Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989. [online resource], November 29, 1909, Page 2, Image 2

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1,1 The R
rCopjfighl.
1903. by th 0P
McClur. I
Copyright.
1907. 1903, by
NOVT a doion of the crow np-
pea red In the evening to go
j with Orde. They set out up the
long reach of Water street, their
steel calks biting ileep Into the pitted
board walks.
For nearly a mile the street was
flanked solely by lumber yards, small
mills and factories. Then came a strip
of unimproved land, followed imme
diately by the wooden, ramshackle
structures of Hell's Half Mile.
As yet the season was too early for
much joy along Hell's Half Mile. Orde's
little crew and the forty or fifty men
of the drive that had preceded him
constituted the rank and tile nt that
moment In towu. A little later, when
all the drives ou the river should be In
and those of Its tributaries and the
men still lingering nt the woods camps,
at least GOO woods weary men would
be turned loose. Then Hell's Half
Mile would awaken In earnest from
Its hibernation. The lights would
blaze from day to day. From Its
open windows would blare the music,
the cries of men and women, the shuf
fle of feet, the noise of lighting, the
shrieks of wild laughter, curses deep
and frank and unashamed, songs bro
ken and Interrupted. Crews of men,
arms locked, would surge up and down
the narrow sidewalks, their little felt
hats cocked one side, their heads back,
their fearless eyes challenging the
devil nnd all his works and getting
the challenge accepted. Girls would
flit across the lit windows like shad
ows before flames or stand In the door
ways hailing the men jovially by name.
Tonight, however, the street was
comparatively quiet. The saloons were
of modified Illumination. The bar
keepers were listlessly wiping the bars.
The "pretty waiter girls" gossiped
with each other and yawned behind
their bands.
In the middle of the third block
Orde wheeled sharp to the left down
a dark and dangerous looking alley.
Another turn to the right brought him
Into a very narrow street where stood
a three story wooden structure Into
which led a high arched entrance.
This was McNeill's.
A figure detached Itself from the
shadow. Orde uttered an exclama
tion. "You here. Newmark?" he cried.
"Yes," replied that young man. "I
want to sec this through."
"With those clothes?" marveled
Orde. "It's a wonder some of these
thugs haven't held you up long ago.
It's dangerous. You'ro likely to get
slugged."
"1 can stand it If you can." returned
Newmark.
McNeill's lower story was given over
entirely to drinking. The second floor
Was a theater and the third a dance
hall. Beneath the building were still
Yller depths. From this basement the
riverman and the shanty boy generally
graduated penniless and perhaps un
conscious to the street. Now, your
lumberjack did not customarily arrivo
at this stago without lively doings en
route; therefore McNeill's maintained
a force of fighters. They were burly,
sodden men, but strong In their ex
perience and their discipline. To be
sure, they might not last quite as long
as their antagonists could, but they
always lasted plenty long enough.
Band bags and brass knuckles helped
some and team work finished the Job,
Ordo and bis men entered the lower
ball as though sauntering In without
dcCnlte aim. The river boss wandered
about with the rest, a wide, good na
turcd smile on his face.
Presently he found himself at the
table of the three card monte meu.
Tbo rest of his party gravitated In his
direction.
"Do you think you could pick out
the Jack when I throw these out like
this?" naked tho dealer,
"Sure! She's that one"
"Well," exclaimed the gambler,
"danged If you didn't! I bet you $:
you can't do it again."
Again Ordo was pormltted to pick
up the jack.
"You've got the best eye that's been
Jn this plnce sinco I got here," ex
tlalmed tho dealer. "Here, Dennis,"
said ho to his partner. "You try him."
Dennis obligliigly took the cards nnd
lost. By this time tho men, augmented
by tho Idlers, had drawn close.
Whether It was that the. gamblers
sensed the fact that Ordo might bo led
to plunge or whether they were using
him to draw tho crowd Into their gnmo
It would bo difficult to say, but twice
moro they permitted him to win.
Newmark plucked his sleeve.
