Read Online White Pine by Caroline Akervik - Free Book Online Page A

the
flames.
    “Sevy,” Dob spoke up calmly from his seat
behind the desk. “An accident was avoided, but barely. On a logging
team, each man has to rely on the others to do their jobs. If
someone doesn’t, well, then a fellow can get hurt. Or worse.”
    “It was so late and I was...” I shut my trap
when I saw the Push raise his hand.
    “I’m not interested in excuses,” he said.
“Excuses don’t do anyone any good when a man gets hurt or killed
because of a mistake. Sorry don’t feed his family.”
    “No excuses,” I repeated softly. I set my jaw
and nodded my head. All three men were staring at me and I knew
that what I said next really mattered, so I thought for a minute.
“You’re right. I don’t have any excuses. I made a mistake, plain
and simple. But it won’t happen again. I mean I can’t promise I
won’t ever make a mistake again. But I can tell you I won’t make
this one. I’m learning more each day. I...” My voice trailed off as
I watched an unspoken communication passed between Dob and the
Push.
    “The problem ain’t that you didn’t get all
the trails iced, you know, boy,” Mr. Walker said. “I wouldna gotten
‘em all done myself. But you gotta let the other men on your team
know the score, so no one gets hurt.”
    “Yes sir.”
    “Send this boy home to his mama,” Roget said.
“He will be glad for it. I hear him crying into his pillow a
night.”
    A blush of shame rose in my cheeks. Roget had
to be lying, I assured myself. I wasn’t ever loud enough that the
other fellas could hear me, was I?
    I looked at each of them in turn, but there
was no softening of their expressions. Logging was a serious
business. For a few seconds, no one said a thing and I figured that
I was a goner.
    Finally, Dob spoke. “Gentlemen, it seems a
bit extreme to me to fire Sevy over a mistake which didn’t have any
consequences,” he observed as he drew on his pipe. “We are all too
worked up about something that just didn’t happen.”
    “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of
cure.” Mr. Walker offered me an apologetic glance. “My horses could
have been hurt.”
    “Still, there was no real resulting loss. I
do the books here,” Dob continued. “In real money, the boy cost the
company a half day’s work from Fabien, Christian, and the other
members of their team. I’m talking about the time it took to
straighten up the mess. The way that I see it is that the most fair
way of handling the entire situation is to dock Sevy’s pay to make
up for the lost work. I think we should give him another chance,
Mike.” Dob was on my side, though I didn’t know why or how.
    The Push and I eyeballed each other. I didn’t
let myself look down though I shook in my boots.
    Mr. Lynch looked away first. He exhaled
slowly, running his fingers through his hair. “You understand,
Sevy, that being part of a logging team means being responsible for
every other man, no matter if you are sick or tired or both. You
got that?”
    Hardly daring to breathe, I nodded. “I do. I
understand.”
    “You mean to keep this schoolboy then?” Roget
demanded, disbelief thickening his accent.
    “This isn’t up to you, Fabien,” Dob
responded.
    “Nor to you, old man.” Fabien sneered. “You
aren’t in the woods with this child.”
    “No, it ain’t up to either of you,” Mr. Lynch
said. “This is my job. Settle yourself, Fabien. All right, Sevy.
We’ll dock your pay. But one more mistake and you’re on the first
supply sled out of here. You hear me? We can’t afford no more.”
    “Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down.” I
exhaled in relief. I wasn’t gonna get fired.
    “You are all fools,” Roget snarled. “I will
not work with a child. Put me on another team, boss, or I
quit.”
    “Fabien, I won’t tolerate any man threatening
me.” The two men squared off, like they was gonna fight. I’d seen
other fellas my own age do the same before tusselin’, but it was
different when the fellas were big