首页 >出版文学> The Riverman>第5章

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。"