The rivermanIllusby and Clarence FUnderwood . of dripping men, while dry garments speedily dampenedin the shiftings of camp which, in the broader reaches ofthe lower river, took place nearly every day. Men workedin soaked garments, slept in damp blankets. Charlie cookedonly by virtue of persistence. The rivermen ate standingup, as close to the sputtering, roaring fires as they couldget. Always the work went forward. But there were other times when a golden sun rose eachmorning a little earlier on a green and joyous world. Theriver ran blue. Migratory birds fled busily northward—robins
The rivermanIllusby and Clarence FUnderwood . of dripping men, while dry garments speedily dampenedin the shiftings of camp which, in the broader reaches ofthe lower river, took place nearly every day. Men workedin soaked garments, slept in damp blankets. Charlie cookedonly by virtue of persistence. The rivermen ate standingup, as close to the sputtering, roaring fires as they couldget. Always the work went forward. But there were other times when a golden sun rose eachmorning a little earlier on a green and joyous world. Theriver ran blue. Migratory birds fled busily northward—robins, flute-voiced blue-birds, warblers of many species,sparrows of different kinds, shore birds and ducks, thesweet-songed thrushes. Little tepid breezes wandered up anddown, warm in contrast to the faint snow-chill that evenyet lingered in the shadows. Sounds carried clearly, so thatthe shouts and banter of the rivermen were plainly audibleup the reaches of the river. Ashore moist and aggressivegreen things were pushing up through the watery earth 52. Several Bad Jams Relieved the Monotony THE lUVERMAN 53 from which, in shade, the last frost had not yet camp the fires roared invitingly. Charhes grub was hotand grateful. The fir beds gave dreamless sleep. Nevvmark followed the work of the log-drive with greatinterest. All day long he tramped back and forth—on jamone day, on rear the next. He never said much, but watchedkeenly, and listened to the mens banter both on the workand about the evenings fire as though he enjoyed it. Grad-ually the men got used to him, and ceased to treat himas an outsider. His thin, eager face, his steel-blue, inquiringeyes behind the glasses, his gray felt hat, his lank, tensefigure in its gray, became a familiar feature. They threwremarks to him, to which he replied briefly and anything interesting was going on, somebody toldhim about it. Then he hurried to the spot, no matter howdistant it might be. He used always the river
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Keywords: ., bookauthorwhitestewartedward187, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900
