Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-04
Copyright. 1905. Bobbs- Merrill Coz

day. but being as the nuisance stood an
even fathom high and had double-action
foot ball motion about him. Whitewater
endeavors kind of broke through the ice
and he languished around in his bunk
next week while we sat up nights and
changed his bandages
Yes. Monty was equally active at re-
partee or rough house. and he knocked
Whitewater out from under his can. slick
and clean, just the way you snap a play
ing card out from under a coin, which
phenomenon terminated our tendencies to
scon and carp.
Personally. l didn't care If man
wants to wallow about in a disgusting
daily debauch of cleanliness, it is his priv
1lege- If he squanders the fleeing mo-
ments brushing teeth, cleaning finger
nails and such technicalities it stands to
reason he won't have much time left to
attend to his work and at the same time
cultivate the essentials of life like smok-
ing. drinking and the proper valuation of
a three-card draw. But, as l say it's up
TO him. and outsiders who don't see merit
in such a system shouldn't try to bust up
his game unless they've got good foot
work and knockout punch.
II wasn't so much these physical refine
ments that riled us as the rarefied at
mosphere of his general mental and moral
attitudes To me there's eloauence and
sentiment. and romance and spiritual
yearning in real full-grown, black
Whfskered male cuSs word. It's a great
help in a mountainous country Profanity
is ike steam in locomotive; takes more
10 run you up hill than on the level. and
lnaSmucn as there's only Il few men on
the level, violent vocabulary is a neces-
SHY ana appeals to me Like a certificate
OF good character and general capability.
There wasn't a thing doing with Prosser
IN the fdiom line, however. His moral
make up was like mis- body, big and sound
ana white and manicured. and although
was SKINNED and saninared till we got
TO know him. still We found that his
verbal structures had vital organs and
hair on their chests just like anybody
else S. and at the same time had the ad-
vantage of being fit to send through the
mails.
He had left widowed mother and come
north on the main chance, like the rest of
US. only he originated farther east What
made the particular ten-strike with us
was the pride he took in that same
mother. He gloried in her and talked to
US In the candle light in that hushed and
nervous way man speaks OF the one
girl We men folks liked him all the bet
Ter Tor IL. l say we men. for he was
SHINE with the women-all nine of them
Inc camp was fifteen hundred strong that.
winter, over and above which was the
aforesaid galaxy of nine. stranded on
their way up river to a Dawson dance
nall The Yukon froze up and they had
TO winter with us. OF course there We're
the three married ladies' too. living with
hyy0 h0 de hail
but we never saw them and they didn't
count The others went to work at
Eckert's Theater.
Monty would have been right popular
he couldn't see those people with field
glass They simply scandalized him to
death.
Il love to dance said he one night as
We looked on, and the music sends thrills
through me. but 1 don't do it,"
Why not?' / asked This is Alaska.
Be democratic. You're not SO awfully
nice that a dance hall girl will contain
TITS not democracy that 1 lack. nor
contamination that / m afraid off, he re-
piled Its the principle back of it all. If
we encourage these girls in the lives they
lead. were just as bad as they are
Look here. SON. When l quit salt
water / left all that garbage and bilge-
water talk about guilt and responsibility
behind. The days are too short, the
nights are too cold and grub is too dear
for me to spare time to theorize I take
people the way take work and play
just as they come-and I'd advise you to
do the same
NO sir; 1 don't associate with gam
blers and crooks, SO why should 1 hobnob
with these women? They're worse than
the men. for all the gamblers have lost is
their honesty. Every time / see these
girls l think of the little mother back
home It's awful. Suppose she saw me
dancing with them" Well, that's a bad
line OF talk and 1 couldn't say much
Of course, when the actresses found out
how he felt they came back at him strong
but he wrapped himself up in his dignity
and held himself aloof when he came to
town, so he didn't seem to mind it.
II was one afternoon in January cold
and sharp. that Ollie Marceau's team
went through the ice just below our camp.
She was great dog puncher and had the
best team in camp-seven fine malamoots
which she drove every day. When the
animals smelled our place they ran away
ana dragged her into. the open water be-
low the hot springs. She was wet for
ten minutes. and by the time she had got
ten out and stumbled to our bunk house
she was Ill in. Another ten minutes with
the quick at thirty degrees would have
finished her, but we rushed her in by the
AAC oiu iLduc HeT a grass OF
''hootch." Martin got her parka off some
how while l slashed the strings to her
mukluks and had her little feet rubbed
red as berries before she'd quit APOLOGIZE
ing for the trouble she made. A fellow
learns to watch toes pretty close in the
winter.
Lord. stop your talk" we said. This
is the first chance We have had to do any
thing for lady in two years. It's
downright pleasure for us to take you in
this way
Indeed, she chartered. Well it
isn't mutuaI'-and we all laughed
We reused up a good fire and made her
take off all the wet clothes she felt she
could. then wrung them out and hung
them up to dry. We made her gulp down
another whisky too, then l gave her some
foot-gear and she slipped into one Of Mar
tins MackinaW shirts. We knew just how
faint and shaky she felt. but she was
dead game and joked with us about it.
l never realized what a cute trick she
was till l saw her In that great, coarse
blue shirt with her feet in beaded moe
casins. her yellow hair touseled and the
sparkle of adventure in her bright eyes.
She stood out like a nugget by candle
light. backed. she was with the dingy
bark walls of our cabin.
i suppose il was bad instant for Pros
ser to appear. He certainly cued in
wrong and found the sight shocking TO his
Plymouth Rock prOprieties.