，whenOrde’slargefiguredarkenedthedoor。

Foraninstanttheyoungman，whomustjusthavecomeinfromtheoutsidesunshine，blinkedintothedimness。Newmark，too，blinkedback，althoughhecouldbythistimeseeperfectlywell。

NewmarkhadknownOrdeonlyasariverman。LikemostEasterners，thenandnow，hewasunabletoimagineamaninroughclothesasbeinganythingbutessentiallyaroughman。ThefigurehesawbeforehimwasdecentlyandcorrectlydressedinwhatwasthentheproperSundaycostume。Hisbigfiguresetofftheclothtoadvantage，andevenhiswind—reddenedfaceseemedtoneddownandrefinedbythechangeincostumeandsurroundings。

"Oh，it’syou，Mr。Newmark！"criedOrdeinhisheartyway，andholdingouthishand。"I’mgladtoseeyou。Whereyoubeen？Comeonoutofthere。Thisisthe’companyplace。’"Withoutawaitingareply，heledthewayintothenarrowhall，whencethetwoenteredanother，brighterroom，inwhichGrandmaOrdesat，thecanarysingingaboveherhead。

"Mother，"saidOrde，"thisisMr。Newmark，wdrivethelogsforthesetenfirmsatsomuchathousand，doyousupposeitwouldgetthebusiness？"

"Itwoulddependonthedrivingfirm，"saidOrde。"Yousee，millmenhavegottohavetheirlogs。Theycan’taffordtotakechances。

Itwouldn’tpay。"

"Thenthat’sallright，"agreedNewmark，withagleamofsatisfactionacrosshisthinface。"Wouldyouformapartnershipwithmehavingsuchanobjectinview？"

Ordethrewbackhisheadandlaughedwithgenuineamusement。

"Iguessyoudon’trealisethesituation，"saidhe。"We’dhavetohaveafewlittlethingslikedistributingbooms，andtugs，andalotoftoolsandsuppliesandworksofvariouskinds。"

"Well，we’dgetthem。"

ItwasnowOrde’sturntoaskquestions。

"Howmuchareyouworth？"heinquiredbluntly。

"Abouttwentythousanddollars，"repliedNewmark。

"Well，ifIraiseverymuchblackeyes。Inhistime，GrandpaOrdehadbeenamightybreakerofthewilderness；buthistimehadpassed，andwiththeadventofamoreintensivecivilisationhehadfallenuponsomewhatstraitenedways。GrandmaOrde，ontheotherhand，wasaverysmall，spryoldlady，withasmallface，asmallfigure，smallhandsandfeet。Shedressedinthethenusualcapandblacksilkofoldladies。Halfhertimeshespentatherhousekeeping，whichsheloved，jinglingaboutfromcellartoatticstore—room，seeingthatAmanda，the"help，"hadeverythinginorder。Theotherhalfshesatinawooden"Dutch"

rocking—chairbyawindowoverlookingthegarden。Hersilk—shodfeetrestedneatlysidebysideonacarpet—coveredhassock，herbackagainstagaytapestriedcushion。NearherpurredbigJim，amalteserumouredtoweighfifteenpounds。Abovehertwitteredacanary。

Andtheinteriorofthehouseitselfwasinkeeping。Thelowceilings，theslightirregularitiesofstructurepeculiartotheratherrule—of—thumbmethodsoftheearlierbuilders，thedeepwindowembrasuresduetothethicknessofthewalls，theunexpectedpassagesleadingtounsuspectedrooms，andthefactthatmanyoftheseapartmentswereapproachedbyasteporsouporasteporsodown——theselenttoitaquaint，old—fashionedatmosphereenhancedfurtherbythesteelengravings，theantiquefurnishings，themany—

panedwindows，andallthebelongingsofoldpeoplewhohavepassedfromapreviousgenerationuntouchedbymodernideas。

TothishouseandthesepeopleOrdecamedirectfromthegreatnessofthewildernessandtheferocityofHell’sHalf—Mile。Suchcontrastswerepossibleeventenorfifteenyearsago。Theuntamedcountrylayatthedoorsofthemostmoderncivilisation。

Newmark，reappearingoneSundayafternoonattheendofthetwoweeks，wasapparentlybothered。HeexaminedtheOrdeplaceforsomemoments；walkedonbeyondit；findingnothingthere，hereturned，andaftersomehesitationturnedinupthetarsidewalkandpulledattheold—fashionedwirebell—pull。GrandmaOrdeherselfansweredthedoor。

Atsightofherfinefeatures，herdaintylacecapandmitts，andthestiffnessofherrustlingblacksilks，Newmarktookoffhisgrayfelthat。

