hard pull of a job, with a strong man doing it joyfully, what could be
finer to see? And he gave such a jaunty sense of youth and easy
strength!

I watched him for some time, curiously interested, and thought I should
like well to know him, but could not see just how to go about it.

The man astride the cross-arm who was heaving the wire forward from the
spool on the distant truck suddenly cried out:

"Ease up there, Bill, she's caught."

So Bill eased up and drew his arm across his dripping face.

"How many wires are you putting up?" I asked, fencing for some opening.

"Three," said Bill.

Before I could get in another stroke the man on the pole shouted:

"Let 'er go, Bill." And Bill let 'er go, and buckled down again to his
job.

"Gee, but it's hot," said he.

In the country there are not so many people passing our way that we
cannot be interested in all of them. That evening I could not help
thinking about Bill, the lineman, wondering where he came from, how he
happened to be what he was, who and what sort were the friends he made,
and the nature of his ambitions, if he had any. Talk about going to the