>
Never a
Dull Moment
y
RONA MORRIS WORKMAN
I have always known that if
you want to be where things hap
pen you should go to a logging
camp.
Always something new,
and only a foolish man would
gamble on what is going to hap
pen next. It may be tragic, but
more often is merely exciting or
amusing, and each day carries its
full quota of interest. The Big
Boss, during his forty years of
logging, has learned to cope with
most of these daily incidents, but
occasionally even runs into some
thing a bit out of the ordinary
pattern.
Usually, he being the “strong,
silent” type of man, I am the
last one to hear of what has hap
pened, but this time I got in on
the first act in person, even if I
didn’t realize it at the time.
I was just setting the coffee
pot on the table and the Big Boss
was lacing his caulked boots when
two men co-.ie to the door last
Monday morning. The B.B. an
swered the knock and as he open
ed the door one of the two men
standing there almost fell into
the room.
I thought nothing
about it since on Monday morn
ings most of the men, for some
obscure reason, seem to be a bit
unsteady on their feet, or with
black eyes, groggy lookB and
tempers like a sea-sick wild cat.
After he had regained his balance
he announced, “I’ve come to take
that loading job.”
The Boss
looked at him rather sceptically.
’"Are you a loader?” he asked.
“Sure I am. That’s what I
came up here for.”
The Boss grunted, and I know
his grunts, and said, “All right.
I’ll see you after breakfast.” As
he sat down at the table he re
marked, “If that man’s a loader,
then I am a bloomin’ sailor,” and
proceeded to attack his grape
fruit.
Two days later I got the rest
of the story. The man was wait
ing when the Boss went out. The
Boss said, “I can’t use a loader
right now, but you can go set
chockers until there is an open
ing.” The fellow spluttered a
bit, but agreed and the Boss
continued. “Go get your clothes
changed and take that “crummy”
there to the Mill Creek side.” At
this the new chocker-setter fluffed
up like a mad hen. “What’s the
matter with my clothes ? I sup-
posse you don’t like the way I
part my hair either?”
The Boss looked at him, I
know that look, too, and, I also
know that in the old days such
an answer would have started a
man right back down the way he
came in, but times have changed.
FRESH
EVERY
DAY
IDEAL FOR LUNCHES
. . and rich in the food elements
every growing child needs. Oreder
Butter
Krust bread every day.
The adults like it too!
VERNONIA BAKERY
HOME OF BUTTER KRUST BREAD
y
Now the Boss merely said, “I
don’t care how you part your
hair, but you can’t go <yi a job
in the woods without caulked
boots, so get ■'em, or don't come
back.”
RIVERVIEW —. Mrs.
W. D.
The fellow was still telling the
world that he was dressed all Steeles daughter, Mr. and Mrs.
right as the Boss left him, but James Walker and two children of
he did go out and get some caulks Eugene, and Mr. and Mrs. Farn-
and reported for duty next morn strom of Vancouver spent Sunday
ing. Out at the Mill Creek land at the W. D. Steele home.
Pfc. Cornett Falconbury is sta
ing, Tiny, the hooker on that side,
(and wouldn’t you know from the tioned at Jacksonville, Flordia
name that “Tiny” is a hulking now.
Walter Moore has been on the
two-hundred pounder?) has been
in the logging almost as long as sick list the past week.
Mr. and Mrs. Ronnie Greenwood
the Big Boss. Seeing the new
man, he went up and asked what motored down from Washington
job he was going on out there. to get their .son who has been
In answer the man struck a bel visiting his two gaandmothers,
ligerent pose and demanded “what Mrs. Bud Rose and Mrs. Green
the blankety-blank H—he wanted wood.
Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Neby and
to know for” what was it to him
anyhow.” I have the feeling that baby of Portland and Mr. and Mrs.
right then Tiny remembered the Schmick of Portland visited at the
old days with longing and his W. D. Steele home Sunday.
Week end guests of the W. J.
fist probably ached with the desire
to be planted in exactly the right Lindsleys were Mr. and Mrs. C-H.
spot, but Tiny, too, knows that Pearson and son of Elma, Wash-
the old days are gone, so with . ington, Mr. and Mrs.Sam Smith
superhuman effort he turned and sons of Sweet Home, Mr. and
away and walked off. I can see Mrs. W. R. Prince and daughter
him scratching his head and and Mrs. Jason of Portland and
Mr. and Mrs. V. M. Lindsley and
him this time.
Two hours later, the Big Boss children and Mr. and Mrs. J. W.
was rounding a curve in his pick Lindsley and family. A going-
up when he saw the man sitting away dinner was given in honor
by the side of the road looking of Pfc. L. M. Lindsley who left
off into space. Stopping the car for California Wednesday where
the B.B. wanted to know (pro he will report back to his marine
bably in correct logganese which base at Terminal Island.
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Meyer and
would have to be expurgated for
public reading) wHat he was doing daughter of Portland spent the
there when he was suppose to be week end at the Merle Cline home.
Mr. and Mrs. T. F. Hillyer and
setting chockers.
“Oh, just looking around,” was Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Combs,
the vague answer. “Well, look motored to Hoquiam to spend the
around down there where your week end with Mr. and Mrs. Geor :e
chokers are. You’re half a mile Whittington, Aunt of Mr. Combs.
from where you should be work Mr. and Mrs. Donna Hagen, Donna
Combs, Walt Holcomb and Grand
ing.”
