Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-05-18

with unavoidable splutterings and
stranglings.
"We're covering this spruce tea route
four times day. and there are eighty
Of you to be dosed each time." Smoke
informed Laura Sibley. $50 we've no
time to fool. Will you take It, or must
! hold your nose?" His thumb and
foreHnger hovered eloquently above
her. ITS vegetable. 80 You needn't
have any Qualms-"
"I1l-I'n take It." abe quavered
Hurry upr'
That night, exhausted as by no hard
day Of trail, Smoke and Shorty crawl
ed into their blankets.
"I'm fairly sick with it." Smoke con.
fessed 'The way they suffer Is awful
But exercise Is the only remedy | can
think of. and 1t must be given a thor
ough trial. wish we had a sack OF
raw potatoes"
"Sparkins, he can't wash no more
Dishes" Shorty said. 1T hurts him 30
he sweats his pain. seen him sweat
It 1 had to put him back in the bunk
he was that helpless"
III only we had raw potatoes
kmoke went on. 1.-The vital. essential
something IL missing from that prepar.
ed stun. The life has been evaporated
out Of It"
AN II that young fellow Jones In
the Brownlow cabin don't croak before
mornin' l miss my guess"
"For heavens sake be cheerful" J"
Smoke chided.
In the morning not only was Jones
dead, but one Of the stronger men who
had worked on the frewood squad was
found to have hanged himself. A
nightmare procession Of days set in.
For a week. steeling himself to the
task, Smoke enforced the exercise and
the spruce tea. and one by one and In
twos and threes be was compelled to
knock of the workers. AS he was
learning, exercise was the last thing
In the world for scuryy patients. The
diminishing burial squad was kept
steadily at work, and surplus half
dozen graves were always burned
down and waiting One day Smoke
saw the seeress entering Amos Went
worth's cabin and followed after her,
At the door he could hear her voice.
whimpering and pleading.
Just for me-" she was begging as
Smoke entered II won't tell soul"
Both glanced guiltily at the intruder.
and Smoke was certain that he was on
the edge of something, he knew not
what, and be cursed himself for not
having eavesdropped.
"Out with itV' he commanded harsh
II. What Is it,"
"What Is whatr' Amos Wentworth
asked sullenly. And Smoke could not
name what was what
Grimmer and grimmer grew the stu
alton. In that dark hole Of canyon the
horrible death list mounted up. Each
day, In apprehension, Smoke and Shor-
y examined each others mouth for the
whitening Of the gums and mucous
membranes-the invariable first symp-
tom of the disease
T've quit" Shorty announced ono
evening. "Tve been thinkin' 1t over.
an quit. l can make a go at slave
drivin'. but cripple drivin 3 too much
for my stomach. They 60 from bad to
worse. They amt twenty men l can
drive to work. told Jackson this
afternoon he could take to bis bunk.
He was gettin' ready to suicide.
could see It stickin' out all over him.
Exercise amt no good"
"rve made up my mind to the same
thing" Smoke answered
The everlasting miracle Of Went
worth's immunity perplexed Smoke.
Why should he alone not have de-
veloped scurvyf Why did Laura Sib-
ley hate him and at the same time
whine and snivel and beg from him1
On several occasions Smoke made 1t
a point to drop into Wentworth's cabin
at mealtime. But one thing did he
note that was suspicious and that was
Wentworth's suspicion Of him. Next
be tried sounding out Laura sibley.
"Raw potatoes would cure everybody
here" he remarked to the seeress. u
know It I've seen 1t work before"
The fare of conviction In her eyes.
followed by bitterness and hatred. told
him the scent was warm.
"Why didn't you bring IN supply
Of fresh potatoes on the steamer he
asked.
I'VE did. But coming up the river
We sold them all out at bargain at
Fort Yukon. We had plenty Of the
evaporated kinds, and we knew they'd
keep better. They wouldn't even
freeze"
Smoke groaned. "Now, mightn't
there have been a couple Of odd sacks
left-accidentally. you know. mislaid
on the steamerr
She shook her head, as he thought,
a tribe belatedly, then added I'VE neV'
er found any"
"But mightn't theref" he persisted
"How do I knowT she rasped angri-
y. n didn't have charge Of the COM
missary."
And Amos Wentworth did," he
Jumped to the conclusion. "very good.
Now what Is your private opinion
tust between us twoi Do you think
Wentworth has any raw potatoes stor.
ed away somewherer
mo; certainly not Why should her
Struggle as he would with her,
Smoke could not bring her to admit
the possibility.
That night, when the camp groaned
and slept or groaned and did not sleep
Smoke went to Wentworth's unlighteo
cabin
listen to me, Wentworth" be said
"rve got q thousand dollars In dust
right here In this sack I'm q rict
man In this country, and ! can anord
r I think I'm getting touched Put