I
■""" M
N
T ie W ife o f a K ing :
N
A Metamorphosis o f the G old
Country o f the Far North
\
►
By JA C K L O N D O N
C o p y r l f tat
by J a c k
London
Jj
«
f
th e follow ing night, ns w as also Lucky
Jack H arrin g to n and h it violin. T hat
sam e night, B etties, who owed a g reat
debt to M alem ute Kid. huruessed up
Cal G a lb ra ith ’s dogs, lashed Cal Gal
b ralth . Junior, to th e sled, and slipped
aw ay In th e durk for S tu a rt river.
*
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•
•
•
•
•
“ S o; one— tw o—th ree, one— t w o -
three. Now rev erse I No, no I S ta rt
i ,i again. Jack. See— th is
way."
P rince executed th e m ovem ent as one
should who has led th e cotillion.
“N o w ; one— two— th ree, one—t w o -
three. R everse I Ah I th a t's better.
T ry it again. I say, you know, you
m u stn 't look a t y o u r feet. One— tw o
—three, one— tw o—th ree.
S horter
steps. You a re not bunging to the
gee-pole Just now. T ry it over.
T h e re ! th a t's th e way. One— t w o -
three, one— tw o— th re e .”
Round and round w ent P rin ce and
M adeline in an in term in ab le w altz.
T he tab le and stools had been shoved
over ag a in st th e wall to Increase the
room. M alem ute Kid sa t on th e bunk,
¿hln to knees, g reatly In terested . Jack
H arrin g to n s a t beside him, scraping
aw ay on his violin an d follow ing the
NCK, w hen th e w o rtm an a
in so doing felt th e heavy hand of the
w as very young, th e social
women who had come last, knew least,
and civic v irtu es w ere re but who ruled th e land.
m ark ab le alike fo r th eir
O ne day, th e U pper C ountry, which
paucity and th e ir sim lies fa r above C ircle City, w as p ro
plicity. W hen th e burden nounced rich. Dog team s carried th e
of dom estic d u ties grew
new s to S alt W a te r; golden argosies
grievous, and th e fireside mood ex freighted th e lure a cro ss the N orth
panded to a co n stan t p ro test ag a in st P acific; w ires and cables sang with
its bleak loneliness, th e ad v e n tu re rs th e tid in g s; and th e w orld heard for dancers.
It w as a nnlque situ atio n , th e u n d er
from the Southland, in lieu of b e tte r, the first tim e of th e K londike riv e r i
taking o f th ese th re e men w ith the
_paid th e stip u late d prices and took
and th e Yukon country.
unto them selves n a tiv e wives. It w as
Cal G albraith had lived th e y e a rs j woman. T h e most p a th e tic p art, p er
a fo re ta ste of p ara d ise to th e women, quietly. He had then been a good hus haps, w as th e businesslike way in
fo r it m ust be confessed th a t th e w hite band to M adeline, and she had bless which they w ent a b o u t i t No a th
rovers gave fa r b e tte r c a re and tr e a t ed him. B ut som ehow d iscontent fell lete w as ever tra in e d m ore rigidly
m ent to them th a n did th e ir Indian
upon h im ; he felt vague yearn in g s for for a coming c o n te s t nor wolf dog
for th e harness, th a n w as she. But
co-partners.
O f course, th e w hite
his own kind, fo r th e life he had
men them selves w ere satisfied w ith
been sh u t o u t from —a general sort they had good m aterial, for M adeline,
each deals, as w ere also th e Indian of desire, w hich men som etim es feel, unlike m ost women of h e r race, in her
men fo r th a t m a tte r. H aving sold
to b reak o u t and ta s te th e prim e of childhood had escaped th e c a rry in g of
th eir d au g h ters and s iste rs fo r cotton
living. Besides, th e re d rifte d down heavy b u rd en s and th e toil o f th e trail.
