The daily Alaskan., 1918-09-03
The Case of Bert Carter, Stacker
 gAR By BARBARA KERR
Copyright. 1918. by the Mcclure Newspa-
 per Syndicate.)

"So you're after our wild man from Borneo, are you? Well, here he comes. HI! Kid, get move on you; here's a friend of yours from Hays, Kansas"
 Sheriff Beardsley felt the good-hu. mored sarcasm in the boss tone. He had swaggered bit; how did he know what sort of fellows ran the Mine Prop camp on the Narrow Guagef He had got off at Mineral Hot Springs and come overland with guide and two donkeys-maybc twas three.
 Bert, qulckened his pace, came for ward frankly and held out hls hand. "From Hays, did you say, Jim2 We'll, I'm sure glad to see some one from Hays. How's everybody? What did you say your name isT"
 "Sheriff Beardsley," grlnnlng rather sheepiShly into the boys honest blue eyes. "Tm up here after a stacker. Know anything about himT
 Search me" replied Bert innocent ly, at which the men laughed.
 Beardsley explained to Bert, who made no comment except that they'd counted on getting out some extra props; the trip would Interfere.
 But his camp comrades were out spoken In their disgust: "Why, anyone can see with half an eye that the kids not more than twenty" declared the Boss, who was too fond of Bert to take 1t calmly. Its simply a cooked up mess by some of those foreigners; they're comblng the country for men to make up their quota"
 The sheriff found himself ncdding- then hastily: "Well, I was sent up here to get him, boys; so I'll have to take him along"
 After two years In the mountains, with only a day of occasionally at Salida, or MofTet, for supplies, Bert was interested in everything except his forthcoming trial.
 "Of course, If it's up to me, I'll go. I've had some experience; killed more snakes than any other man in camp. If I'm busy and one gets away, just take q walk till find one in his place. Why? Because they frighten women"
 The sheriff, on arriving at Hays, rec commended bail for Bert till trial day; In the meantime he lOitered about the village. Ills fCthSr and mother had gone to South An. rica a year ago on fbusiness; he had not been to Hays for | five years, as he went from school to the mountains for his health. You'd agree that he found 1t; six feet in his | stockings: brnnzed as an Indian, with an innocent. direct gaze that was bit dlsconcertlng til you knew him. So when the board called Case of Bert l Carter. stacker" he arose to his feet marched up front and looked them squarely in the eyes.
 The three men looked at him with honest admiration, but Mary Marvin, ; the secretary, wanted Bert to feel that she disapproved of him. She was the | prettiest girl in the village, the stanch- est patriot, and always ready to pun ! lsh Slackers that came her way.
 Bert could not help feeling her atti- tude. At first he was mildly curious as to what pceved the pretty lady, but the more he looked at her the sting of 1t got under his skin. He wanted to ask her outright what was wrong with him.
 He told the board that he believed he would be twenty.One the third of June 1918, but in the absence of fam ily records, would swear to nothing. | He was interested to know on what they based their accusation that he was a stacker.
 To the board this seemed fair enough, but the way he said stacker made Mary want to jump to her feet and scream: Just as you might say bread-and-sugar, mother"
 Since the board had brought him to Hays at bCheSt Of gossips, they must bring in his GCCusors.
 Mrs. Ted LivingwOOd Swore that he was the same age as her Rachael {; I Rachael was twenty-three last June. "Ran he obliged to her mother" snick- cred some one; twenty-three was get ting on toward Old-maidhOod, here.
 Mrs. Ben Hopper swore that he was the same age as Tommy; twenty-one in May; she knew, for the boys had many a time celebrated their birth days by swimming in Big Creek. Bert smiled. then chuckled behind his hand boys birthdays were like Easter, movable feastS, when swimming was the celebration.
 Things were h0pelesSly tangled birthdays of towns contemporary chill dren were told, as was time of estab- fishing line fences, buying of live stock, tearing down of old landmarks but no cOrrObOrnting testimony.
 Mary was in white heat: How can he sit there like lump on log and the whole town wrangling about his age?" she whispered.
 The board was crazy with the futility of 1t, when the old editor of the Free Press walked In with newspaper file and asked to be sworn; opening 1t he