South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-04-03
CRAFTSMEN
REAL AND NEAR
BY FRED @ KELLY.


Harry Lane of Oregon. though quiet,
nonadventurOus-looking old chap,
once spent nine months ransacking a
part OF Alaska for gold.
When the senate was debating the
proposition for Alaska railways re-
Gently. Lane caused all his associates
TO look up and blink in surprise at
his knowledge Of the weather. fauna
and flora of that region.
Lane has been a doctor most OF his
life and never caught the spirit Of go
ing forth 10 do and dare until he was
old enough to settle down and devote
his entire time to poking the fire or
kindred pursuits
When the Klondike rush was on in
the late COS. a young man Lane
knew returned from Alaska with a
couple of hundred thousand dollars
to show for his winters work. Lane
was then superintendent of an in
sane asylum, but he determined that
he would forsake all and go to Alas
ks. His acquaintance shook their
heads and said:
THE fellows been around the in
sane asylum so long that he's getting
funny ideas himself"
In that way they joked him out OF
going. But. he still had the notion in
the rear of his head and il stuck
there. In 1904. even though he was
then about 80 years old, Lane made
up his mind that he was going TO
take a pick and shovel and set out
for the gold fields.
II won't be gone long" he said. as
he told his family good-by: I just
want to glance the place over"
He went TO Fairbanks. then up in
TO the mills and began to poke around
In the ground with his pick But
there wasn't any gold any place that
he looked.
The proposition grew mOnotonous
after a time. 1t was much harder
work than looking at peoples tongues
and handing them pills to take after
eating and before retiring. Lane
wished he was back in Oregon prac-
ticing medicine, and one dav he came
dashing into Fairbanks to take the
beat for the coast. But to his dis
may he learned that the last boat had
gone and the river was frozen. There
would be no more navigation for sev-
eral months
"Oh, but I've got to get home"
said Lane. Il intended to remain
here only a short time and my folks
will be getting anxious about me-"
Every DOuA IuSl ldugne0.
Isn't there any other way to goe"
asked Lane. - don't care how |
travel. I'm willing To ride on
freight train, or go by horse and bug
gy-any way at all"
You can walk" they told him BY
following the river il $ 400 miles and
the regular trail is 1000 miles The
longest way is best because there are
road houses scattered along"
Road houses or no road houses.
when il comes to walking 500 miles
extra just for hotel accommodations"
replied Lane. II decline. Has any
body ever gore the short way?"
Eyes, one man, the mail carrier.
and he had to kill his dogs and eat
them before he got through
"Oh, we'll" said Lane, optimistical-
~. Il can do it. I'll have to do it.
because l have a number of import
ant engagements at home"
And he set out. When he started
everybody bade him farewell with sad
faces that suggested hearse plumes
and white cotton gloves; but Lane
seemed 10 think no more of il than
If he were merely going around the
corner TO an all-night drug store.
Strangest of all was the fact that
he made the trip without any particu-
lar difficulty.
Wasn't it pretty cold" he was
asked 5y another senator the other
day.
"Oh. yes; it was fairly cold of
course" admitted Lane. But then
man often gets cold travelling even
IN Pullman berth. And 1 had the
advantage over a Pullman passenger
of having plenty of blankets"
A group Of newspaper men sat at
table in one f the capitol restaurants
eating food. Elmer Murphy of the
New York Tribune. had ordered a
piece of fish and when it came il tast-
ed altogether too much like fish.
The fish taste even in a fish can be
carried TO extremes.
Il can't eat this fish. Take it
away said Murphy. Bring me a
piece of roast beef in place of it,"
When he got his bill he was
charged with both the fish and the
meat.
Then everybody at the table be-
gan TO storm around and talk about
what an outrage it was.
Don't YOU pay it," commanded
John Callan OLaughlin of the Chi
cage Tribune. The idea of asking
a man TO pay for a thing he can't
eat. Wen all back YOU up. Go 10
the manager and have il out with
hin. And he pounded the table ex-
citedly with his fist.
Alter hearing little talk like that.
Murphy got his Irish up. and went to
che manager with the others follow
ing All glared with determination.
dy to die for principle.
DO | have TO pay for this fish that
] couldn't eat?' savagely INQUIRED
Murphy. pointing 10 his bill.
Why. no. Certainly not" replied
the manager. politely. as he crossed
IL of the slip.
And crestfa.Ien bunch OF aggres-
s!ye young men backed away in sill
ence.
Ii is an awful thing to be read- for
a fight and not find it,
Copyright 1914. by Fred g. Kelly.
All rights reserved.l
Twenty Years Ago
II