The Odanah star. [volume] (Odanah, Ashland Co., Wis.) 1912-1916, 1913-10-03
PART ONE
CHAPTER l.
On the Labrador.

On the Labrador.
Dictated by Mr.. Jesse Smith.
Don't you write anything down yet,
cause amt ready.
If wrote this yarn myself, I'd make
1t good and red from tip to tip, claws
out teeth bare, fur crawling with emo
lions. 1t wouldn't be dull. no, or evil
dence.
But then it's to please you. and
that's what I'm for
So proceeds to stroke the fur
smooth, lay the paws down soft. fold
up the smile. and purr A sort of
fruthfulness steals over me. Coin to
be dull, too.
No, / dunno how to begin. If this
arm was a rope, I'd coil it, down be-
fore began to pay out You lays the
end, SO, and flemish down, ring by ring
until the bight's coiled, smooth. ready
10 fake off as 1T runs. I delayed a
Yynching once to do just that, and re-
lieve the patients mind. 1t all went
of so we'll!
When we kids were good mother
she used to own we came of pedigree
stock; but when we're bad, seems we
took after father You see mother
folk was the elect, sort of born saved.
They allowed there'd be room in
Heaven for one hundred and forty-four
thousand just persons, mostly from
Nova Scotia, bit when they took to
hA 5ohL
elusive.
Anyway, mothers folk as tribe. is
E1lllionaires in grace and pretty we'll
fixed In Nova Scotia. Then she's found
out. secretly married among the goats.
Her names scratched out of the fam
lily Bible, with a strong hint to the
Lord to scratch her entry from the
Book of Life. She's married sailor
snan, before the mast, Liveyere from
the Labrador, man without a dollar,
suspected of being Episcopalian.
In them days the Labrador amt
&aid out exactly to suit mother. She's
fnsed to luXury-coal in the lean-to.
Eaties in the cellar cows in the barn.
Barter store round the corner, mails,
y q,
so she can enjoy the ungodly getting
of their just deserts. But in our time
the Labrador was just Gods country,
all rocks, ice, and sea, to put the fear
into proud hearts-no need Of each
ers. 1t kills off the weaklings-no
need Of doctors. A school to raise
Eaan-no need Of preachers. The law
waa work or starve"-no place for
lawyers. It's police, and court, and
Mangnan all complete, fire and hail.
snow and vapors, wind and storm full
filling His word.
Fathers home was an overturned
schooner, turfed in, and. he was surely
proud of having bigger place than
any other Liveyere on the coast. There
was the hold overhead for slowing
winter fish, and room downstairs for
dogs. and even a cord or two of fire.
wood. We kids used to play at New
f'nlanders up in the hold, when the
winter storms were tearing the tops
off the hills. and the Eskimo devil
howled blue shrieks outside. The hus-
kies makes wolf songs all about the
fewness of fish, and we'd hear mother
give father piece of her mind. That's
about the first l remember, but all
what mother thought about poor ia
Their took years and years to say.
used to be kind of sorry for father
You see he worked the bones thro ugh
his hide. Turing all winter and fish
Ing summers, and what he earned he'd
get in truck from the company. All
us Liveyeres owed to the Hudson Ray
but father worked hardest and he
owed most, hundreds and hundreds OF
skins. The company trusted him
There wasn't man on the coast
more trusted than he was, with moth
er to feed. and six kids, besides seven
huskies. and fathers aunt, Thessa
fonika. widow with four ch;lcrer
and tumor, living down to Last
Hope beyond the Rocks.
There was secrets about father. anC
If mother ever found out! You see
ne looked like white man, curly
yaller hair same as me, and he was
Fearful strong. But in his inside
don't ever tell!-he was partly small
boy same's me, and the other half OF
fim-don't ever let on,-was noun
taineer injun. seen his three broth
ers, the finest fellers you ever-yes
Scotch halt-breeds-ahd mother never
knew
Thar's me on fathers knee, with
my nose in his bucAskin shirt, anc
even to this day the wood smoke in
camp brings back the wuff. wherea:
summers his boots smelt fishy Wha
happened first or afterwards Is al
mixed up, but there's the smoke smell
and sister Maggie lying in the bunk
all white and fro2e
There's fish smell. and Polly wht
used to wallop me with slipper
lying white and froze. And yet
knew she couldn't get froze in sum
mer.
Then there's smoke smell. and BIZ
Tommy, bigger nor father. throwing
up blood. | said he'd catch it from
mother for. messing the floor. bu
father just Rugged me. telling me L