The Romance of a Tan-bark Camp

by Raymond S. Spears

 

The Romance of a Tan-bark Camp

WITH DRAWINGS
By Will Crawford

A SHORT STORY
By Raymond S. Spears

THE STORY of “Bud” McCoy's is an old one in the Pennsylvania hemlock camp. It started, nobody knows when, not even Daddy Allen, upon Little Pine Creek in Marshal Carson's camp. But Daddy knew Bud when Bud was an old man, and that makes Daddy more important in Lycoming County than any other senior story-teller in a lumber camp. Perhaps Daddy's version of Bud's great Christmas is a little warped, but it is the most trustworthy one extant.

“It was all over that girl,” Daddy says. “She was Minervy Saunders from down Lockhaven way, and the prettiest that ever came up the pike to make dough gods for the Hicks & Buddy bark pitchers. She could do most anything—split wood, toss pan-cakes, darn socks, and many's the favor she did for the boys, only there wa'n't one could go bucking round her, let me tell you. She just was pretty and knowed the value of good looks. And the boys was all crazy because she wouldn't set her grabs to any one of them. She was steady, smilin', and so blamed good that inside of six weeks after she reached Dixon Graves's camp nine of a twenty-one-man crew were tending two o'clock Sunday meetin's up to the block house, eleven miles away. But nary a one of the nine was closter to Minervy, so fur's any body could see, for all that.

“But after a while it came to be seen that she drawed the line on liquor, and that thawed out eight besides five married men the first whack. And then them as was ig'orant and unmannerly comes in for the brush heap, on account of ripping out cuss words when there wa'n't no matter of cause. At last the up-shot of the whole business was that Bud McCoy and Handsome Frank Carole was all there was left who could draw bead to a smile on her lips when they had a pert word and a sheep's gaze to give her. That was a good thing for Boss Graves, for Carole was a ripper to work. He could drive a log down a hill with a twist and a shove of his hook where other men would sweat an hour, and now he just set in to lay Bud under the brush and pile the dirt on him.

“Bud wa'n't such a big sight working on a side hill. He could pull a saw all day steady, or fit logs to their best length and handiest for the boys to work at, or he could spud bark in peelin' time pretty fair; but side of Handsome Frank he wa'n't nothing to more'n look at him to see if he was still moving, from the Boss's standpoint; and it stood to reason that the girl would just be Handsome Frank's in no time, once she see how smart he was all round, for Frank was quite as good at winning the grace of a girl as he was at yanking the daylights out of logs pig-yokin'.

But some way er other Bud got to the down-grade quickest, and haul as he might Handsome Frank couldn't get sight of Bud in the girl's looks for a long while after the first start for the yard. There was a saying that in them days Bud didn't do any chain-breaking on the down grade, but just plumped right in, and got there before Handsome Frank had ketched his horses for the hold-back.

“Then there was some weeks of pulling and hauling. Handsome Frank was just getting raises in pay every time the boss laid eyes to him, while Bud just stood round waiting to do things for the girl. Even wiped dishes for her, they say, and more'n once went to camp sick, or pretending, so's to get a look at her. But this ain't to say he didn't try to earn his wages. Lord, no! Why, he lathered himself all the while, and done twice as much work as ever before, but it didn't look so. It seemed jest as though he wa'n't doing anything more'n to earn his board. The boss thought so, too, and one day there was a row. So Bud got fired out, and he went down to Roberts' job, where English town is.

“One ud think this ere was Handsome Frank's chanct, but 'twa'n't—at least, not right away. For Bud came running up every Sunday to see his sweetheart, arriving early and staying late. How he done it no man knows, for 'twas forty mile for the round trip.

“Week days he done good work too. Roberts liked him, made a boss out of him and set him and a gang to carrying tan bark off the hillsides down to the roads for loadin', and that wa'n't no such soft snap as 'tis nowadays. Scarcely! Why, a man had to put a hundred pounds of the stuff on his back and come sliding and pitching off the hill, and then do it over again. Many's the man broke his leg that way. Two right in Bud's own crew done it before the end of November, which was considerable with men so scarce as they was. But Bud had friends up to Graves's camp, and he filled out his crew in no time, while old Graves was sweating on frosty mornings lest he Shouldn't get his contract done by the fust of January, which would cost him a big pile, Stimson the tanner being pretty clost and sharp in his dealings.

“Along 'bout the middle of December it was plain to see that Roberts was ahead of time, and that Graves was coming in behind hand by 200 tons or more, 'less something happened, and happen it did, jest two days afore Christmas.

“Roberts had a clean-up that day. Every piece of bark the size of yer hand was tossed into the last rack with a yell, by Bud, and he pocketed his cash with a bonus, and a job offered for spring spuddin' and pine fellin', to begin in February. Then he headed for Graves's camp up stream. He got there Christmas Eve day, about noon, and sot down to dinner with the gang and et with the rest, same's as always, for Graves wa'n't that mad at him as to turn a fellow away from his sweetheart.

“But somethin' was in the laurels. Everybody see it to onct. Minervy jest didn't look at Bud and she filled Handsome Frank's cup twict for him full of tea while Bud's went cold in the grounds. Bud never let on then, but when the crews went up the hill he staid behind jest long enough for nine words and a cuff, as the saying is, and then he follered.

