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。\"
