14 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



A Mistake of Divine Will. 



{.See P''Oto-gravur 

 "It's a damned shame! There's another 

 chain slipped somewhere besides the one in 

 the head of that fool Swede who runs the 

 steam loader, ' ' said big Andy as he pulled 

 the grey blanket over Long Tom, the eant- 

 hook man, covering the determiued mouth 

 which was beginning to take on the inscruta- 

 ble smile of eternity. "Tom was the great- 

 est top loader in the whole outfit, and he 

 swung that old cant-hook as though it was 

 alive. They couldn "t pass 'em up too fast for 

 him. How he could have let that last top log 

 knock him into kingdom come is beyond 

 me." 



"I ho]ic, my dear sir, you are not ques- 

 tioning the ways of Divine Will," said the 

 young minister who had driven with the doc- 

 tor to the scene of the accident. 



' ' Hell, no, I ain 't questioning nobody, Mr. 

 Preacher, ' ' said Andy earnestly. ' ' But I 'd 

 like to ask ye, as one as knows the inspection 

 rules, just why Tom was throwed out and the 

 rest of us passed. It ain 't right, Mr. Preacher 

 — it ain't right. Here's me," and big Andy 

 drew himself up to the extreme of his six 

 feet four, "a-cussin', drunken, good-for-noth- 

 in', with nobody to care whether I drink my- 

 self to death or not. Do I get decently killed 

 by the damned carelessness of a pock- 

 marked Swede and the devilishness of a 

 cull basswootl butt? Never in a thousand 

 years! I'll die some day with my boots on, 

 picking blue worms off my coat. But Tom, 

 here," and big Andy's voice almost broke 

 in a sob, "Tom Nelson was the pride of 

 every lumber jack in the whole camp. 

 Whj', he's won more money for us from 

 that outfit across the river than any other 

 man here. Ye couldn't send 'em up too 

 fast for Tom until today — and he's braced 

 up and never took a drink since a year ago 

 when he married Susie." 



At the mention of the woman's name big 

 Andy 's face became more distressed than ever. 

 "What '11 Susie do?" he asked. "And 

 who'll tell her that her man is lyin' out here 

 in the snow with a blanket over his face? 

 Say" — and big Andy turned fiercely to the 

 preacher — "do you mean to tell me that it 

 was meant a' purpose — if ye do jes' git right 

 out of here, f er I 'm going to think it 's a mis- 

 take somewhcic— that yer Divine Will was 

 watching that awkward son-of-a-gun across 

 the river, and forgot that Tom would be 

 thinking about his wife and the baby comin' 

 and would want a little watchin ' himself 

 this mgrnin'. It's well fer you, sir, that I'm 

 going to think it's a mistake, fer if I thought 

 it was straight goods, I'd lam you first and 

 then go after that Divine Will, as you call 



him. ' ' 



The young mini.stcr looked at the old doc- 

 tor in horrified consternation, but tho phy- 

 sician had healed the wounds of many a bitter 

 battle among the stalwart woodsmen, and he 

 knew both their strength and their weakness, 

 sn he answered the unspoken query. 



e Supplement.) 



"Not nuiL-h theology, my bo}-, but plenty 

 of that old human nature which made our 

 Jewish forefatlicrs insist upon 'an eye for an 

 eye and a tooth tor a tooth. ' ' ' 



In the meantime tender if awkward hands 

 had placed the fast stiffening form of the 

 top loader on a rude bed in the tote sled, 

 ani[ followed by the whole camp the sad little 

 procession moved on, for Susie had to be told. 



Half way to the little shack, that stood at 

 the edge of the little shanty town that' had 

 sprung up near the scene of the logging 

 operation, a boy was seen running at full 

 speed toward them. 



He stopped in surprise at the solemu 

 cortege, and then called out, "Say, is Long- 

 Tom Nelson with you? If he is, tell him his 

 wife wants him and the doctor quick. There's 

 a baby come to his house. ' ' 



Big And}' turned quickly to the minister 

 and his brawny fist closed ominously, but 

 there was a quiver in his voice as he again 

 inquired: "Did yer Divine Will make an- 

 other mistake this time?" 



' ' I don 't think he did, Andy, ' ' said the 

 minister tremulously, as he looked from the 

 form under the blanket to the home where 

 the doctor was already alighting. "I don't 

 think he did, for the child will bring com- 

 fort tiiat nothing else could give." 



"Well," said Andy after a pause, "if Di- 

 vine Will is trying to make up for his mis- 

 take in the case of Tom by sending the baby 

 to Susie, we'll just have to let it go at that. 

 We 're all liable to make mistakes. And so 

 we '11 lielp Divine Will out by taking care 

 of Tom's kid — won't we, boys?" 