"You're $20 ahead," ho muttered,
"Quit it."
"What limit do you put on this game
anyway?" asked Ordo.
"now much do you want to bet?"
"Would you stand for 5500?" asked
Ordo.
The gamier pretended to deliberate,
iverman
By
Stewart
Edward White
"Got the money?" he asked.
"Have yon?" countered Ordo.
The mau nodded. "I'll go you. bub,
paid he. "Lay out your money."
Ordo counted out nine fifty-dollar
bills nnd five tens.
"AH right," said the gambler, taking
up the cards.
"Hold on!" cried Ordo. "Where's
------
"Oh, that's nil right," tho gambler
reassured hint. "I'm with the house.
McNeill's credit is good." 1
"I'm putting up my good money, nnd
1 expect to see goon money put up tn
return," said Onle.
Flually the gamblers yielded and put
up the money.
The audience now consisted of the
dozen of Orde's friends, nearly twice
as many rlvermen, eight hangers-on
of the joint, probably fighters and
"bouncers:" half a dozen professional
gamblers nnd several waitresses. The
four barkeepers still held their, posi
tions. The rlvermen wore scattered
back of Onle, although Orde's own
friends had gathered at his shoulder.
The mercenaries and gamblers had di
vided and flanked the table at either
side. Newmark. n growing wonder
nnd disgust creeping Into his usually
unoxprosslve face, recognized the stra
tegic advantage of this arrangement.
A determined push would separate
the rlvermen from the gamblers long
enough for the lntter to disappear
through the small door at the back.
A gasp of anticipation went up as i
coolly the gambler made his passes.
Orde planted his great red fist on one
of the cards. i
"That Is the Jack!" ho cried.
"Oh, Is It?" sneered the dealer.
"Well, turn It over and let's see."
"No!" roared Orde. "You turn over'
the other two!"
A low oath broke from the gambler,
and Ills face contorted In a spasm. t
For a moment the situation was tense '
and threatening. The denier, with a .
sweeping glance, again searched the ,
faces of those before him. In that J
moment probably he made up his I
mind that an open scandal must be '
avoided. Force nnd broken bones, '
even murder, might be all right enough
under color of right. If Orde had
turned up for a Jack the card on
which be now held his fist and then
had attempted to prove cheating a cry
of robbery and a lively fight would
have given opportunity for making
way with the stakes. But McNeill it
could not afford to be shown up be-1
fore thirty Interested rlvermen as run-
nlng an open and shut brace game.
"That Isn't the way this game Is
played," said the gambler. "Show up
your Jack."
"It's the way I play It," replied
Orde sternly. "These gentlemen heard
tho bet." He reached over and dex
terously flipped over the other two
cards. "You see, neither of these Is
the Jack. This must be."
"You win," assented the gambler
after a pause.
Orde, his list still on the third card,
began pocketing the stakes with the
other hand. The gambler reached
across the table.
"Olve me the other card," said he.
Ordo picked It up, laughing. For a
moment he seemed to hesitate, hold
ing the bit of pasteboard tantaltzlngly
outstretched, as though he was going
to turn also this one face up. Then
quite deliberately be handed the card
to the gambler.
"All to tho bar!" yelled Orde.
Orde poured his drink on the floor
and took the glass belonging to the
man next blra.
"Get tbem to give you another.
Tim," said he. "No knockout drops If
I can help It.
"Tim," said Orde, low voiced, "get
the crowd together and we'll pull out.
I've a thousand dollars on me, and
thoy'll sandbag me sure If I go alone.
And let's get out right off."
Chapter
J
ACK OKDH wns tho youngest nnd I
x. .
most energetic of a largo family
that had long since scattered to
diverse cities and Industries. Ho
and Grandpa and Grandma Ordo dwelt
now iu tho big, echoing, old fashioned
houso alone save for ouo maid. Grand
pa Orde, now above sixty, was tall,
straight, .slciidcr. Ills hair was quite
white and worn a littlo long. Ills fea
tures wcro finely chiseled. Grandpa
Orde had been a mighty breaker of the
wilderness, but his time had passed,
and, he lind fallen upon somnwhat
straitened" ways: Grandma OrdeT on
tho other hand, was a very small,
PW olu lady, wljb a small facej.a
small "Tguror'sinaTr lianas "and 'feet.
