, 1922-09-14

During the winter Nature opened
her storm gates and swept the coun-
try fiercely and relentiessly. making
at dimes tTavsf lAsardous and work
Impossible. The fury OF the bliz-
Inrds dashed the dog-drivers' faces
into cruel. serratsd cracks, as II Ma
turo were Jealous Of the pygmies
who dared to populate her bleak and
desolate shores. Tho tempestous
roar seemed to say 1.-The strong
may stay. but the weak I'll weed"
BY the middle of February Buck
and Luke found that they were
without money to replenish their
fast disappearing stock of provis-
ions. This condition worried Luke
20 much that he ate barely half
enough to furnish the necessary
heat to Withstand the work and cold.
He preached the subject to Buck
one morning at breakfast. and he.
laughing at Luke's seriousness.
said:
"Never worry! It's bad for the
day. These fish that's getting the
govt eating beefsteak at IS a throw,
seperate today. Meet me at the Sec
ond Class saloon tonight and we'll
eat beefsteak with their money"
Buck had no compunction about
selling the hole in the doughnut to
a rich man: and, true to his word,
they ate beefsteak that night and
the next day they hauled a three
hundred dollar grub outfit to their
cabin on Gone Creek"
This incongruous pair were al
ways together. They bunked and
ate and prospected without the
slightest friction.
The u was peeping above the
horizon Of the Bearing Sea a little
earlier each day. until its warm
~caresses kissed the now and frost
into a score Of rivulets running
down the side hills into the creeks.
Buck, walking from the creek up
to their cabin one day noticed a
glitter in the face Of the gravel
bank. In less than sixty seconds he
had wrested from the gravel a mug
get of virgin gold, with the senas-
ton OF a starving man singing his
teeth across the meat of a long
hunted moose.
The nugget weighed thirteen
ounces. They had found a pay
streak. A fortune had been hello
graphed to them. They put up the
sluice boxes and five hundred dol
lars a day cinched the discovery Of
another fabulous paystreak.
Buck had eve known Luke so
talkative: he dubbed over with Joy.
He told Buck that he always want
ed enough money to get back the
old farm where he was born. His
mother had asked him on her death
bed to part with 1t. Now,
the money was in sight and his hap
piness knew no bounds. Buck
asked him to play a tune on the
flute, SO the sound OF flowing settler
ceased and the liquid tones of the
flute filled the air and the two men.
who. by chance, had been thrown to-
gether, were well satisfied with
their Northern venture.
The "Biue Nose road house, on
the same creek, learned of the dis
covery and the news spread over the
camp as rapidly as though the
country yer equipped with wire
less.
There were many mel in the
country, parasites, who did nothing
but watch the workers a
paystreak then stake adjoining bench
or creek claims and await develop
ments. The hills were dotted with
men encroaching on other stakers'
ground. stealing, lying and fighting.
The passion was rampant in them:
the gold fever was contagious: and
there was not enough of the elusive
metal in the country to effect a
cure for their sordid hearts.
Buck and Luke decided to stop
sluicing and keep watch over the
property night and day. Buck took
the night watch and drove the in
vaders off their property at the
point of a thirty-forty Winchester.
A few nights after they had de-
cided to keep watch Luke was
awakened by a series of gun shots.
He stepped out Of the cabin, but
was forced back at the point of a
gun.
The story was old in the country.
The professional Jumpers had tried