Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-08-04
When the Mail
Came In
By REX RE-; BEACH.
Copyright by Otis L. Wood.
By REX BEACH.
Copyright by Otis L. Wood.
rATE didn't like Montague Pros
wv ser at first-he was too
clean. He wore his virtue
SsSv~ I,okA,oAz ao-ood

Kelly that undertook to mitigate him
one day, but, being as the nuisance
stood an even fathom high and had a
double action football motion about
him, Whitewater's endeavors kind Of
broke through the Ice and he anguish
ed around In his bunk the next week
while we sat up nights and changed
his bandages.
Yes, Monty was equally active ut
repartee or rough house, and he
knocked Whitewater out from under
his cap, slick and clean, just the way
you snap playing card out from un-
der coin, which phenomenon termi-
mated our tendencies to SCOT and carp.
Personally, didn't care. II man
wants to wallow about in a disgusting
daily debauch Of cleanliness it is his
privilege. II he squanders the feeting
moments brushing teeth, cleaning fin
ger nails and such technicanHes it
stands to reason he won't have much
time left to attend to his work and at
the same time cultivate the essentials
of life, like smoking, drinking and the
proper valuation Of three card draw.
But, as say, it's up to him, and out
siders who don't see merit in such a
system shouldn't try to bust up his
game unless they've got good footwork
and knockout punch.
It wasn't so much these physical re-
finements that riled us as the rarefled
atmosphere of his general mental and
moral attitudes. To me there's elo-
quence and sentiment and romance
and spiritual uplift in a real, full
grown, black whiskered cuss word.
It's great help in a mountainous
country. Profanity is like steam in a
locomotive-takes more to run you up
hill than on the level, and, inasmuch as
there's only few men on the level,
violent vocabulary is a necessity and
appeals to me like certificate Of good
character and general capability.
Prosser had left widowed mother
and come north On the main chance,
like the rest Of US, only he originated
farther east What made the particu-
lar ten strike with us was the pride he
took In that same mother. He gloried
in her and talked about her In that
hushed and nervous way man speaks
about q real mother or a regular sweet
heart. We mon folks liked him all the
better for It ! say we men, for be was
"shine" with the women-a1l nine Of
them. The camp was l 800 strong that
winter. over and above which was the
aforesaid galaxy OF nine, stranded ON
their way up the river to a Dawson
dance hall The Yukon froze up, and
they had to winter with US. OF course
there were the, three married ladies',
too. living with their husbands back on
the Birch ridge, but we never saw
them, and they didn't count. The 9TH
ers went to work at Eckert's theater.
Monty would have been right popu-
lar at Eckert's-he was handsome lad
but he couldn't see those people with
q fleldglass. They simply scandalized
him to death.
OF course, when the actresses found
out how he felt they came back at him
strong. but he wrapped himself up in
his dignity and held himself aloof
when he came to town, SO he didn't
seem to mind It.
It was one afternoon in January,
cold and sharp, that Ollie Marceau's
team went through the ice just below
our camp. She was a great dog
puncher and had the best team in
camp-seven fine malamutes-which
she drove every day. When the ami
op,o11aH r,1o
and dragged her into the open water
below the hot springs. She was wet
ten minutes, and by the time she had
got out and stumbled to our bunk
house she was all in. Another ten
minutes with the "quick" at 80 below
would have finished her, but we rushed
her in by the fire and made her drink
glass of the "hootch." Martin got
her parka off somehow while slashed
the strings to her mukluks and had her
little feet rubbed red as berries before
she's quit apologia:ng for the trouble
she'd made. A fellow learns to watch
toes pretty close in the winter.
Lord. stop your talk" we said.
This is the first chance we have had
to do anything for lady in two years.
It's downright pleasure for us to take
you in this way
Indeed she chartered. "Well, It
isn't mutual,"-and we all laughed.
We reused up good FIRE and made
her take Off all the wet clothes she felt
she could afford to, then wrung them
out and hung them up to dry. We
made her gulp down another whisky,
too, after which gave her some foot
gear and she slipped into one Of Mar
tins Mackinaw shirts. We knew just
how faint and shaky she felt, but she
was dead game and joked with us
about it.
I never realized what a cute trick
she was till saw her in that great.
coarse, blue shirt with her feet in
beaded moccasins, her yellow hair
tousled and the sparkle OF adventure
In her bright eyes. She stood out like
nugget by candle light. backed as
she was. by the dingy bark walls Of
our cabin.
I suppose It was a bad instant for
Prosser to appear. He certainly cued
in wrong and found the sight shocking
to his Plymouth Rock proprieties.
The raw liquor we had forced on
her had gone to her head bit, as 1t
viii when you're fresh from the cold
and your stomach is empty. so her
face was flushed and had pretty.
reckless. daring look to it. She had
her feet high up on a chair. too-not
so very high. either-where they were