Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-03-30

was to remain. slowly moving his ton
until oyertaken by the 400 pounds With
which his uncle guaranteed 10 catch
him
Kit plndtcd along the trail with MS
Indian packers At the end or quar-
ter uf u mile he desired to rest k'lt
the lndiaus kept Oh He stayed with
them and kept his place IN the line
AT the half mile he was convinced that
be was incapable OF another step. yel
he grittcd his teeth. kept his place ana
at the end of the mile was amnzrd
that he was still alive.
Then. In some strange way. came
the thing called second wind. and the
next mile was almost easier than the
first. The third mile nearly killed him
but. though half deliriOus with pain
and fatigue. he never whimpered And
then when he felt he must surely faint
came the rest. Instead or sitting In
the straps, US was the custom of the
white packers. the Indians slipped Out
Of the shoulder aud head straps and
lay at ease. talking and smoking
A full half hour passed before they
made another start To Kits surprise
be found himself fresh man. and
long hauls and long rests" became his
newest motto.
The pitch of Chilkoot was all he had
heard of 1t. and many were the occa
sions when he climbed with hands lis
well as feet. But when he reached
the crest Of the divide In the thick OF
u driving snow squall 1t was In the
company of his Indians. and his secret
pride was that he had come through
with them and never squealed and
never Jagged.
When he had paid of the Indians
und seen them depart stormy dark
ness was falling. and he was left alone.
q thousand feet above timber line. ON
the backbone Of mountain. Wet to
the waist, famished and exhausted. lie
would have given years income for
a fire and cupfui Of coffee. Instead
he ate half a dozen cold tiapjacks and
crawled into the folds OF the partly IN
rolled tent.
In the morning. stiff from his labors
and numb with the frost, he rolled out
Of the canvas. ate couple Of pounds
of uncoOked bacon. buckled the straps
on hundred pounds and went down
the rocky way. Several hundred yards
beneath the trail led across a small
glacier and down to Crater lake. 9th
er men packed across the glacier. All
that day he dropped his packs at the
glaciers upper edge. and by virtue Of
the shortness Of the pack he put his
straps on $50 pounds each load. His
astonishment at being able to do It
never abated.
Unwashed. unwarmed. his clothing
wet with sweat be slept another night
In the canvas.
In the early morning he spread
on the Ice, loaded 1t With
three-quarters of ton and started to
pull. Where the pitch Of the glacier
accelerated. his load likewise accelerat'
ed. overran him. scooped him In on top
and ran away with him.
A hundred packers. bending under
their loads, stopped to watch him. He
yelled frantic warnings. and those In
bis path stumbled and staggered clear.
Below, on the lower edge Of the gla-
cier, was pitched a small tent, which
leaping toward him. so rapidly
did 1t grow larger. He left the beaten
track where the packers trail swerved
to the left and struck pitch of fresh
snow. This arose about him In frosty
smoke, while 1t reduced his speed He
saw the tent the instant he struck II,
carrying away the corner guys, burst.
ing In the front aaps and fetching up
inside. still on top Of the tarpaulin and
In the midst Of his grub sacks.
The tent rocked drunkenly. and In
the frosty vapor he found himself face
to face with startled young woman
who was sitting up In her blankets
the very one who bad called him ten
derfoot at Dyea.
"Did you see my smoker be queried
cheerfully.
She regarded him with disapprovai
ut was q mercy you did not overturn
the stove." she said.
he followed her glance and saw a
sheet iron stove and cofeepot at
tended by a young squaw. He shifted
the coffee and looked back to the girl.
"I've shed my shooting irons." he
said.
Then she recognized him. and her
eyes lighted Il never thought you'd
get this far" she Informed him.
Again, and greedily. he shifted the
air. "As l live. coffeer He turned and
addressed her: an give you
my little 6nger--cut it OF right now
III do anything; Ill be your slave for
a year and a day or any other old time.
II you'll give me cup out Of that pot
And over the coffee he gave bis name
and learned hers. Joy Gastell. Also he
learned that she was an old timer In
the country. She had been born In
trading post on the Great Slave and as
q child had crossed the Rockies with
her father and come down to the Yu-
kon. She was going In. she said. with
her father, who had been delayed by
business In Seattle.
In view Of the fact that she was still
In her blankets, he did not make It
long conversation. and. heroically de
clining second cupful Of coffee. he re-
moved himself and his quarter OF u
ton Of baggage from her tent Further.
be took several conclusions away with
him she had fetching name and
fetching eyes. could not be more than
twenty or twenty-one or twenty two.
her father must be French. she had
will Of her own. temperament to burn
onA cha hod hooD adunotod olao uhoro