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第49章

the riverman-第49章

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twenty year now I been wearin' crape on my hat in memory of my 

departed virtues。〃



After the rear had dropped down river from Redding; Carroll and Orde 

returned to their deserted little box of a house at Monrovia。



Orde breathed deep of a new satisfaction in walking again the 

streets of this little sandy; sawdust…paved; shantyfied town; with 

its yellow hills and its wide blue river and its glimpse of the lake 

far in the offing。  It had never meant anything to him before。  Now 

he enjoyed every brick and board of it; he trod the broken; aromatic 

shingles of the roadway with pleasure; he tramped up the broad 

stairs and down the dark hall of the block with anticipation; he 

breathed the compounded office odour of ledgers; cocoa matting; and 

old cigar smoke in a long; reminiscent whiff; he took his seat at 

his roll…top desk; enchanted to be again in these homely though 

familiar surroundings。



〃Hanged if I know what's struck me;〃 he mused。  〃Never experienced 

any remarkable joy before in getting back to this sort of truck。〃



Then; with a warm glow at the heart; the realisation was brought to 

him。  This was home; and over yonder; under the shadow of the 

heaven…pointing spire; a slip of a girl was waiting for him。



He tried to tell her this when next he saw her。



〃I felt that I ought to make you a little shrine; and burn candles 

to you; the way the Catholics do〃



〃To the Mater Dolorosa?〃 she mocked。



He looked at her dark eyes so full of the sweetness of content; at 

her sensitive lips with the quaintly upturned corners; and he 

thouht of what her home life had been and of the real sorrow that 

even yet must smoulder somewhere down in the deeps of her being。



〃No;〃 said he slowly; 〃not that。  I think my shrine will be 

dedicated to Our Lady of the Joyous Soul。〃



The rest of the week Orde was absent up the river; superintending in 

a general way the latter progress of the drive; looking into the 

needs of the crews; arranging for supplies。  The mills were all 

working now; busily cutting into the residue of last season's logs。  

Soon they would need more。



At the booms everything was in readiness to receive the jam。  The 

long swing arm slanting across the river channel was attached to its 

winch which would operate it。  When shut it would close the main 

channel and shunt into the booms the logs floating in the river。  

There; penned at last by the piles driven in a row and held together 

at the top by bolted timbers; they would lie quiet。  Men armed with 

pike…poles would then take up the work of distribution according to 

the brands stamped on the ends。  Each brand had its own separate 

〃sorting pens;〃 the lower end leading again into the open river。  

From these each owner's property was rafted and towed to his private 

booms at his mill below。



Orde spent the day before the jam appeared in constructing what he 

called a 〃boomerang。〃



〃Invention of my own;〃 he explained to Newmark。  Secret invention 

just yet。  I'm going to hold up the drive in the main river until we 

have things bunched; then I'm going to throw a big crew down here by 

the swing。  Heinzman anticipates; of course; that I'll run the 

entire drive into the booms and do all my sorting there。  Naturally; 

if I turn his logs loose into the river as fast as I run across 

them; he will be able to pick them up one at a time; for he'll only 

get them occasionally。  If I keep them until everything else is 

sorted; only Heinzman's logs will remain; and as we have no right to 

hold logs; we'll have to turn them loose through the lower sorting 

booms; where he can be ready to raft them。  In that way he gets them 

all right without paying us a cent。  See?〃



〃Yes; I see;〃 said Newmark。



〃Well;〃 said Orde; with a laugh; 〃here is where I fool him。  I'm 

going to rush the drive into the booms all at once; but I'm going to 

sort out Heinzman's logs at these openings near the entrance and 

turn them into the main channel。〃



〃What good will that do?〃 asked Newmark sceptically。  〃He gets them 

sorted just the same; doesn't he?〃



〃The current's fairly strong;〃 Orde pointed out; 〃and the river's 

almighty wide。  When you spring seven or eight million feet on a 

man; all at once and unexpected; and he with no crew to handle them; 

he's going to keep almighty busy。  And if he don't stop them this 

side his mill; he'll have to raft and tow them back; and if he don't 

stop 'em this side the lake; he may as well kiss them all good bye

except those that drift into the bayous and inlets and marshes; and 

other ungodly places。〃



〃I see;〃 said Newmark drily。



〃But don't say a word anywhere;〃 warned Orde。  〃Secrecy is the 

watchword of success with this merry little joke。〃



The boomerang worked like a charm。  The men had been grumbling at an 

apparently peaceful yielding of the point at issue; and would have 

sacked out many of the blazed logs if Orde had not held them rigidly 

to it。  Now their spirits flamed into joy again。  The sorting went 

like clockwork。  Orde; in personal charge; watched that through the 

different openings in his 〃boomerang〃 the 〃H〃 logs were shunted into 

the river。  Shortly the channel was full of logs floating merrily 

away down the little blue wavelets。  After a while Orde handed over 

his job to Tom North。



〃Can't stand it any longer; boys;〃 said he。  〃I've got to go down 

and see how the Dutchman is making it。〃



〃Come back and tell us!〃 yelled one of the crew。



〃You bet I will!〃 Orde shouted back。



He drove the team and buckboard down the marsh road to Heinzman's 

mill。  There he found evidences of the wildest excitement。  The mill 

had been closed down; and all the men turned in to rescue logs。  

Boats plied in all directions。  A tug darted back and forth。  

Constantly the number of floating logs augmented; however。  Many had 

already gone by。



〃If you think you're busy now;〃 said Orde to himself with a chuckle; 

〃just wait until you begin to get LOGS。〃



He watched for a few moments in silence。



〃What's he doing with that tug?〃 thought he。  〃O…ho!  He's stringing 

booms across the river to hold the whole outfit。〃



He laughed aloud; turned his team about; and drove frantically back 

to the booms。  Every few moments he chuckled。  His eyes danced。  

Hardly could he wait to get there。  Once at the camp; he leaped from 

the buckboard; with a shout to the stableman; and ran rapidly out 

over the booms to where the sorting of 〃H〃 logs was going merrily 

forward。



〃He's shut down his mill;〃 shouted Orde; 〃and he's got all that gang 

of highbankers out; and every old rum…blossom in Monrovia; and I bet 

if you say 'logs' to him; he'd chase his tail in circles。〃



〃Want this job?〃 North asked him。



〃No;〃 said Orde; suddenly fallen solemn; 〃haven't time。  I'm going 

to take Marsh and the SPRITE and go to town。  Old Heinzman;〃 he 

added as an afterthought; 〃is stringing booms across the river

obstructing navigation。〃



He ran down the length of the whole boom to where lay the two tugs。



〃Marsh;〃 he called when still some distance away; 〃got up steam?〃



There appeared a short; square; blue…clad man; with hard brown 

cheeks; a heavy bleached flaxen moustache; and eyes steady; 

unwavering; and as blue as the sky。



〃Up in two minutes;〃 he answered; and descended from the pilot house 

to shout down a low door leading from the deck into the engine room。



〃Harvey;〃 he commanded; 〃fire her up!〃



A tall; good…natured negro reached the upper half of his body from 

the low door to seize an armful of the slabs piled along the narrow 

deck。  Ten minutes later the SPRITE; a cloud of white smoke pouring 

from her funnel; was careening down the stretch of the river。



Captain Marsh guided his energetic charge among the logs floating in 

the stream with the marvellous second instinct of the expert 

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