blan k ets and obsolete rifles, and tra d th e riv er wild ru m o rs o f th e wonder- j Besides, she w as a clean-lim bed, wil-
ed th e ir w arm fu rs fo r flimsy calico ful Eldorado, glow ing d escriptions of lowy crea tu re , possessed of much
and bad w hisky, th e sons of th e soil th e city of logs an d te n ts, and ludi grace w hich had n o t h ith e rto been
prom ptly and ch eerfu lly succum bed
crous accounts of th e che-cha-quas realized. I t w as th is g race w hich the
to quick consum ption an d o th e r sw ift
who had rushed In and w ere sta m men stro v e to bring o u t and knock
diseases co rrelated w ith th e blessings peding th e w hole country. C ircle City into shape.
At th e n ex t in term issio n P rin ce dis
of a su p erio r civilization.
w as dead. T h e w orld had moved on
I t w as in th ese d ay s of A rcadian 1 up riv e r and becom e a new and m ost ’ covered a new p re d ic a m e n t
“I say. K id,” he said , “ we’re wrong,
sim plicity th a t Cal G alb raith jo u rn ey m arvelous world.
ed th rough th e land and fell sick on
Cal G alb raith grew re stle ss on th e all wrong. She can ’t le a rn In moc
th e L ow er riv er. I t w aa a refresh - i edge of things, and w ished to see w ith casins. P u t h e r fe e t In to slippers, and
lng a d v en t In th e lives of th e good
iris own eyes. So, a fte r th e w ash up, then on to th a t w axed floor—phew 1”
S isters o f th e H oly C ross, w ho gave he w eighed In a couple of hundred
him sh e lte r and m edicine. Cal G al pounds o f d u st on th e com pany’s big
b ra ith becam e tro u b led w ith stra n g e
scales, and took a d ra f t fo r th e sam e
th o u g h ts, w hich clam o red fo r a tte n on D aw son. T h en he p u t Tom Dixon
in ch arg e o f h is m ines, kissed Made
tion till he laid eyes on th e M ission
girl, M adeline. Yet he gave no sign, line good-by, prom ised to be back be
biding
h is
tim e
p atien tly .
H e fore th e first m ush-lce ran , and took
passage on an u p -riv er steam er.
stren g th en e d w ith th e com ing spring,
an d w hen th e su n ro d e th e heavens
M adeline w aited—w aited through
In a golden circle, and th s Joy and
all th e th re e m onths of daylight. She
th ro b o f life w ere In all th e land, he
fed th e dogs, gave m uch of h e r tim e
g a th ered h is still w eak body to g eth er to young Cal, w atched th e sh o rt sum
and d ep arted .
m er fa d e aw ay and th e sun begin its
Now M adeline, th e m ission girl, w as long jo u rn ey to th e south. And she
prayed much in th e m an n er o f the
an orphan.
H e r w h ite fa th e r had
S iste rs of th e H oly C ross. T h e fall
failed to give a bald-faced grizzly th e
tra il one day, an d h ad died q u ic k ly .' came, and w ith it th e re w as mush-lce
T hen h e r In d ian m other, h aving no on th e Yukon, an d C ircle City kings
retu rn in g to th e w in te r’s w ork a t th eir
m an to fill th e w in te r cache, h ad tried
m ines, b u t no Cal G alb raith . Tom
th e h azard o u s ex p erim en t of w aiting
till th e salm on ru n on fifty pounds of Dixon received a le tte r, how ever, for
flour and h a lf as m any o f bacon. A f his men sledded up h e r w in ter’s sup
ply of d ry pine.
