Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-04-27

countered only on trail, befurred and
moccasined. At dinner he found him
self beside her.
II feel like fish out Of water" he
confessed. 1--WE been living on trail
too long. This sort of thing comes to
me with a shock. I'd quite forgotten
that women have arms and shoulders.
Tomorrow morning, like my friend
Shorty, I'll wake up and know it's all a
dream. Now, the last time saw you
on EQuaw creek
"I was Just a squaw," she broke In.
ST hadn't intended to say that. was
remembering that 1t was on Squaw
creek that discovered you had feet"
"And I can never forget that you
saved them for me-" she said. "Tve
been wanting to see you ever since to
thank you. And that's why you are
here tonight"
'You asked the colonel to invite meT
"No; Mrs. Bowie. And asked her
| to let me have you at table. And here's
my chance. You know Mono creekT
"Yes."
1T has turned out rich, dreadfully
rich. They estimate the claims as
worth million and more apiece.
"WeIl, the whole creek was staked to
the sky line and all the feeders too.
And yet right now on the main creek
No. 8, below Discovery, is unrecorded.
The creek was so far away from Daw-
son that the commissioner allowed six
ty days for recording after location.
Every claim was recorded except No.
8 below. It was staked by Cyrus John
son, and that was all. Cyrus johnson
has disappeared, and in six days the
time for recording will be up. Then
the man who stakes 1t and reaches
Dawson first and records it gets it"
"But why doesn't everybody knowT
Smoke queried skeptically.
They're beginning to know. They
kept 1t secret for long time, and 1t Is
only now that It's coming out. Good
dog teams will be at premium In an
other twenty-four hours. Now, you've
got to get away as decently as you can
as soon as dinner Is over. An Indian
will come with a message for you.
You read 1t, let on that you're very
much put out, make your excuses and
get away"
I-er-I fail to follow"
"Ninnyw she exclaimed. what you
must do Is to get out tonight and hus'
tie dog teams. know of two. There's
Hanson's team-seven big Hudson bay
dogs. He's holding them at $4O0 each.
That's top price tonight, but it won't
be tomorrow. And Sitka Charley has
eight Malemutes he's asking $500 for.
Tomorrow he'll laugh at an offer Of
| $4,000. Then you've got your own
team of dogs. And you'll have to buy
several more teams. It's dogs as well
as men that will win this race. It's
l1O miles, and you'll have to relay as
frequently as you can"
"Oh, I see; you want me to go in
for itw Smoke drawled. "But aren't
you dITdlu lliS - SuhDiuS'
"It's sporting proposition, If that's
what you mean-a race for a million
and with some Of the stiffest dog
mushers and travellers In the country
entered against you. Big Olaf is In
town. He is one Of the most terrible
dog mushers In the country, and If he
enters he will be your most dangerous
man.
ARIZONA Bill Is another. He has
been a professional freighter and mail
carrier for years. II he goes In, inter-
est will be centered on him and Big
Olaf"
"And you intend me to come along
as a sort of dark horse?"
She nodded and continued earnestly:
Remember, shall never forgive my
self for the trick I played on the
suuaw creek stampede unless you win
this Mono claim. And If any man can
win this race against the old timers
It's you"
It was the way she said It He felt
warm all over and in his heart and
head. He gave her quick, searching
look. involuntary and serious, and for
the moment that her eyes met bis
steadily ere they fell it seemed to him
that he read something Of vaster I'M
port than the claim Cyrus johnson had
failed to record.
"Tll do It." he said. "I'll win It,"
Smoke had travelled in a leisurely
fashion up to Mono creek. Also he
had familiarized himself with every
mile of the trail and located relay
camps.
So many men had entered the big
race that the 40 miles OF Its course
were almost continuous village. Re-
Law camps were everywhere along the
trail.
Won Schroeder, who had gone In
purely for the sport, had no less than
eleven dog teams-a fresh one for ev-
ery ten miles. Arizona Bill had been
forced to content himself with eight
teams. Big Olaf had seven, which was
the complement Of Smoke. In addi-
ton, over twoscore Of other men were
in the running.
No. 8 below Discovery was ten miles
up Mono creek from its mouth. The
remaining 100 miles were to be run on
the frozen breast Of the Yukon. On
No. 3 itself were fifty tents and over
800 dogs. The old stakes, blazed and
scrawled sixty days before by Cyrus
Johnson, still stood, and every man had
gone over the boundaries Of the claim
again and again. for the race with the
dogs was to be preceded by foot and
obstacle race.
Each man in the contest had to re-
locate the claim for himself, and this
meant that he must place two center
stakes and four corner stakes and
cross the creek twice before he could
start for Dawson with his dogs.
Not until the stroke Of midnight Of
Friday night was the claim open for
relocation, and not until the stroke OF
midnight could a man plant stake.
This was the ruling Of the gold COM
missioner at Dawson, and Captain
Consadine had sent up squad Of
,sno,nko1 v,oltoo IN anforco n