+ A Pacific Tribune writing contest selection

Log

gers’

holiday

By SAMMY WOODMAN
THE STORY THUS FAR: A group of loggers’“on

their way to the city for the Christmas holidays, are riding
the crummy from the camp to the wharf when they find
the track blocked by a derailed logging train. Rather than
lie around camp for two weeks, they decide to walk the
remaining seven or eight miles through heavy snow. Only
when they reach the boat does it dawn on them that they
could have waited for the speeder coming out to the train
wreck and saved themselves the effort. Now they are

aboard the boat...

HILE climbing to the
W upve:

deck, Haywire

says, “Them and their finery. _

Nothing will do but they must
spread ten acres of linen on
the table.” Then he asks me
if I have a clean handker-
chief, saying he needs one
badly.

Now I’m somewhat curious
about how Haywire got so
nicely wrapped up in that
tablecloth down below in the
dining room. ;

I know better than to yo
poking my nose into a situa-
tion like that, however. But,
I put two and two together
and this is what I get.

Here’s Haywire Sandy
starting to eat. He expects his
nose will be running before
long and he has no handker-
chief. But on his lap is a nice
clean linen napkin not too big
to put in a pocket. So, while
he éats, he reaches down to
shove the napkin in his hip
pocket. Instead, he takes hold
of the table cloth and shoves
about a yard or two in his
pocket. When he gets up, he
makes a full right turn away
from the table. Before he
knows what has happened
he’s all wrapped up in the
tablecloth and fit to be tied.

Haywire and I work our way
towards the observation room
although outside it’s as dark as
it will ever get. Theré’s more
to see inside, if you like ob-
serving this kind of scene.

A lively poker game is go-
ing on three different tables.
Folding money and pay che-
ques are changing hands
faster than an ordinary ob-
server can keep track of.

Haywire says to me, “I’m
going to have some fun with
Little Frank. He tells me he’s
got a plan that will make a
Christmas stake- for both of
us on poker after midnight
tonight, since he won’t do
anything on Fridays and the
13th of the month. I’m going
te’ show him things can go
wrong on other days too, and
have some fun while doing
it.”

This is Little Frank’s plan
for a fortune, and_I must say,
it’s. a very simple plan, In
fact, nobody will think of it
twice. Little Frank is going
to give Haywire his entire
stake and Haywire is to sit
in at a table that plays big
stakes. Little Frank is going
to hang around the other
players so he can tip Haywire
off by sign language what the
other players have got.

Haywire says to me, “Ill
teke his money and sit in on
a game as he plans, but here’s
where you come in.”

Now I naturally stop to
think this over. “Well.” I.say
cautiously, “I don’t want to
take part in whatever. trouble
you guys get into.” re

“There is no trouble in it,”
Haywire says. “It’ll teach him
a lesson for trying to pull such
foolish tricks.”

I know Haywire can usually
hold his own in a poker game,
sc I don’t worry much about
Little Frank’s money. Besides,
I egree with Haywire teaching
Little Frank a lesson, In fact,
after he explains the part I’m
going to play, I begin to think
it’s a good idea myself.

Haywire says, “I'll get two
bottles of rye, as it’s most sur-
prising how easy it is for a
guy to acquire such goods from
individuals aboard these tubs.

“You go in your stateroom
with those two bottles of rye
ana along about ten-thirty
you ask Little Frank into your
room. Make sure he’s good and

high by midnight so he don’t

know his own name.”

I say, “Wait a minute, I
thought you said I could take a
nip now and again while I’m
getting him drunk. How do you
figure two bottles will do
that ?”

“T know Little Frank,” he
replies. “One bottle will
nicely put him to sleep if you
dcn’t waste too much time be-
tween drinks.”

“Well” 1. say, “Ta stry

So we stand around watch- -

ing the game for awhile, then
Haywire goes on his way to

4

produce the goods and I go to
my stateroom to rest my tired
dogs a bit. Pretty soon he
comes banging on the door, but
he brings in three bottles in-
stead of two.