T h e com pany re
te r th a t th e baby. Chook-ra, w en t to
live w ith th e good siste rs, and to be ceived a letter, fo r Its dog team s fill
th en ce fo rth know n by a n o th e r nam e.
ed h e r cache w ith th e ir best provi
B u t M adeline still h ad kinsfolk, the sions. and sh e w as to ld th a t h e r c red it
n e a re s t being a d isso lu te uncle who
w as lim itless.
o u trag ed his v ita ls w ith Inordinate
T hrough all th e ag es m an h as been
q u a n titie s of th e w h ite m an’s w hisky.
held th e chief In stig a to r o f th e woes
H e stro v e dally to w alk w ith th e gods, of w o m an ; b u t tn th is case th e men
and Incidentally h is fe e t sought sh o rt held th e ir tongues an d sw ore h arshly
er tra ils to th e grave. W hen sober he a t one o f th e ir num ber w ho w as aw ay,
suffered ex q u isite to rtu re .
H e had
w hile th e women failed u tte rly to
no conscience. T o th is an cie n t v a g a -! em ulate them . So, w ith o u t needless
bond Cal G alb ra ith duly p re s e n te d ' delay, M adeline h e a rd stra n g e tales
him self, and they consum ed m any '• o f Cal G a lb raith 's d o in g s; also, o f a
w ords and m uch tobacco In th e conver- i c e rta in G reek d a n c e r w ho played w ith
sation th a t follow ed. P rom ises w ere men as children MA w ith bubbles.
also m ad e; and In th e end th e o ld ’ Now M adeline waW An In d ian woman,
h eath e n took a few pounds o f dried nnd fu rth e r, she b ad no w om an frien d
salm on and h is b lrch -b ark canoe, and to whom to go fo r w ise counsel. She
paddled aw ay to th e M ission of th e prayed and planned by tu rn s, and th a t
night, being quick o f resolve and ac
H oly Cross.
tion, h arnessed th e dogs, and w ith
I t is not given th e w orld to know
w h at prom ises he m ade and w h a t lies , young Cal securely lashed to th e sled,
1
T he King F elt
he told—th e s iste rs n e v er g o ssip ; but stole away.
w hen he retu rn ed , upon his sw a rth y i
T hough th e Yukon still ran free, 1
ch est th e re w as a b ra ss crucifix, and th e eddy ice w as grow ing, and each
M adeline raised a fo o t and regarded
in h is canoe h is niece M adeline. T h a t day saw th e riv e r dw indling to a h er shapeless house m occasin dubious
night th e re w as a g ran d w edding nnd slushy th re a d .
Save him who h as ly. In previous w inters, both a t C ircle
a p o tla c h ; so th a t fo r tw o days to fol done th e like, no m an m ay know w hat City and F o rty Mile, she had danced
low th e re w as no fishing done by th e she endured In tra v e lin g a hundred m any a n ig h t aw ay w ith sim ilar foot
village. B ut In th e m orning M adeline m iles on th e rim Ice; nor may they gear, nnd th e re had been nothing the
shook th e d u st of th e Low er riv e r u n d erstan d th e to il an d h ard sh ip of m atter. B u t now—well, If th e re w as
from h e r m occasins, an d w ith h e r j breaking th e tw o h undred m iles of j an y th in g w rong it w as fo r M alem ute
husband, In a poling boat, w en t to packed ice w hich rem ained a fte r th e Kid to know, not h er.
live on th e U pper riv e r In a place river froze fo r good. B ut M adeline
Bui M alem ute Kid did know, and he
know n as th e L ow er C ountry. And ] w as an Indian woman, so sh e did these hml
»id eye fo r m e a su re s; so he
in th e y ears w hich follow ed she w as ! things, nnd one nig h t th e re cam e a put on liis cap and m itte n s anfl w ent
a good wife, sh a rin g h e r h u sb an d 's knock a t M alem ute K id's door. T here- , down th e hill to pay Mrs. Epplngwell
h a rd sh ip s and cooking h is food. And ot he fed a team of sta rv in g dogs, p u t
a call. H er husband. Clove Epplng
she k ep t him in s tra ig h t tra ils, till he a healthy you n g ster to bed, and tu r n- ; well, w as pro m in en t In th e com m unity
learn ed to save h is d u st and to w ork , ed his a tte n tio n to a n ex h au sted wom
as one o f th e g re a t governm ent offi
m ightily. In th e end, he stru c k it an. H e rem oved h e r ice-bound moc cials. T he kid had noted h e r slen
rich, and b u ilt a cabin In C ircle C ity ; casins w hile he listen ed to h er tale, d er little fo o t one night, a t the gov
'And his h appiness w as such th a t men ' and stuck th e point o f his knife into ern o r’s ball. And as he also knew her
who cam e to visit him In his hom e | her fe e t th a t he m ight see how fa r to be a s sensible a s si
w as pretty,
'Circle becam e re stle ss a t th e sig h t of they w ere frozen.
