Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-01-10

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~ customs - Are inner
en- with existence In
new land. He must
~ abandon the old ideals
'1E1S0 and the old gods, and
A Oftentimes he must re-
verse the very code by
which his conduct has hitherto been
shaped. To those who have the
protean faculty Of adaptability the
novelty Of such change may even
De a source Of pleasure. but to
those who happen to be hardened
70 the ruts in which they were created
tie pressure OF the altered environ
ment Is unbearable, and they chafe in
body and in spirit under the new re-
strictions which they do not under
stand. This chatting IL hound to act
and react. producing divers evils and
leading to various misfortunes. 1t
were better for the man who canine 1T
himself to the new groove to return to
bis own country. II he delay too long
he will surely die.
When the world rang with the tale
OF arctic gold and the lure Of the north
gripped the heartstrings OF men Car
ter Weathcrbee threw up his snug
cierkship. turned half Of his savings
over to his wife and with the remain
der bought an outfit. There was no
romance In bis nature. The bondage
Of commerce had crushed all that. He
was simply tired Of the ceaseless grind
II wished to risk great hazards In
view Of corresponding returns. Like
MANY another fool, d~isdaining the old
trails used by the northland pioneers
FOR a scare Of years, he hurried to Ed
monitor In the spring Of the year, and
there. unluckily for his souls welfare.
he allied himself with a party of men.
There was nothing unusual about
this party. except its plans. Even Its
goal, like that Of all other parties, was
the Klondike. But the route it had
mapped out to attain that goal took
away the breath Of the hardest native,
born md bred to the vlcissitudes Of
the northwest. Even Jacques Baptistc,
born Of a Chippewa woman and a rem
csade yoyageur (haying raised his first
wh;npers In A deerskin lodge north Of
the sixty-tifth parallel and had the
same hushed by blissful sucks of raw
tallowl. was surprised. Though he
sold his services to them and agreed
to travel even to the never opening
Ice. he shook his head Ominously when
ever his advice was asked.
Petcy C~uthfert's evil star must have
been III the ascendant, for he. too,
Joined this country of argonauts. He
was an ordinary man, with Il bank ac-
count rs deep ~ his culture. which is
Saying a good deal. He had no reason
to embark on such a venture~-no rea-
son In the world, save that he suffered
from an abnormal development of sen.
timentallty. He mlstook this for the
true spirit Of romance and adventure.
MANY another man has done the like
and made MS fatal a mistake.
The first breakup Of spring found
the party Following the ice run of Elk
kiver. 1t vas an imposing fleet, for
the nuttit was large, and they were ac-
companied by a disreputable contin'
gent Of half breed voyageurs with their
women and children. Day IN and day
out they labored with the bateaux and
canoes. fought mosquitoes and Other
Kindred pests or swcated and swore al
the portages. severe toll like this lays
a man naked to the very roots Of his
soul, and ere Lake Athabasca was lost
din the south each member OF the party
had hoisted his true colOrs.
The two shirks and chronic grum
biers were Carter Wcntherbee and Per
cy Cuthfert. The whole party com
plained less Of Its aches and pains than
did either Of them. Not once did they
volunteer for the thousand and one
petty duties Of the camp. They thought
nobody noticed, hut their comrade.
swore under their breaths and grew t.
hate them, while Jacques Baptistt
encered openly and damned them from
morulng till night. But Jacques Bap
tiste was no gentleman.
At the Great Slave Hudson bay dog
were purchased, and the iieet sank (,
khe guards with IL added burden o.
dried Hsh and remmican. Then cano,
and bateau anSwsred to the swift cur
kent Of The Macksnzie. and they plung
Id into the Great Barren Ground. Nv
cry likely looking "feeder' was pros
lpected. but the elusive pay dirt
danced ever to the north. At the Grca'
bear. overcome by the common drcat
OF the unknown lands, their voyagcurl
began to desert. and Fort Of Goot
Hope saw the last and bravest bending
to the tow lines 40 they bucked tn,
current down which they had 30 treach
erously siided. Jacques Bapttste alon'
kemainad. liah No not sworn to trave
jeven to the never opening icei
Abandoning their riKer craft at tn,
headwaters of the Little Peel. the,
eonsumed ~ rest Of the summer Ii
he great portage over the Mackensi,
lwatersh6d 10 the West Rat. This IL
he stream fed the Porcupine. which X
'turn 3otusd the Yukon where tina
\ buightS highway Of the north counter
narches on ne Arctic Circle. But the,
"a lot ID ths race with winter. and
X ~ ~ they tlsdg thslr rats to tn,
I. ehick sd6y 10 ard hurried their good,
ShVte. NhatShtsht tbes rtv6r jamtnct
IA br0ka seeystal TIMES. me follow
W. mSrnlng \ nd falsen asleep to
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