The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1918-03-09
By JACK LONDON

Copyright by Jack London

one day, the Upper Country, Whlch
lies far above Circle City, was pro-
nOunced rich. Dog teams carried the
news to Salt Water; golden argosicS
freighted the lure across the North
Pacific; wires and cables sang with
the tidings; and the world heard for
the first time of the kl0ndike river
and the Yukon country.
Cal Galbrath had lived the years
quietly. He had then been good hus-
band to Madeline, and she had bless
ed him. But somehow discomfort fell
upon him; he felt vague yearnings for
his own kind, for the life he had
been shut out frOm-a general sort
of desire, which men sometimes feel,
to break out and taste the prime OF
living. Besides, there drifted down
the river wild rumors of the wonder
full Eldorado, glowing descriptions of
the city Of logs and tents, and ludi-
crOuS accounts Of the che-cha-quas
who had rushed in and We're STAN
peding the whole country. Circle City
was dead The world had moved on
UP river and become new and most
marvellous world.
Cal Galbraith grew restless on the
edge of things, and wished to see with
his own eyes. So, after the wash UP,
he weighed in Il couple of hundEed
pounds of dust on the company'S biz
scales, and took draft for the same
on Dawson. Then he put Tom Dixon
in charge of his mines, kissed Made
line good-hy, promised to be back be
fore the first muSh-ice ran, and took
passage on an up-river steamer.
Madeline waited-waited through
all the three months of daylight. She
fed the dogs, gave much of her time
to young Cal, watched the short sum-
mer fade away and the sun begin its
long journey to the south. And she
prayed much in the manner Of the
Sisters of the Holy Cross. The fall
came, and with it there was mush-ice
on the Yukon, and Circle City kings
returning to the winters work at their
mines, but no Cal Galbraith. Tom
Dixon received a letter, however, for
his men sledded up her winters sup
ply OF dry pine. The company re-
ceived a letter, for its dog teams fill
ed her cache with their best provi-
sions, and she was told that her credit
was limitless.
Through all the ages man has been
held the chief instigator of the woes
of woman; but in this case the men
haI Y
at one Of their number who was away,
while the women failed utterly TO
emulate them. So, without needless
delay, Madeline heard strange tales
OF Cal Galbraith's doings; also, of a
certain Greek dancer who played with
men as children did with bubbles.
Now Madeline was an Indian woman,
and further, she had no woman friend
to whom to 60 for wise counsel. She
prayed and planned by turns, and that
night, being quick of resolve and ac-
ton, harnessed the dogs, and with
young Cal securely dashed to the sled,
stole away.
Though the Yukon still ran free,
the eddy ice was growing, and each
day saw the river dWindlin@ to a
sluShy thread. Save him who has
done the like, no man may know what
she endured in travelling a hundred
miles on the rim ice; nor may they
understand the toll and hardship of
breaking the two hundred miles of
packed ice which remained after the
river froze for good. But Madeline
was an Indian woman, so she did these
things, and one night there came a
knock at Malemute Kids door. There
ut he fed a team of starving dogs, put
healthy youngster to bed, and turn
ed his attention to an exhausted wOm-
an. He removed her ice-bound moe
casins while he listened to her tale,
and stuck the point Of his knife into
her feet that he might see how far
they were frozen.
DESPITE his tremendous virility,
Malemute Kid was possessed Of a
softer, womanly element. which could
win the confidence Of snarling wolf
dog or draw confessions from the most
wintry heart. Nor did he seek them.
Hearts opened to him as spontaneous
ly as flowers to the sun. Even the
priest, Father Roubcau, had been
known to confess to him, while the
men and women of the NOrthland
were ever knocking at his door, a
door from which the latch-string hung
always out. To Madeline, he could
do no wrong. make no mistake. She
had known him from the time she first
cast her lot among the people of her
fathers race and to her half-bar0aric
mind It seemed that in him was his
vision and the future there could be
no intervening veil.
There were false ideals in the land.
The social structures of Dawson were
not synonymous with those of the pre-
vious era, and the swift maturity Of
the NOrthland involved much wrong.
Malemute Kid was aware Of this and
he had Cal Galbraith's measure accu-
rately. He knew a hasty word was
the father Of much evil; besides, he
was minded to teach a great lesson
and bring shame upon the man. SO
Stanley Prince, the young mining eN-
pert, was called into the conference