It w as no ta s k to ask oi her a certain
D espite his trem en d o u s virility,
It and envied him g reatly .
sm all favor.
B ut th e N o rth lan d began to m ature, M alem ute K id w as possessed of a
On h is re tu rn , M adeline w ithdrew
and social am en ities to m ake th e ir softer, w om anly elem ent, w hich could
fo r a m om ent to th e Inner room. When
app earan ce. H ith e rto , th e S outhland win th e confidence o f a sn arlin g wolf
she reap p eared P rin ce w as startled .
had sen t fo rth Its s o n s ; b u t it now i dog o r draw confessions from th e most
“By J o v e !” he gasped. “W ho’d ’a ’
belched fo rth a new exodus, th is tim e w intry h eart. N or did be seek them .
th o u g h t It 1 T h e little w itch I Why,
of Its d au g h ters. T h ey did n o t fail ( H e a rts opened to him a s spontaneous
r”—
Even th e my “I s siste
to p u t new Ideas In th e heads o f th e ly a s flowers to th e sun.
a n E nglish g irl," In terrupted
men, an d to elev a te th e to n e o f th in g s priest. F a th e r Roubeau, had been
M alem ute K id, “w ith an E nglish fo o t
In w ays pecu liarly th e ir own.
No known to confers to him , w hile th e
T h is g irl com es o f a sm all-footed race.
m ore did th e squaw s g a th e r a t th e men and women o f th e N orthland
Moccasins Ju st b roadened h er feet
dances, go ro arin g down th e c e n te r were ev er knocking a t h is door, a
healthily, w hile she did not m isshape
in th e good, old V irginia reels, o r door from w hich th e latch -strin g hung
them by ru n n in g w ith th e dogs In her
m ake m erry w ith Jolly “D an T u ck er.” alw ays o u t To M adeline, he could
childhood.”
T hey fell back on th e ir n ativ e sto i do no wrong, m ake no m istake. She
M adeline w as th e w ife of a king, a
cism, and uncotnplainlngly w atched had known him from th e tim e she first
king w hose yellow tre a s u re could buy
tile ru le o f th e ir w h ite siste rs from ca st h e r lot am ong th e people o f h er
o u trig h t a score of fa sh io n ’s p u p p ets;
fa th e r's ra c e ; and to h e r h alf-b arb aric
th e cabins.
y et In all h e r life h e r fe e t had known
T hen a n o th e r exodus cam e o v er th e mind It seem ed th a t In him w as his
no g e a r sav e red -tan n ed moosehlde.
m ountains from th e prolific Southland. vision and th e fu tu re th e re could be
At first she looked In aw e a t th e tiny
T his tim e It w as o f women th a t be no Intervening veil.
w hite sa tin slip p e rs ; b n t she quickly
T
h
ere
w
ere
false
Ideals
In
th
e
land.
cam e m ighty In th e land. T hey fro w n
understood th e a d m iratio n
which
ed upon the In d ia n wives, w hile th e The social s tric tu re s o f Dawson w ere
shone, m anlike, In th e eyes of the
other women becam e m ild and w alk not synonym ous w ith those o f th e p re
ed hum bly. T h e re w ere cow ards who vious era, and th e sw ift m a tu rity of men.
