Tombstone epitaph., 1918-05-12


Down In the None Such mine, you
mean7 1t did seem to be raining
hammers as I went down the shaft"
admitted his friend.
"were the hammers dropped on pur-
poser
Gordon looked at him with a grim
smile. "Your guess Is Just as good a.
mine, Peter. What do you thinkr
Peter answered seriously. II think
II isn't safe for you to take the chances
you do. Gordon. I find a wrong i'm
preston about you prevalent among
the men. They are blaming you for
stirring up all this trouble on the out
side. and they are worried for fear the
mines may close and they will lose
their Jobs. tell you that they are in
dangerous mood"
"Sorry. but can't help that"
"You can stay around town and not
60 out alone nights"
.I dare say l can, but I'm not going
TO-"
.I think you had better use a little
sense. Gordon. I dare saw I am exag-
eeratine the danger. But when YOU
90 around with that jaunty deviI-may-
care way OF yours. the men think you
are looking for trouble-and you're
| likely TO get il"
Am II"
II know what I'm talking about
Nine ont of ten OF the men think YOU
tried to murder Macdonald after you
| had robbed him and that your nerve
| weakened on the Job. This seems to
some of the most lawless to give them
moral. right to put you out of the
way. Anyhow. II is a kind Of justifica-
ton. according to their point Of view
I'm not defending 1t. Of course. I'm
| telling you SO that you can appreciate
your danger"
"You have done your duty, then.
| Peter"
But you don't intend to take my ad-
| viceT
''Tn tell you what told you last
time when you warned me. I'm going
through with the job I've been hired
to do. just as you would stick It out
In my place. don't think I'm In much
| danger. Men In general are law-abid-
ing. They growl, but they don't 60 as
far as murder"
Peter gave him up.
The next issue Of the kusiak Sun
contained a bitter editorial attack upon
Elliot The occasion for 1t was
press dispatch from Washington to the
effect that the pressure of public opin-
ion had become so strong that Win
ton. commissioner Of the general land
onc-, misst be forcec to resign his
place. This was blow to the coal
claimants. and the Sun charged i,
vitriolic language that the reports Of
Elliot were TO blame. He was. the
newspaper claimed. an enemy to all
those who had come to Alaska to earn
an honest living there. He was
snake In the grass. and as such every
decent man ought to hoic MIN IN scorn.
Elliot read this just as he was ieav
ing Tor the Willow Creek camp. ne
thrust the paper impanentiy INTO MS
coat pocket and swung 10 the sadaie.
why did they persecute MIN! he hau
told nothing but the truth nothlng NOT
required OF MIN by the Simplest eie-
mental honesty. Yet ne was treateo
as a., an outcast ut and criminal, ne,a ans IN
justice OF II was beginning 10 rankie.
He was temperamentaily an opd-
mist. but depression rode with him TO
the gold camp and did not lift from his
spirits till he started back next day for
kusiak. The news had been flashed by
wire nll over the United states that ne
was crook. His friends and relatives
could give no adequate answer to the
fact tnat an Indictment hung over MS
head. In Alaska he was already con-
victed by public opinion.
| In the late afternoon, while Gordon
was still fifteen miles from kusiak.
his horse fell lame. He led 1t limping
to the cabin OF some miners.
There were three Of them. and they
had been drinking heavily from a jug
OF whisky left earlier in the day by
the stage-driver. Gordon was In two
minds whether to accept their s1rly
permission to stay for the night. but
the lameness Of his horse decided him.
Not caring to invite their hostility.
he gave his name as Gordon instead Of
Elliot. He was to learn within the
hour that this was mistake number
two.
From a pocket Of the coat he had
thrown on a bed protruded the news