Evening star., 1935-04-03
BY MAX MILLER.

pursued him and his nero along tne
Arctic wild lands seemed reluctant to
see him go, and so grounded his plane
time after time in its effort to bring
him back to civilization.
Ignores Weather.
Bless me-" he said, on stepping out
of the plane to a Snow-coated feld.
Bless me, but this is big city" The
fact ttat the temperature was about
30 above at the time received no COM
ment from him whatsoever. Also. a
stiff northwester was holding the
hangar-sock out at stiff right angle.
Yet. no wonder that polite conversa-
ton about the weather failed to hold
his interest, since, during one Winter
of his drive, the Arctic rim had un-
dergone its severest weather in IT
years, according to Canadian authori-
ties. Bahr's face was frozen during
this ordeal. Not frost-bitten, but
frozen. So were all the fingers on his
left hand.
These were the days when even some
of his Eskimo help had been obliged
to turn back on him and run back to
cover, and these were the perpetual
Arctic nights when so and 60 below
was a matter of course and when Andy
tramped the gloomy wilderness in
triple pants.
1000 Pairs of Boots.
His luggage consists almost eX-
clusively of one huge canvas bag
filed for the most part with wornout
| mukluks, Eskimo boots. and he dumped
| them all out on the floor in his warm
hotel room.
"Good-by to you and to you and to
you he said to the mukluks. which
were, for the most part, In a bad
shape from rocks and ice.
MY boys and I went through at
least 1000 of these while chasing those
deer. And. by 1000 pair. mean
1000 pair"
Dan Crowley. the American field
superintendent for the Lomen Rein
deer Corp, which sold the deer. came
into town with Bahr. Crowley also
is a little dazed in being back in a
warm room again, as he has been up
there a year. stalking a trail from
frozen island to frozen island across
the hundred-mile stretch Of ice COM
prising the Mackenzie Delta. He
shared In the last frenzied dash to
get the deer across, job requiring
three days and two nights.
Both men do not mind at all, then.
taking q breather here in town. But
they do wish people would not stare
at them so. Bahr's blue Lapp eyes are
80 filled with crow's-feet from squint-
ing than an accordion could be made
Of them. But he refrains from scowl-
ing. even when told for the first time
that his S60,000 property in Seattle
has been lost by mortgages during his
absence. While delivering riches to
others he completely lost his own.
Glad He Saved Life.
"Why should I mind?" he said.
I'm just happy enough about not
having lost my life while up there.
Indeed, I am"
When asked If he intended to re-
turn North, he smiled bit and said:
well, not until after supper, any
how"
He arrived still dressed in deerskins
/ Of course, but clothing stores here
we're providing for him, even though
the day was Sunday. During those
! five years he had mended his own
clothes mostly. using reindeer sinews
for thread But the skins are so
worn now that they have the appear
ance of a NANCY dog.
About the first thing he did after
dumping his sack of mukluks on the
carpet was to climb into the bathtub.
hour, trying to soak the Arctic of OF
him. He has been warned that, on
reaching Seattle, big dinner is to
be given for him and Crowley. But
when told that reindeer meat was to
be served the guests as a novelty. he
merely smiled that strange little Lapp
smile again over a thin goatee.
Short-Legged Driver.
eff you think Andy looks short
now" Crowley said, you should see
him when he has three pairs of pants
on and three parks, and running
after a deer. He does not seem to be
running at all, but rolling. But maybe
that's his secret for getting so far in
| a day. He rolls instead Of runs"
And for a fact, one can well be-
lieve it, as Bahr's legs are short al
most to the point Of establishment.
On entering the hotel and all bot
tied up in his reindeer skins, Bahr
Immediately searched for place to
get away from staring eyes. He had
quite forgotten all about such items
as elevators, so started up the stairs.
Crowley says he would just as soon
never see a reindeer again, but Bahr
is of different mind.
"I've been with reindeer all my
life," Bahr said, 80 a few more will
not hurt me-" And for a fact, he
was born in the open on reindeer
range 81 years ago. This was in Lap
land, his parents having been reindeer
people also.
Retains U. s. Citizenship.
He was brought to the United
States IN 1898 to help care for the
reindeer imported from Northern
Norway at that time as food for the
hard-smitten miners of the Yukon
On his journey through Seattle at
That time, ne slept IN the cltyS park
with his deer.
But even if my money from deer
is all lost" he said, I've still got my
American citizenship"
It was acquired about 10 years ago
But most Of the other Lapps who
came over with him at the time have
returned to their native homes, and
some of them with fortunes equiva-
lent to the one he lost by investing 1t
in two apartment houses
"But If I ever get any money after
this" he said, ''it will go into reindeer
you bet. Every man to his own bust
ness, I guess"
| gCopyright 1895. by North American
| Newspaper Alliance. Incl
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