The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-01-03


tried TO force thu matter from his
thoughts. and mostly he had sue
ceeded. Self.mastery was his first
law. and the code by which be lived
and mostly the blue devils had ifte,
their curse from him. Hut they were
shrtekins from the gloom at him to
night In late years some % the
great tranquility OF the forest had
reposed IN him and the bitter hours
90 hrooding came ever al longer In.
terval~. But tonight they held him
In bondage.
u was twenty five years past and
he had been only a child when the
thing had happened. lie had been
hut seven years old--more OF baby
than child Tie smiled grimiy "a
the thought went home 20 him that
childhood. In It's true sense. was o1e
stage az life that he had missed. lie
Ind been cheated % Il By a remorue.
less destiny; he had becn baby.
and then he had been a man. There
were no Joyous gradatlon~ between.
Tho sober ht,le boy had Hcnssd al
once that the responsibilities o. man.
hood had been thrust upon him, and
he must make good After al. tina,
was the code % his ilrss--to take what
destiny gave and stand up under Il.
III the event had occurred any.
where but In Tho North. the outcome
might have been wholly different.
L'fe was easy and gentle In the river
bottoms 81 tho United States. Won.
en- could make a brave fight unaidrd.
even fatheriess boys were not entire
" cheated OF their youth. flrsisics
IN these desolate wastes the code OF
NE II a personal code. primitive emo
tons have fuli sway. and mon do
not change their dreams from DAY
To day. Consistency and st~adfasfness
are the first impulses % their lives
neither niii nor his mother had been
Anlr 10 forget or to forgive. Here
was an undying ignomlny and ha,
tired. b~sidc>--for the North t. n far.
famed keeper OF Hccrs;s--the myz.
terry and the dreadful uncertainty.
haunting like a ghost A. a little
hoy he had tried 70 Comfort hla
mother with his high plans for re.
vengci and she had whispered 20
him. and cried over him. and pressed
him hard against her. and he had
promised. over and over again. thar
when manhood came TO him he would
right her wrongs and his own. lie
remembered his pathetic efforts 70
comfort her. and u had never oc.
CURED 70 him that he had been IN
need n comforting himself. He had
hem n sober. wlstfui-ryed little hoy.
bearing bravciy the whole tragic
weight upon his own small Shout.
ders.
The story WINS Very simple aud
short--noihinw particularly rnnmial
In the North. His father had come
curly TO the gold field. Of bradley.
burg. and he had been one % few
that was nccompa MED by his wife
a tender creature. scarcely mold-si
for life In n. northern gold cnmp~
Then there had been Ruthcford. his
fathers partner. n man whom Meth.
or biil nor his mother liked or trust.
ed, but TO whom the elder Bronson
gave fun trust Somewhere beyond
FAR Grizzly River. In the Clearwater.
Bronson had made a wonderful ssrtke
"A fabulous mine where the gravel
was simply laden with the yellow
dust: and because they had prospect.
cd together IN times past. Bronson
gave his partner a share in Il.
They had worked for months at
their mine. IN w~cfet. and then Ruthc.
ford had come with pack horses into
Bradleyburg. oatensibiy for supplies
He bad been guest at the Bronson
cabin and had reported that all was
wen with his generous partner. And
The next night he had disappeared.
Weeks were 10 pass before the
truth was known. Rutherford dif no,
return TO the mine AZ all. he was
traced clear TO the shipping point.
three hundred miles below Rrndlev.
burg. And he DID not 20 empty.
handed. The pack horses had not
carried empty saddie.haFs. They had
been simply laden with gold. And
bronson never returned to his fam.
ily IN Bradieyburv.
There WIS only one possible ex
PLANTATION. The gold had represented
the seasons washings--an amount
that went into the hundreds Of
thousandA--and Rutherford had muir.
dcrcd his bencfactor and at~conded
with the entire amount. No living
human being except Rutherford him.
self knew where the mine lay; there
was no way for Bronson'a family
either 20 reclaim the body or TO
continue 20 work the mine. Search
parties had sought II In vain. md
the loaf mine OF tho Bronsons became
legend, a mystery that had grown
constantly more dim tn the passing
years.
When 7 am grown" ittle BIN
would whisper % his mother. as she
knelt crying at hia feet. II VIII go
out and find my papa's mine. Also
will chase down Rutheford. and
track him all over the world until I
find him. and make him suffer for
all he has doneF'
This was a Northern child. and his
baby eyes would Rieam and his fea.
lures draw. and then his mother.
half.frightened, would try 20 quiet
him in her arms. This WINS the
North. the land Of primitive emo.
tons, take and give. receive and
pay. simple Justice and remorseless
vengeance, and when the storm
swept over the c~bin and the snow
deepened Mt the doorway. those ter.
ribIe. whispered promises seemed
wholly fitting and true.
I'm follow him TIL I die, and he
and his wife and his son will pay for
what he has done 20 u.s."
But the years had come and passed
and Rutheford had not been brought
10 justice nor the mine found. ~
was true that in past summer Bill
had traced his fathers murderer az
far as the shipping point. but there
all trace Of him was irremedlably
lost. Bill had made many excursions
into the Clearwater In search Of the
lost mine. all without success. Ho