Sho dressqd In tho then usual cap and
black jsllk1 of old jadles, JIalf he.-
tlnio she spoilt nt her houooplng.
which she lcd. Jtitgilng about from
c!!ar to nttlo itoiivotn. seeing tlmt
Amanda, tin maid, had everything In
order.
To these people Ordo enme direct
from the greatness of the wilderness
and the ferocity of Hell's Half Mile.
Such contrasts were possible even ten
or fifteen year. ago. The untamed
country lay at the doors of the most
modern civilisation.
Newmark. reappearing one Sunday
afternoon at the end of the two weeks,
was apparently bothered, lie oxnuiln
cd the Ordo place for some moments,
walked on beyond It. Finding nothing
there, he returned and after some hes
itation turned In up the tnr sidewalk
and pulled at the old fashioned wire
bell pull. Grandma Orde herself an
swered the door.
Newmark took off his gray felt hat.
"Will you kindly toll mo where Mr.
Orde lives?"
"This Is Mr. Orde's." replied the lit
tle old lady.
"l'nrdon me." persisted Newmark.
"1 am looking for Mr. .lack Ordo. 1
am sorry to have troubled you."
"Mr. .lack 'i V- lives here." returned
Grandma Oide. "He Is my son. Would
you like to see him?"
"if you please." assented Newmark
!
gravel v, his thin, shrewd face masking
itself with Its usual expression of
oulszlcal cynicism.
Newmark entered the cool, dusky In
terior and was shown to tho left Into a
dim, loug room. He perched on a ma
hogany chair and had time to notice a
bookcase with a tflille owl atop, an old
piano with the yellowing keys, hair
cloth sofa and chairs, steel engravings
and two oil portraits when Orde ap
peared. Newmark had known Orde only ns
riverman. Like most easternr he
was unable to Imagine a man In rough
clothes ns being anything but a rough
man. The figure he saw before him
was correctly dressed In what was
then the proper Sunday costume.
"Oh. It's you, Mr. Newmark!" cried
Orde. "I'm glad to seo you." He led
the way Into the hall aud to another
brighter room, In which Grandma
Onle sat, a canary singing nbove her
head.
"Mother," said Orde. "this Is Mr.
Newmark. who was with us on the
drive this spring."
"Mr.
Newmark
and I snoke nt the
door."
said she.
extending her frail I
"Fd like to ice you gtt any three men to
agree to anything on thU river."
hand with dignity. "If you were on
the drive. Mr. Newmark, you must
have been one of tho high privates In
this dreadful war we all read about."
Vawmnrl lnllrrlin.1 At f1ritrta Rllr.
gestlon the two passed back Into the
remains of the old orchard.
"Where have you been for the last
couple of weeks?" asked Orde.
"I caught Johnson's drive and went
on down river with him to the lake. I
do not like the life at all, but the drive
Interested me. It Interested me so
much that I've come back to talk to
you about it. I'm going to ask you a
few questions about yourself."
"Ob. I'm not bashful about my ca
reer!" laughed Orde.
"How old are you?" inquired New
mark abruptly.
"Thirty."
"How long have yoa beeo log driv
ing?" "About six years."
"Why did you go into Itr
"Because there's' nothing ahead of
shoveling but dirt," Orde replied, with
& quaint grin.
"I see," said Newmark after a pause.
"Then you think there's more futuro
to that sort of thing than the sort of
thing tho rest of your friends go in
for-luw and wholesale groceries and I
banking and the rest of ltf
"There is for me," replied Ordo aim-1
ply.
"Yet you're merely river driving on
a salarv at thirtv "
Ordo Hushed slowly and shifted bis
position.
