The San Francisco call., 1904-04-24

IL man. apparently. Hard work and
hard grub had no terrors for him.
4 when he held in check half
thousand starving men. as he once did,
il was remarked that no cooler eye
ever took the CLINT of sunshine on a
rife-sight He had but one weakness,
and even that, rising from his strength,
vas a negative sort. His parts were
strong. but they lacked coordination
Now il happened that while his cen
ter OF amativeness was pronounced, IL
had lain mute and passive during the
years he lived on moose and salmon
and chased glowing El DOraoos over
chill divides. But when he finally
blazed the corner posts and center
stake on one OF the richest klondlke
claims IL began 10 quicken. and when
he took his place in society, a 1ull-
fedged bonanza king, il awoke and
took charge of him. He suddenly recol-
lected a girl in the States. and IL came
70 him quite forcibly. not only that she
might be waiting for him, but that
wife was a very pleasant acquisition
for q man who lived some several de-
grees north OF IS. So he wrote an ap-
propriste note, fnclosed a letter OF
credit generous enough TO cover al eX-
penses, including trOuseau and chape-
ron, and addressed il TO one FlOssle.
FIossie? one could imagine the rest
However. after that he built COM
Portable cabin on his claim, bought an
other IN Dawson and broke the news
to his friends.
And Just here is where the lack Of
coordination came into play. The
waiting was tedious. and having been
long denied the amative element could
not brook further delay. FlOssie was
coming: but Lorraine Lisznayi was
here. And not only was Lorraine LIZ
nayi here. but her cosmopolitan repu-
tation was somewhat the worse for
wear and she was not exactly so
young as when she posed in the studios
Of artist queens and received at her
door the cards of cardinals and princes.
Also, her finances were unhealthy.
Having run the gamut in her time. she
was not averse TO trying conclusions
with a bonanza king, whose wealth
was such that he could not guess il
within six figures.
When a man is free much may go
unQuestioned. which, should he be rash
enough 10 cumber himself with DO
nestle ties. society viii instantly chal-
lenge Thus il was with Floyd Van
derlip. Fiossie was coming, and a low
buzz went up when Lorraine Lisznayi
rode down the main street behind his
wolf-dOgs. At that time they dined
royalty Ia Flossie's cabin, on Flossie's
table linen. which caused the men to
say sharp things and the women to
ne spitefUl. Only Mrs. Eppingwell, the
captains wife, did not hear.
Not SO with Freda, the Greek dane
ing girl She had no cause TO love
men. but by some strange alchemy Of
her nature her heart went out TO wo-
men-to women she had less cause TO
love. And her heart went out TO Flos-
sic. even then travelling the Long Trail
and faring into the bitter north to
meet a man who might not wait for
her. A shrinking. clinging sort OF
girl. Freda pictured her, with weak
mouth and pretty poUting lips, sun
kissed hair and eyes full Of the merry
shadows and the lesser joys Of life.
Wherefore she smiled, dancing one
night upon Floyd Vanderlip.
Few men are so constituted that they
may receive the smile Of Freda un-
moved; nor among them can Floyd
Nanderlip be accounted The grace he
had found with the model woman had
caused him to remeasure himself, and
by the favor in which he now stood
with the Greek dancer he felt himself
doubly q NJ And a thin little
thought began TO lift itself and he
fell TO wondering whatever under the
sun he had seen IN Flossie, and to re-
gret exceedingly that he had sent for
her Of course, Freda was out Of the
running But Lorraine Lisznayi-she
was just the woman Her life had
been large; she could do the honors
Of his establishment and give tone to
his dollars.
But Freda smiled and continued to
smile, till he came TO spend much time
with her. When she. too. rode down
the street behind his wolf-dogs. the
model WON q found food for thought.
and the mex. time they were together
sdazzled him with her princes and car
dinals and personal little anecdotes Of
courts and kings. She also showed him
dainty missives. superscribed My dear
Lorraine" and ended Most affection
ately yours" and signed by the given
names of a real live queen on a throne.
And he marveled in his heart that
the great woman should deign TO waste
so much as a moment upon him. She
played him cleverly tin he went away
dizzy with self-deIight and sorrOwing
for the world which had been denied
him so long. Freda was a more mas
terful woman. If she hsttered. no one
knew f. Should she stOop, the stoop
were Unobserved. II a man felt she
thought we'll Of him. so subtly was the
feeling conveyed that he could not for
the life OF him say ~hy or how. SO
she frightened her grip upon Floyd Van
derlip and rode daily behind his dogs.
And just here is where the mistake
occurred The buzz rose loudly and
more definitely, coupled now with the
name OF the dancer. and Mrs. Epping-
well heard. She. too, thought Of Flos-
sic lifting her moccasined feet through
the endless hours. and Floyd Nanderlip
was invited up the hillside to tea, and
invited often. This quite took his
breath away. and he became drunken
with appreciation Of himself. Never
was man so maltreated. His soul had
become a thing for which three women
struggled, while a fourth was on the
way to claim 1t. And three such wo-
men
But Mrs. Eppingwell and the mistake
she made. She spoke of the affair, ten
tatively, TO Sitka Charley, who had
sold dogs to the Greek girl. But no
names vsare mentioned
a mere girl, Charley" she said, i
am s-sze she is. And she is coming into
. strange country without a friend
when she gets here. We must do some
thing"
Sitha Charley promised his help and
went away thinking what a wicked
woman this Lorraine Lisznayi must be,
also what noble women Mrs. Epping-