CHAPTER X
On Helen Foraker's suggestion, John had gone to live in the men's shanty with Milt Goddard, Black Joe and the balance of the crew that had not been shifted to the White camp.
"This is your job," she said. "I am only working for you. I'll be more comfortable if you see what is going on both on the river and at the mill, and you can't see if you stay in town."
It was not a congenial shelter for him. He was out of place, did not belong to the class of men with whom he ate and slept and his reputation as a "mixer" in that other existence he had lived did him no good here. More, Goddard was surly and gruff, as his deeply rooted jealousy prompted. Black Joe ignored John and would respond to none of his advances. When Taylor asked questions Joe would look about and grunt scornfully and say to some one:
"Did you hear that? He," brandishing his pipe stem toward John, "wants to know if—" repeating the question. Then he would answer explosively: "Of course it is!" Or: "Hell, no!" giving by tone and manner the inference that none but an addle-pate would have put such a query.
After their agreement was signed, Taylor had nothing of a personal nature in common with Helen Foraker. Their conversations were all brief and wholly concerned with the work and much of her talk was as Greek to
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