第14章

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。"