Evening star., 1923-01-21

carrying on his work in the wilder
ness didn't seem to daunt him
1t was a strange life for baby to
live. There was never any milk in
Dawes menu, but Schmidt senior
solved the ever-vexing problem. OF
infant diet by making nourishing
hroths from wild fowls. and game
whereon his small charge fourished
exceedingly. As little Dave grew
older he readily adapted himself to
the simple but adequate cuisine of
the trappers cabin. There was al
ways fish and game In abundance, the
streams supplying enough salmon in
the summer spawning season to last
the year through. Little Dave, in
time. became an adept at spearing the
salmon and smoking 1t for the months
ahead. For green vegetables there
was B. sort of watercress growing
along the stream, and for fruit plenty
of wild berries during the summer,
some Of which were dried for winter
use. The only provisions that had
to be packed in from the outside
world were flour, salt and raisins.
The winter clothing of the two was
provided by the animals from their
traps; the forest gave them fuel; and
for the simple purchases they had to
make during the year the money from
their pelts more than sufficed. Dave
tells Of his foster-father's trapping a
silver fox a few years ago which
alone brought them $1,000.
IF you talk with Dave he. will tell
you how he managed in his~far-
off cabin to learn enough to come to
college. It is no simple thing to get
| books when you have to travel 400
miles by : dog-sled to call for your
mail! They don't have electric lights
in the Alaskan wilderness!, Dave
didn't even have lamp to read by
the kerosene would have had to be
hauled too far. He did his studying
by firelight.e After long days Of work
Dave would settle down fer a great
| night Of study and thinking and writ
| ing Arctic nights are months long,
| and he made good use of them. He
| poured over the little library that the
| two had gradually collected, book by
! book, magazine by magazine. Great
| figures Of history seemed to take on
| a new life Of their own on the. warm
| light of, the fire. Modern leaders be-
came real to the young lad.
Last summer the boy and foster
father agreed that the time had come
! for Dave to make his first journey
| into the world The break was hard
1t was hard for Dave, who had his
| way to make alone in a world that
| didn't yet know Of. his existence. It
/ was harder for the father who was: to
| remain in the little cabin alone
alone with, nothing but the memory OF
the chubby youngster that he used to
| draw over the dazzling white crust
! of the winter mountains. on a. sled Of
his own making-of the eager child
\ who learned his A B Cs and multipli-
cation tables on the long tramps they
took together; OF the tall youth
whose quicks intelligence and re-
sponsive mind made him as fne a
helper and comrade as any man could
wish for.
There would beeletters from Dave,
/, but such long time to walt when
one got the mali only four times a
year! Would Dave remember the
ideals Of truth and generosity and
service that had been faithfully In
stiI1ed into him from earliest baby
hood? Tell the truth and stick mp
for. what you know is rightr's is the
simple code. that the mountain people
: value above MI else. Would Dave
lot the indirectnessS and .eYssiveneee