attention, for the lumberman was, after all, a shrewd reader of
character where his prejudices were not concerned. Then events
would have turned out very differently.

After his speech the business man had whirled back to his desk.

"Have you anything for me to do in the woods, then?" the other
asked quietly.

"No," said Daly over his shoulder.

Thorpe went out.

Before leaving Detroit he had, on the advice of friends, visited
the city office of Morrison & Daly. There he had been told
positively that the firm were hiring men. Now, without five dollars
in his pocket, he made the elementary discovery that even in
chopping wood skilled labor counts. He did not know where to turn
next, and he would not have had the money to go far in any case.
So, although Shearer's brusque greeting that morning had argued a
lack of cordiality, he resolved to remind the riverman of his
promised assistance.

That noon he carried out his resolve. To his surprise Shearer was
cordial--in his way. He came afterward to appreciate the subtle
nuances of manner and treatment by which a boss retains his moral
supremacy in a lumber country,--repels that too great familiarity
which breeds contempt, without imperiling the trust and comradeship
which breeds willingness. In the morning Thorpe had been a
prospective employee of the firm, and so a possible subordinate of