The two men conversed in short elliptical sentences, using many technical terms.
"That 'seventeen' white pine is going to underrun," said Dyer.

"It won't skid over three hundred thousand." "It's small stuff," agreed Radway, "and so much the worse for us; but the Company'll stand in on it because small stuff like that always over-runs on the mill-cut." The scaler nodded comprehension.
"When you going to dray-haul that Norway across Pike Lake ?" "To-morrow.

She's springy, but the books say five inches of ice will hold a team, and there's more than that.

How much are we putting in a day, now ?" "About forty thousand." Radway fell silent.
"That's mighty little for such a crew," he observed at last, doubtfully.
"I always said you were too easy with them.

You got to drive them more." "Well, it's a rough country," apologized Radway, trying, as was his custom, to find excuses for the other party as soon as he was agreed with in his blame, "there's any amount of potholes; and, then, we've had so much snow the ground ain't really froze underneath.