Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-16

NAVE KING is in Washington. Dave
is the one-time editor of the Cape
Nome Times in the salad days of
that arctic mining camp, when he and
Rex Beach. the writer. chummed it
through the auroral nights. Here is a
touching tale he tells of how he and Rex
''rustled for grub one dark northern
winter in their early experience, some
years ago. also of how circumstances
compelled Rex to plunge into literature.
The previous summer Rex and | had
stalled our claim out on the tundra some
miles back of Nome said Dave. and
we worked like beavers as long as the
sun lasted. When it went down and the
winter set in we had fine prospect. and
that was all we did have. Now, man
can't eat prospect. nor is digging in
the frozen bowels of Alaska a nourish-
ing pastime. So we packed off down the
slope 10 Nome There were lights there,
anyhow. and YOU could get warmth and
grub if YOU had the price.
only We didn't have the price. our
inventory of assets included only cou-
pie of shovels and a hope in the future.
SO we sloshed around camp ID spell. TAX
time came and trying To lool, prosperous
when We ran across friend. Asking
man 20 stake You TO square meal
meant something in Nome in those days,
80 We put off making a swift touch until
"e'd gone the limit on the no-diet plan.
We had room about the size Of Z.
Iathtuh. with nothing between us and
the north pole but Il thickness of canvas
too thin for peek-a-boo shirt waist.
Put even then We had 10 jolly the land
lord into a precariouS credit of two
weeks on the strength of our member
ship in the Arctic Brotherhood. We felt
We We're fortunate 10 get anything TO
sleep on this side of iceberss:
one night We We're restlessly shivering
in our hunks when Rex had great idea;
he was lots fuller of ideas than grub
about that time. He sot up and strapped
the bedciothe.s about him in lieu OF an
overcoat. and wandered off down the
street. big with his scheme.
Nov. there We're Two vaudeville shows
OF renown i'll Nome that winter; one
run by an old Deadwoed sport that had
corralled all the histrionic talent north
of Skagway before the ice set IN: the
other managed by one Jake, who. being
shy on actors. vas left at the post. so
TO si;sak and yearEed to pat his rival
in the nine hole. To him Rex Beach
skurried through the fri.id arctic night,
bi;ttonhoIeG him behind his bar in the
il was that Rex had a 'drammer. no
fiinsy ski~t-dance sort of a show, but q
real drane!Ii.T, with things III IL nike the
dra nlmets down in Frisco. Jake's eyes
bugged out with the idea Till he remem-
bered that he was short on heavy TRACE
dams and low comedy men. but Rex met
him there and said he'd provide the COM
rany-aH artists. Then Jake fell for it
and said he'd pay Rex we'll if it was a
success Rex replied that his terms were
ash in advance; said he didn't want
posthumous money going into marble
over his famous but famished
corpse. AT length they got together on a
nrst-night ia sis: if it was a success Rex
was TO get a rake0ff of the first nights
receipts then ano' there. 1t also
agreed to stage the drammer as soon as
possible Jake losing money doing
nothing and Rex and | We're starving
doing likewise
Rex came back to our shack, frozen
but radiant. He thawed out an old ink
bottle over a tallow candle and scratched
off a phosphorescent melod1ema with