"I'm not asking all this out of Idle
curiosity. I'vo got a schemo In my
head that I think may work out big i
for us both,
"Well," assonted Orde reservedly, "In
that case I'm foreman on this drlvo 1
because my outlit went kerplunk two
years ago, and I'm making n fresh go
at It,
"Failed V Inquired Newmark.
"Partner skedaddled," replied Orde.
"Now, suppose you tell mo what tho
devil you're driving nt,"
"Look here," said Newmark, abrupt
ly changing the subject, "you know
that rapids up river Hanked by shal
lows, where the logs aro always going
aground?"
"Tilfi
I do.'
"Well, why wouldn't It help to put a
string of piers down both sides, with
booms between them to hold tho logs
In tho deeper water?"
"It would." said Ordo.
"Why Isn't It done, then?"
"Who would do It?" countered Ordo.
"If Daly did It, for instance, then all
tho rest of tho drivers would get tho
advantage of It for nothing."
"Get them to pay their share."
Ordo grinned. "I'd like to see you
got any three men to agree to any
thing on this river."
"How many Arms drlvo Jogs on this
stream?"
'"J'en," replied Ordo without heslta-
"How tunny do they employ?"
"About ,00 men."
Now, suppose"-Newmatk loaned
fornrd-"supposo a firm should In
organlied to drive all the logs on the
river. Suppose It linpioxed the rler
with piers and dams, so that the driv
ing would be easier. Couldn't It drive
with less than .".mi men and save tium
ey?" "It mlchl." agreed Orde.
"If such a firm should be organized
to drive the logs for these ten firms at
ko much a thousand, do you suppose It
would get the business?"
"It would depend on the driving
firm," said Orde. "You see. mill men
have got to have their logs. They
can't afford to take chances. It would
not pay."
"Then that's all right." agreed New
mark, with a gleam of satisfaction
across his thin face. "Would you
form a partnership with me having
such an object In view?"
Onle laughed.
"1 guess you don't roullxo the situa
tion." said he. "We'd have to have a
few little things like distributing
booms and tugs niijl a lot of tools aud
supplies and works of various kluds."
"Well, we'd get them."
"How inueh are you worth?" Ordo
Inquired bluntly.
"Twenty thousand dollars. now
much capital would we have to have?"
usked Newmark.
Onle thought for several minutes.
"We would need somewhere near
575.000." he estimated at last.
"That's easy," orlfd Newmark.
"We'll make n stock company say
100.000 slinres. We'll keep Just enough
between us to control the company
say 51,000. I'll put In my pile, and you
can pay for yours out of the earnings
of the company."
"That doesn't sound fair."
"You pay Interest." explained New
mark. "Then we'll sell the rest of tho
stock to raise the ret of the money "
"I must have something to live on."
said Orde thoughtfully at last.
"So must I." said Newmark. "We'll
have to pay ourselves salaries, of
j course, but the smaller the better nt
' first. You'll have to take charge of the
! men nnd the work nnd alt the rest of
, It. I don't know anything about that
, I'll attend to the Incorporating and the
routine, and I'll try to place the stock.
iou ll have to see first of nil whether
you can get contracts from the logging
i firms to drive the logs.
"How can 1 tell what to chargo
them?"
"We'll have to figure that very close
ly. Vou know where these different
drives would start from nnd how long
each of them would take?"
, "Ob. yes!"
"Well, then we'll figure how many
days' driving there Is for each, nnd
bow mnny men there are. and what It
costs for wages, grab, tools. We'll Just
have to figure ns near ns we can to the
actual cost nnd then add a margin for
profit nnd for Interest on our Invest
ment." Amanda now announced dinner
Newmark looked puzzled nnd ns ho
arose glanced surreptitiously nt hit
watch. Orde seemed to take the sum'
raons ns one to le expected, however.
In fact, the strange hour wns the
usual Sunday custom In the Bedding
of that day nnd had to do with tho
Into church freedom of Amanda and
her like.
"Come In nnd eat with us," Invited
Onle.
But Newmark declined.
