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。"
第5章