Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-05-11
CHAPTER XVI.
The Hanging Of cuItus George.

q DIDNIGHT had gone quarter
Of an hour In the Annie
IV Mine. The main room was
comfortably crowded. while
roaring stoves, combined with lack OF
ventilation. kept the big room insani.
tarily warm. The click of chips and
the boisterous play at the craps table
furnished a monotonous background
OF sound to the equally monotonous
rumble Of mems voices where they sat
and stood about and talked In groups
and twos and threes Through the
open door that led to the dance room
came the rollicking strains Of Vir'
Rinia reel played by piano and I'D
die.
CuItus George, a big, strapping Cir
Gle City Indian. leaned distantly and
dourly against the log wall. he was
a civilized indian. If living like a
white man connOtes civilization, and
he was sorely offended. though the Of
fense was Of long standing.
For years he had done white mans
work, had done It alongside OF white
men and 0pen had done 1t better than
they did. He wore the same pants
they wore, the same hearty woolens
and heavy shirts. BE sported as good
a watch as they, parted his short hair
on the side and ate the same food
bacon, beans and Hour-and yet he was
denied their greatest diversion and re-
ward-namely. whisky.
Cultus George was q money Garner
He had staked claims and bought ana
sold claims He had been grubstaked.
and he had accorded grubstakes. Just
now be was dog musher and freight
er, charging % cents pound for the
winter haul from Sixty Mile to Muc
iuc, and for bacon 33 cents, as was the
custom. His poke was fat with dust
He had the price Of many drinks. Yet
no barkeeper would serve him. WINS
ky, the hottest swiftest. completest
gratifier of civilization. was not Tor
him And be resented this tnvidious
distinction. US be had resented 1t for
years, deeply. And he was especially
thirsty and resentful this night while
the white men he had SO sedulously
emulated he hated more bitterly than
ever before
The Virginia reel In the dance room
wound to a wild close "All couples
promenade to the BARR was the call
er's last cry as the music stopped. And
the couples were 80 promenading
through the wide doorway into the
main room-the men in furs and moe
casins, the women In soft. huny
dresses. silk stockings and dancing
slippers-when the double storm doors
were thrust open. and Smoke Beiiew
staggered YEARLY In.
Eyes centered on him. and silence
began to fall He tried to speak. pull
ed OF bis mittens. which fell dangling
from their cords. and clawed at the
frozen moisture Of his breath which
had formed In flfty miles OF running.
Only the man at the craps table.
without turning his head. continued TO
roll the dice and to cry: "Oh. you Joe!
Come on. you Joel" The gamekeep-
ers gaze, fixed on Smoke. caught the
players attention. and he. too. with
suspended dice. turned and looked
"What'a up. Smoker" Matson. the
owner of the Annie Mine, demanded
With a last effort Smoke clawed bis
mouth free. II got some dogs out
there-dead beat" be said huskily.
"somebody 60 and take care Of them
and I'll tell you what's the matter"
In a dozen brief sentences he outlin'
ed the situation. The craps player. bis
money still lying on the table and his
slippery Joe Cotton still uncaptured.
had come over to Smoke and was now
the nrst to speak.
ave gotta do something. That's
straight But whati You're had time
to think. What's your plant Spit 1t
outI" --i ...,....-
-"sure," Smoke assented. We've got
10 hustle light sleds on the jump. Say
100 pounds of grub on each sled The
drivers outfit and dog grub will fetch
It. up hfty more. But they can make
time. Say We start Hye Of these sleds
pronto-best running teams, best mush-
ers and trail eaterA On the soft trail
the sleds can take the lead turn about
They've got to start at once. At the
best, by the time they can get there
all those Indians won't have had q
scrap to eat for three days -
"And then as soon as we've got those
sleds of we'll have to follow up with
heavy sleds. Figure It out yourself.
Two pounds a day ID the very least we
can. decently keep those Indians travel.