So th e tra in in g w ent on. E very d a j
becam e a lh am ed o f th e ir an cie n t cov th e N o rth 'a n d Involved much wrong.
M alem ute Kid led th e girl ou t on long
en a n ts w ith th e d a u g h te rs of th e M alem ute Kid w as a w a re o f this, and
soli, w ho looked w ith a new d ista ste he had Cal G a lb raith 's m easu re accu w alks devoted to th e correction of her
upon tb e lr d ark-sk in n ed c h ild re n ; b u t rately H e knew a h asty w ord w as c arriag e an d th e sh o rten in g of her
th ere w ere al'*> other»—m en—w ho re th e fa th e r of much e v il; besides, he stride. T h e re w as little likelihood of
h e r Iden tity being discovered, fo r Cal
m ained tru e a u J proud of th e ir a b o r w as m inded to teach a g re a t lesson
iginal row s. W hen it becam e th e fa sh and b ring sham e upon th e m an. So G albraith and th e re s t o f th e old-tim
ion to divorce th e n a tiv e wives. Cal Stanley Prince, th e yonng m ining ex- , e rs w ere Ilk» lo s t ch ild ren tra e n g the
m any s t ia n s t r a whe h ad rushed into
G alb raith re tain ed h is manhood, and pert, w as called in to th e conference
r
i
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th e land. Besides, the fro st of the
North has a b itte r tongue, and the ten-
ler women of the South, to shield
th eir cheeks from its biting caresses,
w ere prone to the use of the canvas
m asks. W ith faces obscured and bod
ies lost in squirrel-skin parkas, a
m other and daughter, m eeting on trail,
would pass as strangers.
In th is way T hanksgiving n|ght
drew near.
A t Irreg u lar in terv als
B etties sen t word down from S tu art
river regarding the w elfare of young
Cal. T he tim e of th eir re tu rn w as ap
proaching. More than once a casual
caller, hearing dance m usic and th e
rhythm ic pulse of feet, entered, only
to find H arrington scraping aw ay and
the o th er tw o beating tim e or arguing
noisily over a mooted step. Made
line wns never In evidence, having
precipitately fled to the inner room.
On one of these nights Cal Gal-
b ralth dropped in. E ncouraging news
had ju st come down from S tu a rt riv
er. and M adeline had surpassed her
self—not In w alk alone, and carriag e
and grace, but in w omanly roguish-
ness. T hey had indulged in sh arp re
partee, and she had defended herself
b rtllin n tly ; and then, yielding to the
Intoxication of th e m om ent, and of
h er own pow er, she had bullied, and
m astered, and w heedled, and patron-
lzed them w ith m ost astonishing suc
cess. And instinctively. Involuntarily,
they had bowed, not to her beauty,
h e r wisdom, h er w it, but to th a t inde
finable som ething in woman to which
m an yields yet cannot nam e.
T he
room w as dizzy w ith sh eer delight as
she and P rince w hirled through the
la s t dance of th e evening. H arrington
w as throw ing in Inconceivable flour
ishes, w hile M alem ute Kid, u tterly
abandoned, had seized th e broom and
w as executing m ad g y ratio n s on his
own account.
At th is in s ta n t th e door shook with
a heavy rap-rap, and th e ir quick glan
ces noted th e liftin g of th e latch. B ut
they had survived sim ilar situations
before.
H arrin g to n never broke a
note. M adeline shot through th e wait-
in s door to th e in n er room. T he
Baffled, D efeated.
broom w ent h u rtlin g under the bunk,
and by th e tim e Cal G albraith and
Louis Savoy got th e ir h eads In. M ale
m ute K id and P rin ce w ere In each
o th e r’s arm s, w ildly schottisching
dow n th e room.
