Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-23

the pTlIHeNdl STATUS oI Tie WeSteTu Sdttle
ranges, and refined society turned the cold
eye of disfavor upon him and his ilk. In
the second place, in one of it's cyclopedian
moments the race had arisen and showed
back its frontier several thousand miles
Thus with unconscious foresight did ma
ture society make room for its adoescent
members. True, the new territory was
mostly barren, but it's several hundred
thousand square miles of frigidity at least
gave breathing space to those who else
would have suffocated at home.
Montana Kid was such a one. Heading
for the sea coast, with a haste several
sheriff's posses might possibly have ex-
planned, and with more nerve than coin
of the realm, he succeeded in shipping
from Puget Sound port, and managed to
survive the contingent miseries of steer
age seasickness and steerage grub. He
was rather sallow and drawn, but still his
own indomitable self, when he landed on
the Dyea beach one day in the spring OF
the year. Between the cost of dogs, grub
and outfits, and the customs exactions of
the two clashing governments. it speed
lily penetrated to his understanding that
the northland was anything save a poor
mans Mecca. So he cast about him in
search of quick harVests. Between the
beach and the passes were scattered many
thousands of passionate pilgrims These
pilgrims Montana Kid proceeded to farm.
At first he dealt faro in a pine board
gambling shack; but disagreeable necessity
forced him to drop a sudden period into
a mans life, and to move on up trail!
Then he effected corner in horseshoe nails
and they circulated at par with legal ten
DER, four to the dollar, till unexpected
consignment of hundred barrels or so
broke the market and forced him to dis
gorge his stock at a loss. After that he
iocated at Sheep Camp, organized the pro-
Iessional packers and jumped the freight
ten cents a pound in a single day In
token OF their gratitude, the packers pat
ronized his faro and roulette layouts and
We're mulcted cheerfully of their earn
lhss- But his commerciaism was of too
lusty a growth to be long endured; so they
rushed him one night, burned his shanty,
divided the bank and headed him up the
tran with empty pockets.
Il-iuck was his running mate. He en-
gagged with responsible parties to run
WHISKY across the line by way of pre-
carious and unknown trails, lost his Indian
guides. and had the very first outfit con-
hscated by the mounted police. Numerous
other misfortunes tended to make him
bitter of heart and Wanton of action, and
ne celebrated his arrival at Lake Bennett
by terroriZing the camp for twenty straight
hours Then a miners meeting took him
in hand, and commanded him to make him.
self scarce. He had wholesome respect
for such assemblages and he obeyed in
such haste that he inadvertently removed
himself at the tail-end of another mans
dog team. This was equivalent to horse
stealing in more mellow cline, so he hit
OlllN the UISH p1dCSS ACROSS bennett ana
down Tagish. and made his first camp a
full hundred miles to the north.
Now 1t happened that the break of spring
was at hand and many of the principal
citizens of Dawson were travelling south
on the last ice. These he met and talked
with, noted their names and possessions
and passed on. He had a good memory al
so a fair imagination: nor was veracity
IL
Dawson, always eager for news. beheld
Montana Kids sled heading down the Yu-
kon, and went out on the ice to meet
him. No. he hadn't any newspapers; didn't
know whether Durrant was hanged yet
nor who had won the Thanksgiving game
hadn't heard whether the United States
and Spain had gone to fighting; didn't
know who Dreyfus was; but O'Brien?
Hadn't they heard? O'Brien, why he was
drowned in the White Horse; Sitka Charley
the only one of the party who escaped
Joe Ladue? Both legs frozen and ampu-
tated at the Five Fingers. And Jack Dali
ton? Blown up on the Sea Lion with all
hands. And BEETLES? Wrecked on the
Carthag1na in Seymour Narrows-twcnty
survivors out of 300. And saltwater Bill?
Gone through the rotten ice of Lake Le-
Barge with six female members Of the
opera troupe he was conveying Governor
Walsh? Lost with all hands and eight
sleds on the Thirty Mile Devereaux? Who
was Devereaux? oh, the courier! Shot by
Indians on Lake Marsh.
So it went The word was passed along
Men shouldered it to ask after friends and
partners, ard in turn We're shouldered out,
too stunned for blasphemy. By the time
Montana Kid gained the bank he was sur
rounded by several hundred fur-clad min
ers. When he passed the barracks he
was the center of procession At the
Opera House he was the nucleus of an ex-
cited mob, each member struggling for
, chance to ask after some absent comrade.
On every side he was being invited to
d. ink. Never before had the klondike thus
opened it's arms to che-cha-qua. All Daw-
son was humming. Such series of catas-
trophies had never occurred in it's history.
Every man of note who had gone south
in the spring had been wiped out. The
cabins vomited forth their occupants. Wild
eyed men hurried down from the creeks
and gulches to seek out this man who had
told a tale of such disaster. The Russian
half breed wife of BEETLES sought the fire.
place, inconsolable, and rocked back and
forth, and ever and anon flung white wood
ashes upon her raven hair. The flag at
the barracks Topped dismally at half-mast.
Dawson mourned its dead.
Why Montana Kid did this thing no man
may know. Nor beyond the fact that the
truth was not in him can explanation be
hazarded. But for five whole days he
plunged the land In wailing and sorrow,
and for five whole days he was the only
him It's best of bed and board. The sa-
looms granted him the freedom of their
bars. Men sought him continuously. The
high officials bowed down to him for fur
Their information, and he was Toasted at
the barracks by Constantine and his
brother officers. And then, one day, Deyer-
eaux. the government courier. halted his
tired dogs before the gold commissioners
office. Dead? Who said so? Give him a
moose steak and he'd show them how dead
he was. Why, Governor Walsh was in
camp on the Little Salmon. and O'Brien
coming in on the first water Dead? Give
him a moose steak and he'd show them
And forthwith Dawson hummed. The bar
racks flag rose to the masthead, and Bet
ties wife washed herself and put on clean
raiment. The community subtly signified
it's desire that Montana Kid obliterate him
self from the landscape. And Montana
Kid obliterated-as usual, at the tail-end of
some one else's dog team. Dawson rejoiced
when he headed down the Yukon, and
wished him godspeed to the ultimate des-
tination of the case-hardened sinner. After
that the owner of the dogs bestirred him
self. made complaint to Constantine, and
II ON him received the loan Of policeman.
Ill
With Circle City in prospect and the last
ice crumbling under his runners, Montana