"Como up tomorrow night, then, nt
half past 0 for supper," Ordo urged
him. "We can figure on these things
a little."
(To bo continued.)
WOMAN THWARTED IN HER
EFFORTS TO COP COIN
(United Prena Leaned Wire.)
SACRAMENTO, Cnl., Nov. 29.
The plans of Mrs. Knte Warner,
wedded by contract to Adam Warner
to secure n widow's Bhnro or tho
$3 - 000 cstato of Wttrncr was
thwarted by Judge Hughes when ho
. , i;i
nemea -Mrs, vwirnor n new inni.
no cou" uenieu mo mouon on uu
mt i i i il. . if it.-.
'ground thnt Mrs. Wnrnor turn ac-
cceded to tho tonus of tho contract,
which gave her $100 n yonr nnd
$1000 at Warner's death and was
satisfied until recently.
The wotnnn claims now that War
ner, with whom sho lived 17 years,
told her thnt sho would live nn extra
long life, and sho continued to ho n :
gomt wile to linn inni Hiii' (.'niiKi got
u widow' Awwvi of tho ettuto, irre-
spentivo of tho contract.
Judge Hughes declared tho coti
! tract binding nnd tho cstato will nrtw
go to tho fivo children of Wnrnor.
I
i
SON
OF PROMINENT
MAN KILLS HIMSELF
(United Press Leased Wire.)
SANTA FE, N. M Nov. 20. News
wns received horo todny that tho ho ly
of Harvey Johnson, tho son of Os
car Johnson, president of tho Hohort
Johnson & Hand Shoo Manufacturing i
company of St. Louis, .Mo., wnJ
found iu a remote part of tho moun
tains 'near tho Pecos river, CO miles
from hero Into yesterday.
A bullet holo in tho young inaii'i
forehead and a revolver lying; nearby
told tho story of his death.
Tho general impression is that
Johnson committed suicide as it was
known ho suffered much from ill-health.
W1 MY JTT T
ANTE D
3 Billion Feet of Timber,
must be well located for
operating and logging.
Transportation facilities
near by. Land with some
A
white pine prefered.
Furnish cruising by 40,s
and maps. Only princi
pals need apply.
Clark & Cowles
Box 666 Medford, Ore.
i
Annual
MRS. W.
LITTLE FOUND GUILTY
OF NO LITTLE DEED
BLUEFIELDS, W. Va., Nov. 'J. -
i Howard Little wns found guilty today
nnd .sentenced to death for tho mur
der of six persons at tho Meadows
farm, near Hurley. Tho trial wuh
held nt Grundy, Vn., across tho statu
line from here.
Little made no defense. Tho trial
was begun Thursday nnd tho vor-,
diet ns returned today. The court-'
house was guarded by a big forcoj
of special deputies, an it wns fonrcd ,
n demonstration would ho attempted. J
Tho murders were among tho most
brutal on record. Littlo killed Geo.
Meadows nnd Mrs. Mondows and
their three small children. Ho then
slow "Auntio Justice," 70 yearn old.
First-Class Ladies' and Ocntn'
Bootblack
Parlors
DYEING AND OILING A
SPECIALTY.
V. W. Howard.
Const Chninpion Bootblack, Prop
0 S, CENTRAL AVENUE.
For the Best
In harness, saddles, whips,
.olics, tents, blankets, wag
on sheets, axle urease and
Oall cure, as well as alf kinds
of custom work, see
J. C. Smith
314 E. Main.
Reduction Sale
Till Hats and Millinery
Goods Less Than Gost
I. BROWN
GOLD RAY GRANITE CO.
Office: 209 West Main St., Medford, Oro.
Operating Quarry
D KALE US IN
BUILDING, MONUMENTAL AND
CRUSHED GRANITE
I REAL
Farm Land Timber Land
Orchard land
Residences City Lots
Orchards and Mining Claims
Medford
Room 10, Jackson
Second. Floor
Deuel & Kentnor's
Store
at Gold Ray, Oregon
ESTATE
Realty Co
County Bank Building