The fellow moved away in the ma Ward took care of the Hillyer
right direction, but half an hour home during the Hillyer’s absence.
Allene Hudson spent the week
later the Boss found him stand
ing at the landing with his hands end in Forest Grove visiting
in his pockets watching the ac
tivity with apparent interest and it went on, and before they could
considerable
disapproval. This finally get hi<p out of the camp
was a bit too much, even for and into the hands of his family
modern times, and the B.B. he had stormed back into the
promptly ushered him into the office, torn up the check they
Tiick-up and headed back to camp. had given him for three hours
Just as they were rounding a “work,” declaring they were cheat
curve cut into the mountain-side ing him and he wanted real
with a nice precipice on one hand money, and then jumped on th?
wondering what in Heaven’s name pieces. After a few more visits
the employment agency had sent to the office he dragged a mat-
and a lovely- rock wall on the ress and blankets from a bunk
other, the ex-choker-setter grab house into the middle of the road
bed the edge of the wind shield where the big logging trucks roar
and yelled, “Hold her, hold her. by every little while and insisted
Don’t, you see them rattlesnakes. upon sleeping there.
Thousands of ’em, all over the
No, never a dull moment in a
road. Hold her, I say.”
logging camp. Wonder what will
I don't know how the Boss felt happen today.
at that moment. He only laughed
when I asked him and remarked
that he assured the man that
they would drive right over the
snakes and for him not to worry.
I know what I would have felt.
That man could have had that
pickup right then. I could have
made better time back to camp on
foot. Evidently these mountains
are full of rattlesnakes for, ac
cording to his wild yells, they
ran into several batches of them
as they came up that frightful
road, but managed to drive over
If a blow comes, you
safely. Then he got a new idea.
■w*ill
be glad you have
“Where are you taking me?” he
yelped, yanking at the door windstorm insurance
handle. “We went up and up to You won’t have to pay
get to that landing and now we
are still going up. You said hundreds of dollars out of
you’d take me to camp and you your own pocket to re
ain’t. Let me out of here.”
store your property if you
“Well, if we keep going up, as
you say we are, then we will have ycur fire insurance
probably get to Heaven pretty policy extended to cover
soon, don’t you think?” was the
B.B. answer, and I am pretty windstorm damage.
sure that by this time the pickup
was really picking up speed. An
Ask this Hartford ag-.
other yell came when the fellow
ency
about it.
saw camp. "What’s that ’town ?
You’re a liar. That ain’t camp.
I’ve never seen that place before.”
VERNONIA
He got more reassuring words
about that, then he began worry
INSURANCE
ing about the money “due” him.
905 Bridge Street
If he didn’t get it, then he’d get
Phone 231 Vernonia
a gun at Dallas, come back to
camp and make the "dirty so-and-
BILL J. HORN, AGENT
sos” give him what he had com
ing. Still more reassurances. So
Marine on Way
For Calif. Base
THE EAGLE, VERNONIA, ORE.,
THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 1947 5
friends.
Mancel Lee Rose is home from
Oregon State college now.
Mr. and Mrs. Guy Herd, former
residents, are the parents of a
daughter born April 5.
Archaeologists believe that the
horse was first domesticated by
Aryan people living northeast of
the Caspian Sea, an erea now a
part of Soviet Russia.
A TOURIST
VERNONIA
CAB SERVICE
IS A GUEST
PACIFIC PUMPS
STOUT IRRIGATION
SYSTEMS
Rates 35c anywhere within the
city limits of Vernonia
W. B. Starkey, Manager
HÌS HOST!
Advrti»tment
From where I sit... fy Joe Marsh
A Great Bunch
-Those Ex-G.I.'s
Willie Wells and a bunch of the
boys from our town went to Pound
Ridge Saturday to a reunion of
their old regiment.
There were about two hundred
and fifty boys who came from
miles around to a good old feast
in Farmer Collins’ barn. I expect
they seemed a lot different to each
other out of uniform. But they
had a great time, spinning yarns,
drinking beer, and talking over the
old times in South Africa and Italy
and the Aleutians.
I went over to cover the meeting
for the Clarion, and one thing that
sure impressed me was the good
behavior of those boys—their pref
erence for a moderate beverage
like beer—their friendly spirit
From where 1 sit, our cx-G.I.’s
are making as good a showing in
peacetime as they made during
the war. And they're setting a
mighty good example to the rest
of us—in tolerance, and modera
tion, and good fellowship.
Copyright, 1947, United States Brewers Foundation
ATLEY SEZ
Howdy Folks: The question,
as often debated is not where
civilization began, but when
will it.
* *
As Senator Sorghum
you can’t choose your anrfS'
tors, but that’s fair enough,
because they probably would
not have chosen you either.
* ♦
.And about the only thing
left in this world that can be
shocked is grain.
* ♦
But there’s absolutely nothing left undone when you bring
your car to CHAPMAN’S for MARFAK LUBRICATION.
Chapmans Service Store
Bridge and Second
Telephone 853
Vernonia, Ore.
PHILCO
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Beginning
Saturday Morning
6 a.m.
Phone 322 Palace Cafe
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Phone: Plumber, 5713,
Shop 575
786 Bridge Street, Vernonia