The times., 1898-11-28
PECULIAR Ways OF HYKA.
Men There Have Little to Con.
Germ Them.
WOMEN DO THE THINKING
All Energy Is Suppressed and Even
Gold Cannot Arouse the Natives to
Action - For Years They Have
known of AIsslsa's Wealth = Too
IndoIent to Dig for II.

surprises to you because they seem so |
natural, inevitable and satisfactory. The |
territorial governor of the United States !!
is there, yet the little old town Is Rus |
sian in appearance and spirit, and though |
1t is so far north, it is never SO cold is New |
England, and the temper and habits of |
the people there are rather tropical. |
Everybody loafs. Or they did a few years |
ago. Your energy is suppressed and YOU |
rest says the New York Commercial. Ad- |
vertiser
Juneau. on the mainland, throbs with |
life. Men did business there and We're |
winning, or losing, earning fortunes. |
Sitka is old and knows better. In Juneau
they were private about the rich deposits |
of gold in the territory. They knew too |
much even then about the wealth Of the |
Yukon TO talk about it, In Sitka aha gold |
of Alaska was d favorite topic. The Sit |
kans believed in ii, but they had no de- |
sire to dig for IL. You We're welcome to |
do so, and far as tney could they |
would direct you to the exact spot where |
the gold had been reported. And these
reports they got from prospectors and |
from the Indians, who had repeated ira
ditions of it, No Sitkan ever went out
seeking his fortune. ,-.
Why should he? Sitka contained all
that was worth having, and every man |
had all he wanted.
The Americans soon were -leveled to the 1
common plane of the town. a young
marine officer had just come there to take
command of the post when l visited the
town. He bought some bear rugs, Indian
utensils. Indian decorative work, a samo-
var He imported a piano, which he
played beautifully. He was about TO i'm
port wife. Contentment in exile was to
be his and he was cheerful.
The surgeon assigned to the post was
a genial loafer. who was willing to show
the lieutenant how TO make nest COM
Portable TO lie in. He laughed, told
stories, smoked. took short walks, slept
he slept very, very much. When he came
there he came with reasonable thoughts
and full of hatred for his superiors who
had sent him out of the world cut off his
professional career and left him TO rot
| among the Indians. Sitka ruined him, as
he expected, but 1t reconciled him to his
fate.
''The Indians, the Sitkans. he told the
| lieutenant ''are the only men who know
| how to live. They do nothing but hunt
| and fight. and. of course, there is no
| more fighting if you can help it. They
| do not even think That's all left to the
| women Now you know why my con-
|
were hearty. I'm a bachelor only be-
cause there isn't marriageable woman
| in town Sometimes I watch a native
| maiden grow. She passes my window
| carrying wood every day and day by day
| ! see her grow. All l have to do to win
| her is to tap on my window and bsekon
her. But | don't. I'm a Sitkan. I let
| her pass. and by and by ! man with
| her. II is her husband. ! still might
| have her for tap on the pane. but /
don't care. I'm Sitkan and find that
/ do not have to think. not even by proxy.
| So say let the tides rise and fall ] SIM
| ply fall and fall and fall."
| He took the lieutenant over to the
store long. low, white building OF great
| age and solidity Outside on the side
walk sat the braves and their wives,
| leaning up against the wall. They were
| wrapped in their blankets.
Shopping" asked the lieutenant.
"Shopping!" said the doctor. -a
Inside were more natives. squatted al
| ternately, a man and woman, on the
| floor against the walls.
'Shoppingt" said the doctor.
The storekeeper. an old fellow who
looked like ancient trader. sat
| barrel behind the counter and smoked his
| pipe There We're introductions, a drink
| In violation of the law, then the doctor
told the lieutenant to sit down box
and watch the way he would do things
before he got out of Sitka, unless he had
| a pull.
| Have you?'
NO"
"Poor. happy man Neither have L
Look at me-
They sat silent awhile. The Indian woz
men counted over and over again little
hunks of tobacco. several Jumps of sugar,
a few bullets and their money. The men
:noped still and stupid aside and out.
A woman spoke.
"There comes a purchase said the doc
tor.
The man beside the woman took coin,
rose slowly and shuffied up TO the counter
He rested minute. The storekeeper
waited. -f' '-=-'t-
Two bullets" said the man, indicating
the number with his fingers.
The storekeeper got up, fetched a box
of bullets and pushed 1t to the Indian,
who picked out one, felt II, looked it
over, put it back, took another, rolled it,
kept it and gradually chose the second
He paid for them and shuffied back, The
storekeeper went on reading. The custo-
mer sat down, passed to his sauaw the
purchase he had made, gave her the
change and she examined both while he
nodded sleepily.
L
other man rose, and another purchase.
| this time of ten grains of coffee was
executed. There was no disturbance of
the perfect peace. Other men bought
small lots of -four. tobacco, cioth-every-
thing, and some had piles beside them
! But no single purchase was hurried or
large. The biggest was ten bullets.
1T may take all day." said the doctor,
but what of it? The hunt isn't tomor-
row and one day is as good as another
The woman is sure to make her money
come out right, for IL she wants pound
, of bullets. half a pound OF powder,
hundred weight of -four and a quarter of
bacon, how can she be sure she is get
ting them In due proportion without buy
ing little of each in turn? And the
man-the man is spared all thought fore
thought and remorse. The women de-
clare war here and plan the campaign
! just as they do the hunts 1t is a blessed
. place."
They took a walk down through the
, village to the spot where the great church
split the way in two Then it rained,
hard. The lieutenant halted.
whats the matter?" asked the doctor,
E "The rain"
4 oh it's just like the Indians. 1t rains
. a little clears a little. rains a little clears
! again-all the time. When you first come
here it seems to rain all the time and