River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-02-25

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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 it must be given a thor
Ough trial. | wish we had a sack of
raw potatoes"
"Sparkins, be can't wash no more
Dishes Shorty said. at hurts him SO
he sweats his pain. seen him sweat
it. l had to put him back in the bunk
he was that helpless"
IF only we had raw potatoes
Smoke went on. The vital. essential
something is missing from that prepar-
ed stuff. The life has been evaporated
out of it.
AN if that young fellow Jones iii
the BroWnlow cabin don't croak before
mornin' 1 miss my guess"
"For heavens sake be cheerful"
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 he was compelled to
knock off the workers. AS he was
learning, exercise was the last thing
in the world for scurvy 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. Il 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 he cursed himself for not
having eavesdropped.
"Out with it," he commanded harsh
ly. what is it?''
'What is what?" 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-
ty examined each others mouth for the
whitening Of the gums and mucous
membranes-the invariable first symp-
tom Of the disease
"I've quit Shorty announced one
evening. I've been thinkin' it over.
an l quit. | can make a go at slave
drivin', but cripple drivin' s too much
for my stomach. They go from bad to
worse. They amt twenty men can
drive to work. l told Jackson this
afternoon he could take to his bunk.
He was gettin' ready to suicide.
could see 1t stickin' out all over him.
Exercise amt no good"
"Pve 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 scurvy? Why did Laura Sib
ley hate him and at the same time
whine and SWIVEL and beg from him?
On several occasions Smoke made il
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
he tried sounding out Laura Sibley.
Raw potatoes would cure everybody
here" he remarked to the seeress. Il
know it. I've seen it 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 q supply
of fresh potatoes on the steamer" he
asked.
1--WE 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
Internationally, you know, mtslaid
on the steamer?"
She shook her head, as he thought,
a trife belatedly, then added, 1--WE new
er found any,"
But mightn't there?" he persisted.
How do l know?" she rasped angri-
~. II 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
just between US two? Do you think
Wentworth has any raw potatoes stor-
ed away somewhere"
mo; certainly not Why should he?"
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 unlighted