Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-17

cause he was too much OF a natural to re-
greet the past or fear for the future. q re-
member three such cases of the survival of
that which was seemingly the unfiltest,
really the fittest, for struggle against a
cold-blooded and malignant Lady Nature.)
His compa Mons had long grudged him the
possession of robust health, but had kept
silence for decency's sake, or because each
was self-centered in thoughts of his own
sickness. His discourteous demeanor to-
ward their pensioner-in the west 1t is we'll
understood that courtesy Is the better part
of charity-wouid have been resented in any
case.
Here 1t also provided the secretly desired
opportunity for expressing their jealousy
Of his straight back and the blood in his
cheeks. Moreover, Fear sat with Jealousy
In their councils; they were afraid of his
methodical ways, which suggested that he
was more mechanism than man, afraid that
open revillngs would cause him to desert
or ill-use them; afraid that the naturars
instinct would help him to guess the nature
In all their privy colloquies they secretly
sought an excuse for declaring a death SEN
tence.
One day these partners in an unreason-
able but well-seasoned hatred asked one
another, How, IL he eats no more than we
do. does he keep his strength" The ques-
ton was easily answered He must have
secret store OF food stolen from his COM
rades For legality's sake they sought for
proof such a proof as suffices for the
smallest jury in the open-air court of lynch
law. One day they saw the whisky Jack fly
from a tree near the camp with shred of
! bacon rind in his beak That very night
they killed Big Dick without any great
dlf1culty. his strength being more apparent
than real. And when the tree was ex-
amlned 1t was found to contain wood
pecker's burrow, which held a collection of
scraps.
The whisky jack. like the robin. begs
from men: like the cuckoo he steals the
| habitations OF other birds; like the magpie
he always has his hoard,
AS strange a tale-one belonging to 1.-The
Lady and the Tiger" type-is current among
| the old-time placer miners. who worked on
| Forty Mile creek and along the bars of the
| Stewart in the eighties OF this story the
writer has heard two versions which agree
In the main. though here again. the names
or places and persons differ considerably.
| In the strangest of the old times tales of
| fukon-an ''unco' place" even in these lat
ter days-there is always q considerable
amount of the coarue gold of truth among
the mass of errors and inventions. and there
| Is no reason to believe that the following
narrative. which is an attempt to collate
the two versions in question, is an excep-
| ton to the rule.
| It would appear that party of miners.
who had come In by way OF the Chilcoot
| Pass, were prospecting above the falls Of
| the Stewart, and and had occasion to camp
| one night In little, crooked gulch on the
left bank Of the river as one goes up
stream In the morning. as they were pre-
pairing breakfast. one Of the party happened
to look up the gulch. and to his vast sur
prise, caught sight Of a little man sitting
4 upon piece OF wind-fail. and apparently
| watching the camp. He and his companion
sang out to the stranger. but received. no
| answer. After an interval OF silence dur
| ing which this unfrtendly little man sat alb
| solutely mottonless, they walked up the
gulch together In order to introduce Them
selves.
/ According to one of the two versions the
leader of the party took bottle OF whisky