Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-16
Am Alaska Ml@l0drama
Saved the Pr0sp@ctors

goosefiesh all over it and redhot things
that melted the frosty pen every time he
wrote sentence In an hour II was
cooked enough to stick fork in and ny
daylight it was done brown.
Then We went out. looking for actors.
We got four of them out of barroom
chairs. fellows that had worked on the
lighters before the sea froZe up: also we
picked up half dozen Chilcat Indians
and an Invut sauaw for the Roman pop
ulace. so to speak Jakes wife, fat
cataract of tallow, was to do the heavy
heroine.
Rex licked that mob into shape in
couple of days. though most of them
couldn't read or write; meantime went
round the camp sticking up posters an
nouncing the advent of the RoNal some
thing -or-Other Company
Rex had timed for Jake to pull off the
great drammer on the regular meeting
night of the Arctic Brotherhood We
were both members of this society, COM
posed of the best Americans in the polar
country but had heretofore refralned
from asking help from them thinking
they might come in handler later. Inc
brotherhood met at o'clock; Jake was
10 drop the flag for his drammer at =:
down at his wckiup. BY $50 there were
three or four hundred OF the leading SPIT.
its of the. camp up IN the Brotherhood
lodge rooms. Then Rex got on the table
and talked with the eloquence OF man
with the halter around his neck. He told
The, BOYS that now was the time to stand
by. the oath they had taken when theE
were put wise to the grips. signs ana
passwords Of their magnificent society;
also that they'd find il cheaper TO go
down to Jake's show and pour an admls-
sions worth of golddust into the Don
office scales than To stand the expense
of a funeral for him and me way OUT
on, the frozen tundra, with the added
cost of shipping us both back TO the
States when the thaw came IN the spring.
and folks woLld want the ground we
took up for mining
Well the crowd To man: AS
they marched down street, bent on MAX
ing that show aurora borealis sue
cess. they electrified the whole camp; the
crowded fairway was carried along by
the tide of the Arctic Brotherhood, and
when the whole herd got into Jake's place
he had to take down the standing room
only sign and shut the doors.
The orchestra drummed out the Blue
Danube on a cracked piano that Jaae
had dug out of an ancient glacier some
where. and then the curtain went up on
the great drammer. That was the cue
for the Arctic Brotherhood. Every time
lighterman opened his mouth their ap-
plaLse shook that polar beach from Point
Barrow TO juneau Mrs. Jake thought she
had at last struck her gait in the 'legiti-
mate. OF course nobody understood
anything about the drammer: least of all
Jake and the author. But the crowd
that had sWarmed in behind the brother
hood thought that of course, it must ,e
something grand. and they joined in the
fuss When the curtain went down on the
first act. and while Mrs. Jake was trying
to bend over her stomach. bowling re-
Sponses to the curtain calls. Rex hur-
riedly sought Jake.
:" Well, I've made good. haven't l.? he
asked the delighted manager.
Not another word answered Jane.
glorious with triumph. Come with me-
and led the way to the box Office.
Il waited outside until Rex came .out
with a gold-sack fat with dust-the rake
off from the great drammer We went up
to the lodge room. where the whole crowd
of the brotherhood joined shortly. and
gave an impromptu banquet of the pro-
ceeds But we had plenty of dust lef.
over to keep till spring.
The drammer? oh / don't know what
became of il; Rex would never own it as
his first born after he began writing for
the people in the States. But IT sure.
saved our lives that frigid winV."