“Since Little Frank is buy-
ing it, though he doesn’t know
it, I might as well get enough
for a stray nip or two for my-
self,” Haywire says.

Then he taps one bottle and
we take a couple of pulls out
of it. That’s all though, be-
cause Haywire says he’s stay-
ing sober until morning since

‘he’s going to play poker to-

night. So we go out to look
for Little Frank.

“ll get his stake first,” he
says. “Then you can nab him
for a drink in your room .
and keep him there.”

That’s how Little Frank and
I come to be sitting in my
stateroom taking long pulls out
of the bottle. Naturally, we
started t@ do some heavy
logging, and the logs are get-
ting bigger and the camps
we've been in are getting more
gunnysack.

But I’m careful not to out
pull Little Frank on the bot-
tle, since there’s a chance in
beating Little Frank to the
bunk if I’m not careful. Next
thing he would do is go wan-
cer in on the game still carry-
ing the notion he can talk sign
language.

After a while I observe he’s
not logging as highball as at the

& -. August 3, 1956 —

start, and I notice he’s asking
nie for a shigarette and his
\gunny sacks are becoming
gunny shacks. Next think I
know he’s started nodding his
head very severally and all I
have to do is roll him in the
bunk, moaning and groaning
something fierce.

By this time I’m also in a
good-time sfage, but I settle
for a nightcap and roll in on
the upper bunk for a few hours
of bucking logs. |

When the tub’s gut hammer
wakes me in the morning
Little Frank is still sawing
away. I get ready and go out
to get my breakfast, leaving
Little Frank at his occupation.

On my way down I run into
Haywire Sandy. His eyes are
somewhat on the bloodshot
side. He says the game has
just broke up. I ask him how
he made out. He says “Not so
bad. I made enough to buy
Little Frank’s stake three
times. But don’t mention it to
him. I’m going to tell him I
lost all his stake and some of
mine too.”

Haywire wakes Little Frank
up, then proceeds to give him
hell. :

“So that’s where you’re mak-
ing your Christmas stake,” ‘he
says. “You’re a hell of a guy
to depend on. T lost all your
stake and most of mine, too.
This is going to be a fine
Christmas you got us into.”

“Little Frank just blinks and
icoks around. He finally finds
his voice and says. “Have you

any more rye left?
that was the only!
for him now. 4
After taking a pli!
from the bottle he}
be thinking of his?
of action. 4
“Holy Blue Light
kers,” he says. “2
my mother a real
this year. And Pé
about broke too, by
he pays his docto
his operation last 5¥
guess I’ll have to_
Iest my wallet W
money. That way,
so hard on her. +
against gamblin’ aml

akout that,” he
“When I’m born,
dad are a happy cour
dad’s doing g00
butcher shop. Bub
just about a week oF
Little Pete is bor
comes -home one
tells my mother t¢
got a butcher shop.
and says he’s awit
icse everything in

“I guess things °
good after that. 4
dad gets himself a
butcher shop, and
he begins to come
at nights and not §
one night he
home at all, but thé
he sends a wire #@
saying, ‘Sorry, hag
way, but I can’t +

299

her. d
Little Frank 1
going to break doWss
I figure Haywit®,
Little Frank a 807
taking his money
it to his mama. Th
won’t have so many iy
Also, it does yours
wegian good to ¥? 4st
once in a while, thy
know if yodelling
in a hospital. Bu
person has a righ
his friends when

see him.

Well, Christmas 4
ana I woke a le
with my head 2
heavy side. I can

snoring away in a
to mine. I bana

to wake him up; |
good time for dint |

Frank’s mama’s Bl
Little Frank and
there.
I must say Litt
mama __ looks a i
Also. she’s Waa
clothes. The plat

cleaned up, there’
tle fir tree stat
corner all lit UE
table’s all set Ww!
wine by each pla
Well, she just
Christmas spirit
only liquid spirits
is two glasses 0
But I alway®
that Christmas. —
since then a Cht
catches up with
later, signed, “AY

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