The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-08-12

Jeanne Towers. A plane had just
come in, one of the last of the sea-
son, until the lake froze, permitting
the landing of ships on skis. Tim
my Moon crawled out of the cock
pit.
"Got letter for you, Jack" he
said. "a pilot gave it to me down
at Fourcross."
Jack took the envelope and stared
at the penciled writing. Suddenly
his hands began to shake. With a
quick, jerky motion, he tore off the
end and pulled out the rough, lined
sheet of paper within. The words
blurred for a long moment, at last
to clarity:
Cameron Bay,
Great Bear Lake,
Northwest Territories.
Dear Jack:
A fellow Just few In from down your way
and said there's been hell to pay all around.
Well. Jack. I guess that's what makes a
mining camp.
I thought I'd get this off by the pilot.
He's hopping back this afternoon. If things
don't turn out all right, and that girl has
really done what this fellow says she did.
what say we throw our grub in the same
pack sack again? This is sure Gods coun-
try down here at the Arctic.
Why, know a place where there's
enough rich stuff to set fellow crazy.
I never seen such country; why it makes
Sapphire lake look like two-spot. You and
me could 60 wild finding stuff here, Jack.
Why. there's a regular wall of quartz.
stretching off into the Barren Lands God
knows where. There ought to be enough
gold in it to make a man sick.
Say. hope this fellow didn't tell me
all wrong about what happened down there.
But if you are all through with her and
everything, what say you do what you've
really been wanting to do Now that sounds
funny. but everybody could see it but you
you know, see If you can't get the girl you
are really crazy about.
Well, partner, come right to Cameron
Bay If you do come up. And If you do
ask Jeanne and she says she'll come with
you. I'll be awful glad.
Good luck to you, Partner.
Yrs,
Joe.
P. S. Be sure to ask Jeanne.
Wordlessly he read it again.
Wordlessly he handed it to the girl.
Her lips began to tremble as she
read farther. Finally she looked
up, her eyes misty, strangely eager.
''Well," she said brokenly, "are-
you going to ask me?"
A dog sled waited outside Ser
geant Terry's tent the next morning,
its tarpaulin high over the heaped
provisions necessary to a long jour
ney. Again, as Jeanne Towers and
Jack Hammond stood before him,
the Sergeant repeated as best he
could from memory the passages
of the wedding ceremony. There
was ring in his voice now and a
smile on his generous, kindly lips.
The service over, he followed them
to the dog team and bowed stiffly,
one hand properly crossed on his
snow-flecked red tunic.
ga kiss for the bride?"
Jack Hammond laughed, his old,
reckless, deep-chested laugh. He
released Jeanne from the arm
which encircled her.
"a kiss for the police" she BAN
tered, as she held up her lips.
Sergeant Terry protested d.
"Please! Not for all of them"
After a time, there was only the
man in red coat and yellow-striped
blue breeches, standing there bare
headed, his stiff-brimmed hat held
high.
Far away, where the fire line end
ed, dog team wound slowly
through the powdery snowfall, into
the silvered, spirelike spruce and
onward toward the Arctic.
THE END