The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-12-07
CARRIERS LAST DRINK.
HOY "G ENILEM4N LDc ASSISTED
 HIM IN TAKING IT.
A Romance of the First White WO-
 cumstances UnderWhich She Left

When James J. Hill, then president of
 the Manitoba system of rails and loco-
 motives, began the work of establishing
 town sites in the Far Northwest-future feeders of his transcontinental line-one of the first to be laid out WAS Blue
 Duck. While the community flourished
 Tor two or more years, changes in the
 wheat territory and shifting of the cat tie ranges destroyed it's trading area
 and finally effaced it from the map But there must be a great many men still living who passed through the portals
 of Blue Duck in the it's best hours, knew it's joys and sorrows, it's hot passions
 and wasted hopes, and will recall the
 day and the afternoon that Carter call
 ed for his last drink
 When Garter first came to Blue
 Duck there were in the town future
 Governor of State, a future United
 States Minister abroad, a coming ad-
 wiser of presidents, an embryo railway
 president and an archaeological student,
 who later was to control for some time
 all the faro layouts of New York city
 MlAGlt III NllH lIleSe StIlluStS WClN NpN
 boys of Southwestern origin, Nor
 wegians and Swedes fresh from Europe,
 half breed Sioux and few negroes.
 The town lay flat, bare. naked on the
 plain. There was not beautiful thing
 in it, about it or near it but Carters wife, and she was as unapproachable as
 Arcturus.
 Carter was a graduate of the Uni versity of Iowa, a descendant of ancient
 New England governors and laWmak- CTS, a Puritan bred and a scoundrel by heart. He appeared in Blue Duck as a surveyor for the branch line of the Manitoba road, which was then in course of construction. His wife did not come until several months after he had established the reputation of being the hardest drinker, foulest- mouthed gambler and most indecent person be- tween the Missouri and the Red river.
 For all his failings, in his best mo- ments he was smooth tongued well ed ucated and an artificial gentleman. It wi be remembered that he engaged one afternoon in a discussion with Gentle man Ed" the proprietor of all the gambling games of the region, on the 1Ieeh pl thN i'ibi'N"'' verse:
 ''Whosover cometh anything near [ unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die; shall we be consumed with dying?
 The verse is found in Numbers, and it has been said by learned men that be- tween the Greek version, the Hebraic phrasing and the Latin interpretation a twist has been given to this verse not by the original compiler who- ever he may have been.
 It was delight to all who under stood at all and even to many who did not to listen to these two versatile sin ners discuss Phoenician of their letters neither writing and the values of their letters, neither willing to finally accept the dictum of the other each recalling a better day in lives now well mis- spent
 It may be here said that the only req son Carter was not shot for all his bad qualities was not due to his learning, out to the fact that he was the best ( nan with single actor gun on the 'ange. barring Gentleman Ed" and .hese two had to come together yet.
 Mrs. Garter arrived in Blue Duck. We wa ceased boarding at the Oriental and hrew up shack on the south border if the town. As it had two rooms and sitchen, it was quite evident he expect d the arrival of a woman. When he that his wife was on the way ,vrybody felt interested except Gentle man." He told the solitary newspaper ,, nan of Blue Duck:
 We've got along six months without
 woman, except those crazy half breeds that come here trading, and 1 believe we have a great future before IS if we can keep women out. They make trouble"
 Still Ed" was in front of the Oriental when the stage brought Mrs. Carter, nd she steeped from the box to the !. round and her husband Blue Duck 'asped after it had given her one look. drs. Carters attire was quite simple
 gray travelling skirt, waist and acket of dark blue hue, a dark soft rush hat with tantalizing feather in he band. gauntlet gloves and heavy shoes. Little of that Blue Duck l aw then. l
 What Blue Duck took in with amaze f lent was that shhe was not over q Carter was 40) and straight as an ar | ow Every line of her form was mold J d as if a Canova had gone over her s yhen nature finished it's, work, Her air was heavy and wavy brown, her a yes deep brown, her skin as white as l larble except where slight t1ushes of ink revealed the touch of the range g ind. For all this she might have been larble so far as expression or life of t ,anner was concerned
 She gave Carter one glance when she e reeted him, and that glance said to lue Duck: E "This man is my husband The law, a ,ciety and everything else hold me to + i'm. There is nothing in common be- u yeen us, but my duty is clear I wish r 0 help. Only let me alone and do not o now pity"
 Blue Duck understood. Blue Duck lade no comments. If there was one F ling that Blue Duck prided itself on it W as the fact that it never knocked, tat t, ed, gossiped. Blue Duck was at the u ,rvice of Mrs. Carter from the instant
 set eyes upon her, but Blue Duck A