The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1918-01-17
A SHORT AND DIRTY"
YUKON RIVER STORY
Epors. Hois inv squa~ Says She Is
Legal Wife Of Rex Beach. How the
ssS0nr uoughs" Got Name.


with bis yirilc stories Of the North
Ian4
short and Dirty" IL q drunken 81.
wash p{uaN y DO hangs out around the
river junction III Tananna, ard ! was
told when / reached that town could
Interview The dIsky eharmor and get
"a real story" one the most Of the
writer's pass up on account Of the
fame Of the "Thc SpoiIers' author.
wouldn't pass up anything in Alas
M, 80 looked forward 70 the time
when could rncct tho Indian maiden
and trade the price Of a pint for a
story.
Bot nothing doing. When reached
Tananna the maid wasn't being inter
viewed. She WAS in jail at Fairbanks
for drunkenness and disorderly con-
duct, and wouldn't be back until she
had sobcrcd out 20-day sentence. |
scrvrd ~ days IN the junction town,
waiting for n boat that would let me
on, and have fellow feeling for the
squaw II she IL "Short and Dirty"
But here's the dope as | got it;
II ia common talk that the squaw
lived with Beach MS his wife in Ram
part for a long time; in fact ! was
assured by many that that is an estab-
iished fact and Is not denied by any Of
the oldtimers on the Yukon. How
ever, there is some doubt as to wheth-
er or not she was his legal wife or
whether the union was just an Alas
kan Common law" affair.
All this occurred years ago before
Beach broke into prominence. He liv-
ed in cabin at Rampant and the In
dian girl washed the dishes and darn
ed his socks. It is said at this time
the girl was handsome, according to
the Indian rules She was short rs
ever then, but not as dirty. As the
tale Is told, after Beach got TO putting
his stories over, and the reviewers be-
gan 20 dig up his life, he shook the
native girl, and she followed the white
folks rule Of civilization by leading a
personally conducted excursion to The
dogs.
Now she poses for the river tourists
(when she is out Of jai) as the cast
of wife Of the noted author, and pan
handles them for the price of drinks.
had not access to the marriage
statistics so simply state the stories
current along the Yukon, and give you
the "Short and Dirty story as it was
told me.
What is a "sour dough-" and what
makes a man eligible? is a question
often asked me.
Down to real tacks a "sour dough-
is ono who can make sour dough |
bread but the term is usually applied
10 one who has seen the Yukon freeze
up and thaw out twice. BY that time
IL he hasn't been able to learn how
TO make and bake the bread, he is
supposed TO have been buried for sew
eral months. And these qualifications
also apply to membership in the Alas
IA Brotherhood, an organization that
at one time had lot Of social strength
In Alaska, with lodge buildings in
every river town, but which has now
nearly run out.
But have forgotten my bread.
Sour dough bread is about the same
rs mother used to make before rich
American blood called for yeast, holes
and alum, now known as bakers bread.
In the southwest mining camps 4
about the only bread in circulation is
a baking powder product like biscuit
iust -four. lard, salt and baking
powder scrambled, baked in a skillet
and lid. and called pones. And down
there the boys and girls fill up on it
daily with frijoles as side dish, and
grow fat and healthy.
But in Alaska baking powder does
MT 20, 10 any thbtUl' Inc pcopiS
won't eat 1t. They say it is harmful.
When made this southwest compari-
son TO an old trapper the explanation
got was "they do lots of things on
the Rio Grande that we can't do on |
the Yukon. Baking powder gets US
here"
Sour dough bread is made from '
emptins. rising. sponge, or whatever
you may call il, just old-fashioned
Yankee bread. The great secret, the ;
one accomplishment that promotes
~cheechaker" 10 ''sour dough" is that {
OF never losing his "rising" and not
letting II get too sour. Back in the |
hills yeast cake at times would COM {
mand a dozen times its weight in pure '
gold dust, for you can't phone down 10 ;
the grocery and have the auto delivery :
bring out cake. Once man loses !
his "rising" and he has lost his bread.
So a bit Of Il is carried on from one ,
baking to another. guarded more care
fully than ,he belt of nuggets And 9