"Good—afternoon，"saidhe。"WillyoukindlytellmewhereMr。Ordelives？"

"ThisisMr。Orde’s，"repliedthelittleoldlady。

"Pardonme，"persistedNewmark，"IamlookingforMr。JackOrde，andIwasdirectedhere。Iamsorrytohavetroubledyou。"

"Mr。JackOrdeliveshere，"returnedGrandmaOrde。"Heismyson。

Wouldyouliketoseehim？"

"Ifyouplease，"assentedNewmarkgravely，histhin，shrewdfacemaskingitselfwithitsusualexpressionofquizzicalcynicism。

"Stepthisway，please，andI’llcallhim，"requestedhisinterlocuthowaswithusonthedrivethisspring。"

GrandmaOrdelaidhergold—bowedglassesandherblackleatherBibleonthestandbesideher。

"Mr。NewmarkandIspokeatthedoor，"saidshe，extendingherfrailhandwithdignity。"Ifyouwereonthedrive，Mr。Newmark，youmusthavebeenoneoftheHighPrivatesinthisdreadfulwarweallreadabout。"

Newmarklaughedandmadesomeappropriatereply。Afewmomentslater，atOrde’ssuggestion，thetwopassedoutasidedoorandbackintotheremainsoftheoldorchard。

"It’sprettynicehereunderthetrees，"saidOrde。"Sitdownandlightup。Whereyoubeenforthelastcoupleofweeks？"

"IcaughtJohnson’sdriveandwentondownriverwithhimtothelake，"repliedNewmark，thrustingtheofferedcigarinonecornerofhismouthandshakinghisheadatOrde’sprofferofalight。

"Youmustlikecamplife。"

"Idonotlikeitatall，"negativedNewmarkemphatically，"butthedriveinterestedme。ItinterestedmesomuchthatI’vecomebacktotalktoyouaboutit。"

"Fireahead，"acquiescedOrde。

"I’mgoingtoaskyouafewquestionsaboutyourself，andyoucananswerthemornot，justasyouplease。"

"Oh，I’mnotbashfulaboutmycareer，"laughedOrde。

"Howoldareyou？"inquiredNewmarkabruptly。

"Thirty。"

"Howlonghaveyoubeendoingthatsortofthing——driving，Imean？"

"Offandon，aboutsixyears。"

"Whydidyougointothatparticularsortofthing？"

Ordeselectedatwigandcarefullythrewitatalumpintheturf。

"Becausethere’snothingaheadofshovellingbutdirt，"herepliedwithaquaintgrin。

"Isee，"saidNewmark，afterapause。"Thenyouthinkthere’smorefuturetothatsortofthingthanthesortofthingtherestofyourfriendsgoinfor——law，andwholesalegroceries，andbankingandtherestofit？"

"Thereisforme，"repliedOrdesimply。

"Yetyou’remerelyriver—drivingonasalaryatthirty。"

Ordeflushedslowly，andshiftedhisposition。

"Exactlyso——Mr。DistrictAttorney，"hesaiddrily。

Newmarkstartedfromhisabsorptioninhisquestioningandshiftedhisunlightedcigar。

"Doessoundlikeit，"headmitted；"butI’mnotaskingallthisoutofidlecuriosity。I’vegotaschemeinmyheadthatIthinkmayworkoutbigforusboth。"

"Well，"assentedOrdereservedly，"inthatcase——I’mforemanonthisdrivebecausemyoutfitwentkerplunktwoyearsago，andI’mmakingafreshgoatit。"

"Failed？"inquiredNewmark。

"Partnerskedaddled，"repliedOrde。"Now，ifyou’resatisfiedwithmyfamilyhistory，supposeyoutellmewhatthedevilyou’redrivingat。"

Hewasplainlyrestiveunderthecross—examinationtowhichhehadbeensubjected。

"Lookhere，"saidNewmark，abruptlychangingthesubject，"youknowthatrapidsupriverflankedbyshallows，wherethelogsarealwaysgoingaground？"

"Ido，"repliedOrde，stillgrim。

"Well，whywouldn’tithelptoputastringofpiersdownbothsides，withboomsbetweenthemtoholdthelogsinthedeeperwater？"

"Itwould，"saidOrde。

"Whyisn’titdone，then？"

"Whowoulddoit？"counteredOrde，leaningbackmoreeasilyintheinterestofthisnewdiscussion。"IfDalydidit，forinstance，thenalltherestofthedriverswouldgettheadvantageofitfornothing。"

"Getthemtopaytheirshare。"

Ordegrinned。"I’dliketoseeyougetanythreementoagreetoanythingonthisriver。"