The Bismarck tribune., 1925-11-27

-HdllS HllCu ICCOSniZtL
place in the. everyday social lie o
the Northland. Customs were free.
standards were liberal in the carly
days: no one. 'Polcon least OF all,
would have dreamed that they were
destined TO change in a night. Had
he been told that soon the country
would be dry. and gambling-samcs
and dancc-Ialls be prohibited by
law, he would have considered the
idea too utterly fantastic for belief;
the mere contemplation OF such i
drcary prospect would have proved
extremely dispiritinE. Hc--and 9th.
cr pioneers OF his kind--would have
been tempted Immediately to pack
up and move on TO some irccr To-
cality where 4 man could retain his
personal liberty and pursue his hap
pincss i'll manner as noisy. as in
temperate, and as undigniiicd as
suited his individual taste.
In justice to the saloons, be it said
they were more than mere drinking
places; they were the pivots about
which rcvolvcd the business life ot
the North country. They were meet
ing-placcs, social centerS, marts CT
trade: looked upon as evidence, Of
enterprise and general prosperity,
they were considered desirable asset,
to any community. Everybody pat
ronizcd them; the men who ran
them were, OH the whole, as rcnu.a-
bic as the men engaged III other pur
suits. No particular stigma attached
either to the places themselves or tc
the people connected with them.
These sold-camps had a very
simple code. Work Of any sort wa.
praiseworthy and honorable, idlenes.
or unproductivity was reprelcr sible
Mining. storekeeping, liquorsellins
gambling. steamboating, all were oc.
equations which men followed "a
necessity or convenience prompted
4 citizen gained rcputc by the man,
ner III which he deportcd himself
not by reason Of the nature OF IL,
commodity in which lie dealt. Such
al ieas;: WAS the attitude oi the old,
timers
Kou'c,.a's instant success, tho isc,
that She had iallcn among friends
delighted a woodsman, like 'Poleon
and, now that he was his own mas.e,
again, he straichtway surrendered
himself to the selfish Chi comment OF
his surroundings. His nature ant
his training prescribed the limits o.
those pleasures they were quite a:
simple as lis everyday habits OF
life; he danced, he gambled, ana h>
drank.
Tonight lie Gid all three. il the re.
verse order. To him Dawson was :
dream city; its lights were dazzling
its music heavenly. its games Of
chance citicing, and its liquor wa,
the finest. the sr,ootlest. the mos
inspiritins his tonSac had ever tested
Old frirds were everywhere, and ner
ones. too, for that matter. Amcn-
them were alluring women who
smiled and sparklcd. Each place
'Poleon entered Was the home OF Car.
nival.
BY midnight he was glor;ousI,
drunk. Ere daylight came he l,aG
sung himself hoarsc, he had danced
two holes in his moccasins. and had
conducted three fst-hehts to a salts
factory if not successful conclu
sion. 1t lad been a celebration thai
was to live III his memory. He strobe
blindly off to bed, shouting his corr.
plete satisfaction with himself and
with the world. retired without ln-
rcssins. and then sang himself tc
sirrp, IegaIuicos Y. the l.-.csts y
the other dodgers.
"Sav! That Frcnchman is riot
Kid Bridges declared while he an,
Lucky Broad were at breakfast
Hes old General Rough houser, ant
he set all altogether new mark i,
disordcrly conduct last night. Lett,
most cried about it."
"Yeafa Those yokcls arc all all>'
-onc drink and they declare diyi
dcnd." Lucky was only mildly con
ecned, II s'posc the yul.ures pickct
him clean"
"Nothin' like it," Bridges shook hi
head. 'Hc snawed 'em naked, the,
done a war-dance with their feather
in his hat. lie left 'cm bruised an
bleedin'."
For time the two friends ate i,
silence. then Broad mused, aloud
Lefty most cried. ch? Say, I won
der what she really thinks of him :
Il don't know. Miller told me sh
was all broke up, and l was goin' t,
take her home and see if / coult
fathom her true feclins, but-Phillip
beat me to it."
Phillips! He'll have TO throw on
the lifeline if Laure gets onto that
She'll take to Lefty just like a Ion
timber-wolf."
''Looks like she'd been kiddin' Us
don't it? She calls him her brotllc,
and he says she's his masscur-yo,
heard him. didn't your" There wa
another pause. whats masseu,
anyhow?" :. :.
one of those women in barber -slio,
that fixes your fngcr-nails. Yes.
heard him. and I'm here to say tha
didn't like the sound of it. don
yet. He may mean all right. but
them foreigners have got queer idea
about their women. Letty's a swel
kid and she's got swell job. What
more, she's got a wise gang ridin,
herd on her. It's just like she wa
in cllurch-no danger, no annoy
ance. nothing. If Doret figures t
start a barber-sl,op with her for hi
masseur, why, we'll have to lay hin
low with one of his own razors."
Mr.. Bridges nodded his cornplct
approval of this suggestion. "Right-o
III bust a mirror with him myself
Them barber shops is no place TO
good girls" afs1
Broad and Bridges pondcred tn,
matter during the day, and that even
ing they confded their apprehension,
to their fellow-workers. The othe.
Rialto employees agreed that thing.
did not look right. and after a con
sultation it was decided to keep :
watch uoon the pirl.. This was done