' ' You bet we will, ' ' was the earnest re- 

 sponse, as they lifted tho father, and with 

 reverent tread carried him into the house 

 where lay the child his loving eyes would 

 never look upon. 



Hardwood Record J\Iail 'Bag. 



[In this department it is proposed to reply 

 to such inquiries as reach this office from the 

 Hardwood Kecukd clientage as will be of enough 

 general interest to wan-ant publication. Every 

 patron of the paper is invited to use this de- 

 partment to the fullest extent, and an attempt 

 will be made to answer queries pertaining to all 

 matters of interest to the hardwood trade, In 

 a succinct and intelligent manner.] 



Hardwood Dimension Association. 



SAciiAMi:.NTO. Kv.. Oct. 11. — Editor IIaudwood 

 Kecobd : We note your article on the hard- 

 wood dimension business and think you have 

 taken a step in the right direction. We are 

 in favor of an association along the lines men- 

 tioned and would be pleased to have you keep 

 us in touch with anything contemplated in this 



line. I'RAIT-WORTHI.NGTON COMPANY. 



Manchester Depot, Vt., Oct. 20. — Editor 

 Hardwood Record : Your article on hardwood 

 dimension stock in the Sept. 2.1 issue is well 

 and ably written. Every word of it rings with 

 truth, and if. through the medium of your 

 journal, you are able to make the manufac- 

 tni-ers of this kind of stock see and know the 

 truth as you see it. you will have done a good 

 wiirk for dimension stock. — M. L. Hadlky 

 Maniikacti'rixo Company. 



These two letters are specimens of a 

 number that have been received from con- 

 cerns interested in the hardwood dimension 

 industry. It ia proposed that a convention 

 of those interested in the making of hard- 

 wood dimension wagon stock and material 

 for furniture and chair factories, etc., bo 

 called in the city of Chicago on or about 

 Nov. 22 next. If those interested in this 

 pro])Osed meeting will kindly advise the 

 Hardwood Record they will receive definite 

 notice of the date and proposed place of 

 meeting. There is enough enthusiasm al- 

 rc^ady aroused on this subject to insure a 

 large attendance of persons interested in 

 the betterment of this branch of tin' hard- 

 wood industry. — Kditor. 



Maple and Birch Dimension and Yellow 



Birch. 



Ontonagon, Mich., Oct. 1!).— Kditor Hakd- 



wooD Ur.coiiD : Please ndvlse If there Is n 



market for 1-ln. Bquarc maple and birch, and 



whether this can be used for dowel pin work. 

 Where can we get the names of wagon and 

 b\iggy hub manufacturing concerns 'i We have 

 small yellow birch excellent for hubs and would 

 like to find a market for it. 



Maple and birch inch squares are not 

 available for the manufacture of dowels as 

 a general proposition. The system of manu- 

 facture of dowels involves cross-cutting 

 limbs and split blocks out of the bodies of 

 trees, and then by a special machine punch- 

 ing the dowels out of the cross sections. 

 There is a market for small maple and birch 

 squares in the small handle trade and occa- 

 sionally in some other lines. 



Yellow birch is available for tho produc- 

 tion of bugg}' hubs, and there is an excel- 

 lent market for this commodity. The way 

 to handle this proposition is to have it done 

 on the ground. You will have to induce 

 some manufacturer who has exhausted his 

 local stock to locate near you, where you 

 can deliver your logs to him. You ordi- 

 narily cannot sell small yellow birch bolts 

 and ship to remote places. These plants 

 must be convenient to the timber. Parties 

 interested in your birch can undoubtedly 

 be found. Tho center of this industry is 

 in Pennsylvania, and there j'ellow birch ia 

 pretty well exhausted. — Editor. 



Criticizes Eecord's Los Angeles Correspon- 

 dent. 



I.iis Ax(iKu;s, Cai.., Oct. 17. — Editor Hard- 

 wood IlEcoKD : We Just received copy of youp 

 Issue of Oct. 10, and nnlurnlly looked for I.os 

 AnnelcK Items the first Ihlng. On page 111 you 

 have an arllclc written by someone who Is ovl- 

 ileully not well poslc<l on ronditloiia existing in 

 Ibis niiirkel. The nrtlile sliilcs : "Whiit little 

 slocks have been carried arc nt present decidedly 

 (1( plelcd iuul huiulrera for Ihese woods are given 

 to understand that If their requlremenls are 

 large the stock will have to he secured In Ibc 

 Knst, etc." 



The facts are Ihat wo can furnish from our 

 stocks here any rensonnhle amount of stock that 

 could be called for by any concern In this tcr- 



