Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-07-23
one possessed. which proclaimed his

one pO6SebSeus WHICH, p1oSAaAAA0V LAC
extreme necessity.
"But what has occurred to make
you change your mind?" he asked,
causing the faintest flush to rise in
her cheeks.
"A few days ago you were a stran-
ger, now you are a FRIEND" she replied
steadily. "One's likes and dislikes
grow rapidly when they are not
choked by convention. like you too
we'll to see you do this. You are too
good man to become the prey OF
those people. Remember George Bait.
'Balt hasn't started yet. For the
first time he Is real menace to VIII
lis Marsh"
Wont you take my advice and re-
consider?" urged the girl.
(CHAPTER V-Continuedo
"Listen!" said the young man. II
came to this country with a definite
purpose in mind, and had three years
in which to work it out. needed
money-God, how l needed money.
They may talk about the emptiness or
riches, and tell you that men labor
not for the kill but the pursuit, not
for the score but for the contest May
be some of them do; but with me It
was gold needed, gold had to have.
and didn't care much how l got IT,
so long as l got it honestly. didn't
crave the pleasure Of earning 1t nor
the thrill of finding it; just wanted
the thing itself, and came up here be-
cause i thought the opportunities
were greater here than elsewhere. Ia
have gone to the Sahara or into
Thibet just as willingly. left behind
good many things to which | had
been raised, and forsook opportunities
which to most fellows of my age would
seem golden; but did it eagerly, be-
cause had only three years of grace
and | knew must win in that time.
Well, I went at it. No chance was too
desperate no peril was too great. no
hardship too intense for me. bent
every effort to my task, until mind
and body became sleepless, unreslst-
ing implements for the working out OF
my purpose. lost all sensibility TO Ell
fort to fatigue, to physical SUFFERING;
l forgot all things In the world except
my one idea. focused every power
upon my desire, but a. curse was on me-
A curse! Nothing less.
"At first took misfortune pMlo-
sophically; but when 1t came and Slept
with me, began to rage at 1t. Month
after month, year by year, it rose with
ME at dawn and lay down by me at
night. Misfortune beleaguered me and
logged my heels, until 1t became
thing of amusement to every one ex-
cept myself To me it was terrifying.
because my time was shortening and
the last day of grace was rushing to-
ward me.
"Just to show you what luck
played in: at Dawson found pros
pect that would have made most men
rich, and although such thing had
never happened in that particular 10.
cality before, 1t pinched out. tried
again and again and again, and finally
found another mine, only to be robbed
of it by the Canadian laws in such a
manner that there wasn't the fa1ntest
hope of my recovering the property.
Men told me about opportunities they
! couldn't avail themselves of, and, al
Though i did what they themselves
would have done, the chances proved
to be CHASTITY jokes. finally shifted
from mining to other ventures, and
the town burned. awoke in mid
night blizzard to see my chance for n
fortune licked up by flames, while the
hiss Of the water from the hremens
hose seemed directed at me and the
voice of the crowd sounded like Jeers.
II was among the first at Nome and
staked alongside the discoveries, who
undertook to put me In right for once;
but although the fellows around me
made fortunes in a day, my ground
was barren and my bedrock swept
clean by that unseen hand which l al
ways felt but could never avoid.
leased proven properties, only to find
that the pay ceased without reason. |
did this SO frequently that owners be-
gan to refuse me and came to con-
slider me thing Of evil omen. Once a
broken snow-shoe in a race to the re-
corder's office lost me fortune; at
another time corrupt Judge plunged
me from certainty to despair, and all
the while my time was growing
shorter and was growing poorer.
1.-TWO hours after the Topkuk
strike was made I drove past the
shaft, but the one partner known to me
had gone to the cabin to build fire
and the other one lied to me, thinking
I was a stranger. I heard afterward
that Just as l drove away my friend
came to the door and called after me,
but the day was bitter and my ears
were muffled with fur, while the dry
snow beneath my runners shrieked so
that it drowned his cries. He chased
me for half mile to make me rich
but the hand Of fate dashed my dogs
faster and faster, while that hellish
screeching outdinned his voice. Six
hours later Topkuk was history.
You've seen stampedes-you under
stand.
"My name became by-word and
caused people to laugh, though they
shrank from me, for miners and sail
ors are equally superstitious No man
ever had more opportunities than l.,
and no man was ever so miserably UNI
fortunate in missing them. In time
became whipped, utterly without hope.
Yet almost from habit fought on
and on, with my ears deaf to the
voices that Knocked me.
"Three years isn't very long as you
measure time, but the death-watch