As a rule, Indian women do not
m ake n practice of fainting on provo
cation, b u t M adeline cam e a s n ear to
it as she ev er had in her life. For
an hour she crouched on th e floor, lis
tening to th e heavy voices of the men
rum bling up and down in mimic thun-
der. L ike fn m lllar chords of child
hood m elodies, every intonation, every
trick of h e r husb an d ’s voice, sw ept
in upon her, fluttering h er h e a rt and
w eakening h er knees till she lay half-
fain tin g a g ain st th e door, f t w as well
she could n eith er see nor h ear when
he took his d ep artu re.
"W hen do you expect to go hack to
C ircle C ity?” M alem ute Kid asked sim
ply.
’H aven’t th o u g h t much about It,”
he replied. “D on’t think till a fte r the
Ice breaks.”
"And M adeline r
H e flushed a t th e question, and
th e re w as a quick droop to his eyes.
M jlem ute Kid could have despised
him fo r th a t, had be known men less.
"I guess sh e’s all rig h t,” th e C ircle
C ity king answ ered hastily, and in an
apologetic m anner. “Tom D ixon’ got
charge of my in terests, you know, and
he sees to it th a t she h as everything
she w ants.”
M alem ute K id laid hand upon his
arm , and bushed him suddenly. They
h ad stepped w ithout. O verhead, the
au ro ra, a gorgeous w anton, flaunted
m iracles of co lo r; beneath lay the
sleeping tow n. F a r below, a solitary
dog gave tongue. T he king again be
gan to speak, b u t the Kid pressed his
h an d fo r silence. T he sound mnlti-
piled.
Dog s / .» r dog took op the
s tra in till th e fall-th ro ated chorus
sw ayed th e night.
Cal G alb raith shivered slightly as
It died aw ay In half-caag h t sobs. The
Kid read his th o u g h ts openly, and w an
dered back w ith him through all th e
' w eary days of fam ine and d isease;
B etties cam e off trail tn the ml list!
of the excltem eut. descending upon
M adeline, sh arin g his pains and perils. 1 them in a h u rrican e of frost. Ilia
never doubting, never com plaining
rimm ed brow s tu rn ed to en tu racts as
H is m ind’s retin a vibrated to a score j he w hirled a b o u t; his m ustache, still!
of pictures, stern, clear-cut ami the frozen, seem ed gemmed w ith diam ond«
hand of the past drew back with and tu rn ed the light In varicolored!
heavy fingers on his h eart. It was ra y s ; while th e fiytng feet slipped o n
th e psychological m om ent. M alemute the chunks of lee which ra ttled fro m
Kid w as h a lf tem pted to play his re hi* m occasins and Scotch socks. AJ
serve card and win the gam e; but the N orthland dance is quite an In fo rm al
lesson w as too mild a s yet, and he let affair, t! men of the creeks and tra il«
it pass. T h e next In stan t they had having lost w hatever fastld lo u sn es*
gripped hands, and the king’s beaded they may have at one tim e possessed i
m occasins w ere draw ing p ro tests from and only In th e high official circles a r e
th e outraged snow a s he crunched conventions a t all observed.
H ere,
down th e hill.
caste carried no significance. Million
M adeline In collapse w as another aires and paupers, dog drivers and!
woman to th e m ischievous creatu re m ounted policem en. Joined hands w ith
of an hour before, whose lau g h ter had “ladles in the cen ter." and sw ep t
been so Infectious and whose height around th e circle perform ing most re
ened color and flashing eyes had ronde m arkable capers.
| her te ac h ers fo r th e w hite forget.
In hls quest for th e G reek dancer.
W eak and nerveless, she s a t in the Cal G alb raith m anaged to get Into th e
ch air Just a s she hud been dropped sam e set with th e "R u ssian Princess,’*’
th ere by P rin ce and H arrington. tow ard whom popular suspicion had;
M alem ute Kid frow ned« T ilts would turned. But by th e tim e he had guid
I never do. W hen th e tim e of m eeting ed her through one dance, he wns w ill
her husband cam e to hand, she must ing not only to sta k e hls m illions th a t
carry things off w ith high-handed im she w as not F reda, but th a t he hud!
periousness.
