Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1904-03-08
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~ Md M an - JACK LONDON "
- VIII IVEAEE -
49, COm,r0t 1905 by Jack London ~
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IT tie barracks man was being
~ tried for his life. He was an
I'M Old man, native from the
White Sh river. Which cmptie>
INTO the Yukon below Lake lie Barge.
All Dawson was wrought up ovef
The affair aud likewise the Yukon
dwellerS for Il thousand miles up ana
down. 1t las been the clStom OF the
IND robbin- and sea robbinS An@io'
Saxon to %iye the law to conquered
peoples. and ofttimes this law is harsh.
But in the case of lmbcr the law FOL
once seemed inadequate and weak. III
the mathematical nature of things
equity did net reside in the punish
mcnt to be accorded him. The pun
ishment was Il forcg0n" conclusion.
there could bp no doubt of that. and.
though it was capital, lmber had but
one life. while the tale against nm
was one OF scores.
In fact. the b.01d of so many was
upon his hands that the killings attrlb'
uted TO him did not permit OF precise
enumcrat ION Smoking Il pip" by the
trail side or loun"ing around Tie stove,
men mace rough o. inates of the mum
bers that had persisted at his hand.
They had been whites. all of them.
these poor murdered people. and they
had been slain sinsly. in pairs ana IN
parties. And so rurnoS@i"SS ana wall
ton had been these killings tina; they
had long been Il mystery 10 the mount
cd police. even in the time of the cIp
tains. and later, when the creeks real
lied and Il governor came from ne
Dominion TO make the land pay for its
prosperity.
But more mysterious still was the
coming of Imber 20 Dawson to give
himself up. In WAS in the late spring,
when the Yukon WAS growing ANA
writhing under lis ice. that the Old In
dian climbed painfully ~ the bank
from the river trail and stood blinking
on the main street. Men who lad wit
messed his advent noted that he WAS
weak and lottery and that he stag
sered over 10 Il heap of cabin los ana
sat down He sat there i fun day
staring straight before him 1T tie un-
ceasing tide of white men that flooded
past. Many Il head jerkgd curiois.y Il"
The side 10 meet his stare. ANA more
than one remark WAS dropped ancnt
the old SiwasAl with so strange look
upon his face.
But ii remained for DcEenseii-Lit-
lie DickcnScn-to he the here Of tie oc-
caSion. Little Dick"nS,n lad come
into the land with great dr"AlnS ANA Il
rockctful of cash. but with TIE cash
the dreams vanished. and 10 earn his
IasSage back to the states he had ac-
c2pted clerical position with the
brokerage firm Of Ho'b.u1k X Mason.
.tcroSS the street frcm III Ole" OF
ITolbrook X Mason WAS IL" hap OF
cabin logs upon which imh"r sat.
DickanSen looked out of the window ut
linn before he went To lunch, and when
lie came back from lunch Ii look d out
cf the window, and the old SiwaSh w;iS
.till there.
DickcmScn was romantic little chap,
and he lkencd the immoa!.c OH hea-
then 10 the genius of tie SiwaSit race
gazing calm eyed upon the hosts of the
invading Saxon. The hours swept
along. but lmber did not vary his pos
ture, did not move Il muscle, ANA Dick
cnscn remembered man who once sat
upright on sled in Tie main street
where men passed To and fro. They
;hought the man was resting, but later
tley found him stiff ard cold. frozen
10 death in the midst of the busy street.
10 undouble him. that he might iii
into a coffin, they had h"cu forced 10
lug him 10 ire and tnaw him out Il
lit. DiCkenSen shiyered at the recol-
lection.
Later on Dickensen went out on the
sidewalk to smoke Il cigar and cool
oil. and little later Emily Travis hap
pencd along. Emily Travis WAS dain-
~ and delicate and rare, and whether
IN London or Klondike she gowned her.
If as beiitted the daughter of Il mil
liDnaire mining engineer. Little Dick
paScn deposited his cigar on an outside
window ledge, where lie could find 1t
again. and lifted his hat.
They chatted for ten minutes or so,
W hen Emily Travis. siancinS past
n,ckcnsens shoulder. gave Il startled
Ii tie scream. Dickensen turned about
10 see and was startled too. lmber
had crossed the street and was stand
in. there. Il gaunt and hungry looking
shadow. his gaze riveted upon the
girl.
",yhat do YOU want?" Little Dicken-
sen demanded. TREMENDOUSLY plucky.
Imbcr granted and stalked mp to
Emily Travis. He looked her over
kecnly and carefully Especially did
he appear interested in her silky brown
hair and in the color Of her cheek,
family sprayed and soft. like the
Gowny bloom of butterfly wing. He
walked around her. surveying her
with the calculatn" eye of man who
studies tie lines upon which horse
or 4 beat is built In the course of
lis circuit the pink shell of her ear
>lmc ratwccn his eye and the wester-
in. sun. and he stopped to contemplate
its rosy Transparency Then he re-
turned to her face and looked long and
intently into her blue eyes. He grunt-
ed and laid Il hand on her arm midway
between the shoulder and elbow. With
his other hand he lifted her forearm
and doubled it back. Disgust and Won
der showed in his face. and he dropped
her arm with contemptuons grunt
Iuen lie n!t!,tcrtu II lew Sutturai syi-
lables, turned his back on her ana al
dressed Li;mSef TO llickenSen.
Dickensen eou!d not understand Ills
sprcch. and Emily Travis laughed
Imi,cr turned f,cia one to the ether
frownin.. bnt both shook their heads,
He WAS about Ia 20 AWAY when 50"
called n'lt'
HOOD EHRM