The San Francisco call., 1903-12-13

"a
cupidity all the days Of his life.
He had been a weaver OF cloth
O. from the cradle until the fever
OF Klondike had entered his blood and
torn him away from his loom. His
cabin stood midway between Sixty
mile Post and the Stuart River. and
men who made II a custom TO travel
the trail TO Dawson lilkened him to
robber baron, perched in his fortress
and exacting toll from the caravans
that used his nl-kept roads.
one afternoon in April he sat by his
door-for ail the world like a predatory
spider-marveling at the heat Of the
returning sun and keeping an eye on
the trail for prospective flies The
Yukon lay at his feet, sea OF Ice,
disappearing around two great bends
10 the north and south and stretching
an honest two miles from bank to
bank.
Jacob Kent was feeling particularly
rood that afternoon. The record had
been broken the previous night, and
he had sold his hospitality TO no less
than tventy-eight visitors. True, it
had been quite uncomfortable, and four
had snored beneath his bunk all night;
but then Il had added appreciable
weight 10 the sack in which he kept
his gold dust. That sack. with its gilt
tering yellow treasure, was at once the
chief delight and the chief bane Of his
existence. Heaven and hell lay within
its slender mouth. In the nature Of
things, there being no privacy to his
one-roomed dwelling. he was tortured
by a constant fear OF theft. 1t would
be very easy for these bearded. desper-
ate-loolzing strangers to make way
with IT.
Often he dreamed that such was the
case, and awoke in the grip OF night
mare. A select number OF these rob-
bers haunted him through his dreams,
and he came 10 know them quite well,
especially the bronzed leader with the
cash On his right check. This fellow
was the most persistent Of the lot, and,
because OF him, he had. in his waking
moments, constructed several score OF
hiding places in and about the cabin.
After a concealment he would breathe
freely again, perhaps for several
nights, only TO collar the Man with the
Cash in the very act OF unearthing the
sack. Then. on awakening in the midst
OF the usual struggle he would at once
get up and transfer the bag to a new
and more ingenious crypt. So he con-
tinued to bleed the uutortunates who
crossed his threshold, and at the same
time 70 add to his trouble with every
ounce that went into the sack.
AS he sat summing himself thought
came to Jacob Kent that brought him
TO his feet with a jerk. The pleasures
Of life had eliminated in the continual
weighing and reweighing of his dust;
but a shadow had been thrown upon
his pleasant avocation, which he had
hitherto failed TO brush aside. His gold
scales were quite small; in fact, their
maximum was a pound and a half
eighteen ounces-while his hoard
mounted up 10 something like three
and a third times that. He had never
been able TO weigh it all at one opera
ton. Il was the solution Of this prob
lem flashing across his mind that had
Just brought him to his feet. He
searched the trail carefully in either
direction. There was nothing in sight,
so he went inside.
In q few seconds he had the table
cleared away and the scales set up.
on one side he placed the stamped
disks 70 the equivalent of fifteen
ounces, and balanced It with dust on
the other. Replacing the weights with
dust, he then had thirty ounces pre-
cisely balanced. These, in turn, he
placed together on one side and again
balanced with more dust BY this time
the gold was exhausted, and he was
sweating literally. He trembled with
ecstasy, ravished beyond measure.
Nevertheless, he busted the sack thor
ouEhly, 20 the last least grain, TIL the
balace was overcome and one side Of
the scales sank TO the table. Equilib-
rum, however, was restored by the ad-
dition Of a pennyweight and five grains
90 the opposite side. He stood, head
thrown back, transhxed.
The sack was empty, but the poten-
tieiity OF the scales had become i'm
measurable. Upon them he could weigh
any amount, from the tiniest grain to
pounds upon pounds. Mammon laid
hot fingers on his heart. The sun swung
on its westering way till It flashed
through the open doorway, fun upon
the yellow burdened scales.
"Gawd blime me- but you ave the
maxim OF several quid there, 'aven't
you?"
Jacob Kent wheeled about. at the
same time reaching for his double
barreled shotgun, which stood handy.
But when his eyes lit on the intruder's