“HOW HE DONE IT NO MAN KNOWS, FOR 'TWAS FORTY MILE FOR THE ROUND TRIP.”

“'Graves,' said he, 'will ye give me a job?'

“Graves said 'yes,' for he'd heard of Bud's clean-up for Roberts, and Bud went to work good and hearty. But 'twa'n't no use. Graves see one man's back wa'n't much addition to a crew picking at 400 tons of bark, and that made him hot and swearing mad. All hands came in for it. Finally out ripped Graves 'bout three o'clock, and says: 'I'll give $100 to the man as plans the way to puttin' that 'ere bark onto sufficient sled racks before the fust of January!'

“He meant it, too; well, rather! Old Graves give $25 onct for moving one log out of a jam, and the boys all did a lot of figuring, but night came and nobody had been able to Yankee out of it; not even Handsome Frank, who had his share of brains with the rest.

“After supper Handsome Frank quit figuring. He stood up in the lobby.and stretched so's all could see, and then went into the kitchen. But Bud never noticed it. He jest kept whittling at some sticks he had in his fingers and was that interested that he talked out, forgetting his company. Says he:

“'So I'm kinder slow, be I; and I ain't much on the pullin' and haulin' end of the harness. Um—m, I'd druther—um—well, by ginger, here 'tis!'

“With that he ups and jumps and says:

“'Say, Mr. Graves,' says he, 'I'll take that 'ere hundred dollars for keepin' the teams all bark found!'

“'Ye will, eh?' said Graves with a jump. 'By ginger, yer welcome to it, if ye do it.'

“Then Bud and him went into the office and they was heard talkin' there till long after the boys had gone to bunk. There wa'n't going to be no Christmas in that camp, only just double wages if the boys 'ud work. Then 'bout ten o'clock Graves and Bud was heard hitchin' up two teams, and nobody knowed where they went to till late next day, when they came back with the sleds loaded down with hemlock boards an' some boxes atop.

“Graves sent word up to the hill to have the boys to knock off work, sayin' 'twas Christmas, and they'd celebrate. That was news, and they all came yelling down the road with such whoops as was never heard before. What it was had made the change from work to celebratin', and what them loads of lumber was for, nobody didn't know, and nobody didn't care. Some of them cut a big hemlock tree and it was set up in the dining-room, while Minervy and Graves's wife unpacked the boxes and hangs what was in 'em on the branches, and some of the boys went hunting and got a deer and five wild turkeys before they'd gone a mile. Such a smell of roasting meat and cooking cranberries and gen'rous spices you never did experience, I guess.

“Dinner was late that night, but there was no kicking nor grumbling. And when 'twas "bout to be called, they heard, way down the road, bells and voices. Ef 'twa'n't loads of girls and some fellows all the way from Waterville, with a fiddler and a flute, you may shoot me. We was all hungry and they was all hungry. We eat and et and ate, and then put in a load of chestnuts on top of it all, and topped off with good apple cider and good whiskey. Some sang and some jest hollered, they was that happy, while old Graves rubbed his hands and smacked his lips. It was plain to see he was plumb satisfied regardless of expense.

“Bud came and went 'mong the girls, with a grin and a laugh, in spite of his havin' been away with the team all the night before, and Minervy jest sort of went 'round, for she wa'n't so pert as usual, that night, and when Handsome Frank got to drinking and grew unsteady and boastful, she jest went and sot down in the corner alone.

“Of course Bud see it all, but he said nothing. He waited for Frank to git a little too far, which he did 'bout the third set of dancing. Frank 'lowed he could lick Bud with one hand, but Bud, being sober, had the advantage. He knocked Frank down and throwed him slick and clean out of doors. Everything went on after that jest the same's before.

“Onct in a while there was a little fight, and a little cussing; but 'twas a joyouser occasion than ever I heard of, especially when it came time for another supper. Then Bud was that weak that he jest went over side of Minervy and ast her to go to eat with him and she sealed the bargain with a round fat kiss and a little cry into it. 'Peared like she'd got an ijee of what Bud was up to—she'd seen he wa'n't so slow as she'd thought he was. Everybody hollers hurray! That 'ere couple led every set till daylight, after that, and even Handsome Frank with a swelled eye, sobered by the cold out doors, comes in and drinks to their health like a man.

“There was mittens and shirts and boots and everything on that 'ere tree for the boys, and they'd made shift to every one of them give the girl somethin', of course. It was a great day, that 'ere was, and more especially for those that carried bark on their backs.

“For Bud's idea was to slide that stuff down the hills 'stead of carryin' it down, and them hemlock boards was for troughs to make a chute out of. Bud was a benefit to man all right. I have heard tell of how that was the first time bark was ever chuted down a Pennsylvany mountain. Then 400 tons was put down in two days and Graves was out of a hole he never got into afterwards. And say, now; you'll bet Minervy never went back on Bud McCoy again? Um—m, ye hadn't better. A woman's pretty blamed uncertain. She married a store keeper down to Waterville, what she'd had a tiff with before ever she came up Little Pine Creek.”