The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1919-01-14
HAS UNIQUE Title
shrok Mary Reindeer Queen Of
Alaska



Coal hsrrns merchant princes. CT
81 kfnrs-re are an familiar Win the
n-urafIVe arisrpcrzcy q wealth. but
more rfciurcsqne and nnrzusi Is the
title poruiariy nccoric1 to Sinrok
Nary. The reindeer Queen a Alaska
Mary's earrer. as Il Is related IN the
Sunset Magazine. Is one unique IN the
World n business ard rhilshthrupy.
In 1sae Mary Anfisarlok. half Rus
sian half Eskimo. was . round faced
briEht-eyet. sleek-hsfred younz xornnn.
prefty-we have her own Innocently
frank word for ff--and bride. The
government had 5usf decided 20 I'M
port reindeer from Siberia 70 Alaska
and had sent Ueutenanf Berthnlf. in
the revenue cutter Bear. 10 negpfiare
the purchase. He needed an inter
prefer. speaking both Russian and
Eskimo. and Mary was engaged She
was glad Of the opportunity. but IN
willing TO leave her husband: 50 he
was engaged. too. as a sort Of odd-5ob
man aboard: but Nary was the reccg-
nized head q the Antisariok firm she
made herself intcIligently and SUCCESS
fully useful among the natives win
whom II was necessary 10 deal. and On
returning "a AIaska she WIS wei paid
with goodly number Of reindeer.
These animals were the origin OF a
herd that fouifshed and Increased
amazingly. and became. indeed. SER
eral herds. Mary Is now raising deer
enough 10 supply fhousznfs Of con
sumers: and reindeer meat is tender.
paiafrbIe and delicious. 50 unuch 80
that. hut for the difficulties Of trans
r.orfstion. it would probably become a
staple food throughouf the country
Mary + a rich woman bnt she lives
simply In a cluster Of czbIns- r,erched
ur.on rceky prOrnontury thr1stin=
seward. fIinged with everlasting
surf.
II Is common knOwledee Throughout
Alaska that no one Was ever refused
food and lodging at sIary's cabin: il IS
also known that. although open-handed
aud free. she Is a shrewd 6arzainer
and possesses remarkable commercial
sagacify- Few traders. II any. have
been able 10 get the advantage Of her
in business deal There are those
in her employ who al times complain
Of her as a harsh mistress. for in busi-
ness she expects everyone 10 live up to
obligations and Is 50 strict in that re-
gard that II Is hard at times to recon
Gle this severity with her natural afti-
tude Of easy generosity But with
Mary business is business. and phiian-
thropy is quite another matter.
Toward the hungry. the helpless and
little children her tenderness Is I'M
falling and her bounty lavish She
has no children Of her own. but she
has adopted numerous family-not
pretty baby or two. carefully select
ed for health and charm and promise.
but such forlorn- abandoned and neg
lected waits and strays as came IN
der her notice in a remote and law
less zone There are all races and
eoiors- declares her biographer, Mona
Marquis Snyder. but Mary is merci-
fully colOr-bIind. She gives them an
a mothers care In so far as she Is
capable, educates them after a fashion
and. when they drift out Of the home
eddy into the greater life current, she
sees the boat vel provisioned-
One deed Of geser0sity WIN never
be forgotten in Alaska In 1895. only
five years after the founding OF her
herd Of reindeer. word came that
more than four hundred whalers had
been caught in the ice packs of Point
Barrow and were slowly freezing and
starving. They were FIVE hundred miles
away from Mary Antisarlok-s snow
covered cabin: they were many more
miles distant-and miles of the north
ern wilderness. icy. rocky. stOrm-swept
and terrble-from sources Of civilized
supply. Quite simply and as a matter
Of course. Mary. reserving only q few
head for domestic necessity, started
her whole herd Of reindeer nOrthward
10 the rescue. She received NO per
sOnal appeal. asked no advice, awaited
no Instructions. made neither bargain
nor effort 10 protect her interests. She
saw her chance for first aid. and gave
II. instantly and whOle-hearfedly.
Later. the government replaced the
sacrificed deer with Interest and gave
her the thanks she deserved. But since
that day IL is for more than her busi-
ness ability that the reindeer queen
Is respected throughout Alaska
Youths Companion.