The Tomahawk., 1918-01-24

o the contest Tor which the qu0lln.
future of Alaska.
l. With q wave of his hand Strong
pointed to group of miners who had
boarded the boat with them at pierre's
Portage. There were about a dozen of
the men, for the most part husky,
heavy-set foreigners. Elliot gathered
from their talk that they had lost their
jobs because they had tried to organ
ize an incipient strike in the Frozen
Gulch district.
"Roughnecks and booze fighters
that's all they are. But they earn
their way. Not that blame Macdon-
aid for firing them, mind you" con-
tinued the miner. Ellis superintendent
up there was too soft. These here
Swedes got gay. Mac hit the trail for
Frozen Gulch. He hammered his big
fist into the bread basket of the ring
leader and said, Ctr That fellows
running yet, I'll bet. Then Mac called
the men together and read the riot act
to them. He fired this bunch on the
boat and was out of the camp before
you could bat an eye. 1t was the clean
est hurry-up job ever did see."
"From what I've heard about him.
he must be q remarkable man."
Hes the biggest man In Alaska,
bar none."
This was a subject that interested
Gordon Elliot very much. Colby Mac
donald and his activities mad brought
him to the country.
do you mean PERSONAL---VERY. BE-
cause he represents the big corpora
tions?"
Both. His word comes pretty near
being law up here, not only because
he stands for the Consolidated, but
because he's one man from the ground
up"
do you mean that he's square
honestT'
"You've said two things, my friend"
answered Strong dryly. "He's square.
If he tells you anything, don't worry
because he amt put down his John
Hancock before a notary. Don't waste
any time looking for fat or yellow
streaks in Mac. They amt there. No
body ever heard him squeal yet and
what's more nobody ever will"
mo wonder men like him."
! "But when you say honest No!
Not the way you define honesty down
in the States. He's grabber, Mac Il"
"What does he look like?"
"Oh, don't know" Strong hesi.
tated, while he searched for words to
show the picture, In his mind. big al
a house-steps out like buck in the
spring-blue-gray eyes that bore right
! through you"
"How old?"
search me. You never think Of age
when you're looking at him. Forty
five, mebbe-or ffty-I don't know"
"MarriedT
"No-o." Hanford Strong nodded In
the direction Of the Kusiak circle.
''They say he's going to marry Mrs.
Mallory. She's the one with the red
hair"
It struck young Elliot that the miner
was dismissing Mrs. Mallory in too
cavalier d fashion. She was the sort
of woman at whom men look twice,
| and then continue to look while she
appears magnificently unaware Of it.
Her hair was not red, but of lustrous
bronze, amazingly abundant, and
dressed in waves with the careful skill
of q coiffeur. Slightest shades Of
meaning she could convey with a lift
of the eyebrow or an intonation of the
musical voice. If she was already
fencing with the encroaching years
there was little evidence of it in her
opulent good looks.
.
The whistle of the Hannah blew for
the Tatlah Cache landing while Strong
and Elliot were talking. The gang
plank was thrown out.
A man came to the end of the wharf
carrying q suitcase. He was well-set,
thick in the chest and broad-shoul.
! dered. Looking down from above,
Gordon Elliot guessed him to be in the
early thirties.
Mrs. Mallory was the first to recog-
nize him, which she did with a drawl-
| ing little shout Of welcome. "Oh, you,
Mr.. Man. 1 knew you first. I speak
for YOU" she cried. ...
The man on the gangplank looked
up, smiled and lifted to her his broad
gray hat in q wave of greeting. E..
'.How do you do, Mrs. Mallory3 Glad
to see you" - r=
The miners from Frozen Gulch were
grouped together on the lower deck.
At sight Of the man with the suitcase
a sullen murmur rose among them.
Those in the rear pushed forward and
closed the lane leading to the cabins.
One of the miners was flung roughly
axainst the new passenger. With a
wide, powerful sweep of his arm the
| man who had just come aboard hurled