The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-12-04
THE LESSON He HAD LEARNED.

III LEOOUW Il[ Thu LLHKMLU,
Since early June the work along the
Bering Beach and up in Anvil Gulch
had been going on actively. Rich pay.
streaks had been stripped and the out
put OF gold promised to run into the
millions. But the season was wearing
on; October was passing quickly; and
the thin sheets of ice, appearing
ominously by night on sluice-box and
rifle, told the placer miners that the
season was at an end. Forthwith
thousands of those sturdy men laid
down their picks and shovels, gath
cred their summer cleanup" of gold
dust and nuggets, and then focked
into Nome, some to catch the first
steamers for Seattle, others to remain
inside" for the coming long winter.
Meanwhile the lighters along the
beach had begun to carry men and
money across to the big black hulks
at rest and waiting out in the Boring,
and when in the closing days Of &C.
tobeF, the last steamer raised anchor
and sailed away, laden with hundreds
of miners destined for the outside
world" other hundreds stood on the
beach and kept their eyes fixed on it
as it veered slowly southwark. They
watched the huge vessel growing
smaller and smaller; they watched
the curling clouds OF black smoke ris
ing from its tunnels, until it had dis
appeared beyond the horizon; then
overpowered with a quickened sense
Of solitude, they turned on their heels
3 silently retired to their cab rs
cd here and there along the
:, a, where the signing OF the Ger
.g waves only intensified this frs
feeling of loneliness.
The departure of the last boat from
Nome was an event in the early years
of the camp; it made the miners
wildly conscious of their isolation
They were nearly three thousand
miles from Seattle, the Mecca of golC
hunters, and the long Arctic winter
was ahead of them. All this meant
for them complete seclusion, withou
the hope of hearing from outside
civilization till far into the winter
Not till February, four months later
would the dog-teams bring the frs
mail of the season down the Yukor
from White Horse and Dawson, {
couple of thousand miles away.
And yet there was one of those meI
on whom isolation did not weigl
heavily-Carl Swamberg, a Swede
who had struck it fairly rich on No.
below Discovery, in Anvil Gulch. Witt
no desire for the society of men, hi
had at the close of the mining season
built himself cabin away from thu
main camp under bluff overhangin.
the gulch, and there he began to liv,
out alone the long, dreary months o
the Alaskan winter He rarely cam,
to Nome, and then to renew his sup
ply of canned food and tobacco.
Swamberg was a bit of bigot,
fact that did not make him popula
with the other miners. Without car
ing a fig for any form of religion, HI
had brought to Alaska his antipath.
to Catholics, an aftermath of his &C
tivities in some A. P. A. movement q
other in California. He revealed tht
yellow streak the day he refused tt
throw a couple of salmon to Fathe
Dalton's famished team while the mis-
sionary was caught in blizzard IL
Anvil Gulch.
Il hat no grub for dose toys o
yours" he growled. And then, as tn,
occasion for venting his spleen wa
favorable, he continued: 1T iss no
enough to hat you Catholic priests
proving opp here; / hear that 70,
hat brought nuns to dis camp, too
Dot ISIS sure the latest news"
That was, in fact, the very lates
news. A band of heroic Sisters hat
arrived to open a miners hospital il
Nome. 1t was welcome news to thou
sands Of poor men of all creeds ant
of none who had SO often need of tn,
Sisters services, but it was news tina
Carl Swamberg received with nut
tered curses.
What has dose women COON to di
country vor?" he asked Jim KelIiher
who had built his cabin under tn,
same bluff in Anvil Gulch and had be
come the Swede's neighbor or tn,
winter.
What have they came here fort
exclaimed Keliher. The big Irisl
miner was taken by surprise less a
the foolish question than at the ton,
q which he asked it. Suddenly gaug
Ing the mental twist in the man stand
ing before him, he blurted out in
burst of Indignation: "They hav,
come to this country to care TO
blithering idiots like you, to be sure