The Alaska citizen., 1910-07-30

wasn't old Forty-one, l should say, but he always seemed old.
 Andy" he says to me, I'm tired of hustling. You and me have been working hard together for three years. Say we knock of for while and spend some of the idle money we've coaxed our way"
 The proposition hits me just right" says L Let's be nabobs awhile and see how it feels. Whatll we do. take in the Niagara falls or buck a faro?"
 For good many years" says Mack. I've thought that If l ever had extravagant money I'd rent two-room cabin somewhere, hire Chinaman to cook and sit in my stocking feet and read Buckles His tory of Civilization
 That sounds self-indulgent and gratifying without vulgar ostenta- tion." says l, and l don't see how money could be better invested, Give me a cuckoo clock and a Sep Win, ner's Self Instructor for the Banjo and I'll join you"
 A week afterward me and Mack hits this small town of Pima, about thirty miles out from Denver, and finds an elegant two-room house that just suits us. We deposited half peck of money in the Pima bank and 34O citizens in the town. We brought along the Chinaman and the cuckoo clock and Buckle and the Instructor with us from Denver, and they made the cabin seem like home at once Never believe it when they tell you riches don't bring happiness. If you could have seen old Mack sit ting in his rocking chair with his blue yarn sock feet up in the window and absorbing in that Buckle stuff through his specs you'd have seen a picture of content that would have made Rockefeller jealous. And was learning to pick out Old ZiI Coon" on the banjo and the cuckoo was on time with his remarks, and Ah Sing was messing up the atmos phere with the handsomest smell o1 ham and eggs that ever laid the honeysuckle in the shade. When il got too dark to make out Buckles nonsense and the notes in the In structor me and Mack would ligh our pipes and talk
 One evening Mack spoke up anC asked me if I was much apprisec in the habits and policies of wome1 folks
 Why, yes" says l in tone o voice T know 'em from Alfred tC Omaha The feminine nature and si militude," says I, lis as plain to m! sight as the Rocky mountains is tC a blue eyed burro. I'm on to al their little sidesteps and punctua discrepancies.
 T tell you, Andy" says Mack
 
 the least amount of intersection witl their predispositions. Maybe l nigh have had a proneness in respect tt their vicinity, but I never took thu time l made my own living since l was fourteen, and I never seemed to get my ratiocinations equipped with the sentiments usually depicted toward the sect l sometimes wisl l had" says old Mack.
 They're an adverse study" say l, and adapted to points of view Although they vary in rationale, have found 'em quite often obvious ly different from each other in di vergences of contrast"
 Tt seems to me-" goes on Mack that a man had better take 'em il and secure his inspirations of thu sect when he's young and so preor dained, let my chance go by, ant l guess Pm too old now to go hop ping into the curriculum"
 "Oh, l don't know" I tells him Maybe you'd better credit yoursel with a barrel of money and To of emancipation from quantity O uncontent Still, I don't regret m! knowledge of en- l says. Tt take a man who understands the symp toms and byplays of women folk to take care of himself in thi. world"
 We stayed in Pima because wt liked the place. Some folks might en joy their money with noise and rap ture and locomotion, but me ant Mack we had had plenty of turmoili and hotel towels. The people were friendly; An Sing got the swing O. the grub we liked; Mack and Buckle were as thick as two body snatchers and l was hitting out cordial re semblance to Buffalo Gals, Can, You Come Out Tonight" on the banjo
 One day 1 got telegram from Spreight, the man that was working mine I had an interest in out in New Mexico. I had to go out there, and I was gone two months