It wns very necessary had hls arm about her w aist befo re.
she should do It a fte r th e m anner of W hen or w here he could not tell, but;
w hite women, else th e victory would th e puzzling sense of fam iliarity so
j be no victory a t all. So he talked to w rought upon him th a t he tu rn ed hi*
her, sternly, w ithout m incing of words, atten tio n to th e discovery of her Iden-
and in itiated her Into th e w eaknesses tlty. M alem ute Kid m ight have aid
of his own sex, till she cam e to un ed him instead of occasionally ta k in g
d e rstan d w h at sim pletons men were the “P rin cess'' fo r a few tu rn s a n d
a fte r all, and why the w ord of th eir talk in g earn estly to her in low to n es.
women w as law.
B n t It w as Ja c k H arrin g to n who p a id
A few days before T hanksgiving th e “R ussian P rin cess” th e m ost as
night, M alem ute Kid m ade another siduous c o u rt
Once he drew G*I
call on Mrs. E pplngw ell. She prom pt G albraith aside and hazarded w ild
ly overhauled h er fem inine fripperies, guesses as to w ho she w as. and ex
paid a p ro tracted visit to th e dry plained to him th a t h e w as going In)
goods d ep artm en t of th e P. C. com to win. T h is ran k led th e C ircle Cltyi
pany, nnd retu rn ed w ith the Kid to king, and he forgot both M adeline a n d
m ake M adeline’s acq uaintance. A fter F re d a tn th e new q u e s t
th a t cam e a period such as the cabin
It w as soon noised ab o u t th a t the*
had never seen before, and w hat w ith "R u ssian P rin cess” w a i not F red a Mo
cutting, and fitting, and basting, and loof. In te re st deepened. H ere w ee »
stitching, and num erous o th er w onder fresh enigm a.
T h ey knew ITredal
ful nnd unknow able things, th e m ale though th ey could not find her, b u t
co n sp irato rs w ere m ore often banish h ere w as som ebody they had fo u n d
ed th e prem ises th a n not.
At such and did not know . Even th e women!
tim es th e opera house opened Its dou could not place her, and th ey knew ev*
ble storm doors to them . So often ery good d an cer In th e cam p. Manyj
did they put th e ir h ead s to g eth er, and took h e r fo r one of th e official clique^,
so deeply did th ey d rin k to curious indulging tn a silly escapade. N ot a«
to asts, th a t th e loungers scented un few a sse rte d sh e w ould d isap p ear be
know n creeks o f Incalculable richness, fo re th e nnm asklng.
O thers were!
and It Is known th a t several che-cha- equally positive th a t she waa th e wom
q u as and a t least one old tim er kept an re p o rte r of th e K an sas City “ Sun.” !
th e ir stam peding p ack s sto red behind come to w rite them up a t n in ety d o l-
th e bar, ready to h it th e tra il a t a lara p e r colum n. A nd th e men a t the!
m om ent’s notice.
scales w orked busily.
Mrs. E pplngw ell w as a w om an of
A t one o’clock every couple took te!
ca p a c ity ; so, w hen she tu rn ed Made th e floor. T he u n m asking began amid!
line over to h er tra in e rs on T h an k s la u g h te r an d delight, like th a t o f care-'
giving night she w as so transform ed fre e children. T h e re w aa no end of|
th a t they w ere alm o st a fra id of her. oh’s and a h ’s as m ask a fte r m ask w as
P rin ce w rapped a H udson B ay blan k et lifted. T h e scin tilla tin g “A urora Bor-i
about h e r w ith a mock reverence m ore e alls” becam e th e braw ny negrea*
re a l th a n feigned, w hile M alem ute Kid w hose Income from w ashing th e com
w hose arm she had taken, found It a m u n ity ’s clothes ra n a t ab o u t five hun
severe tria l to resum e hls w onted men dred a m onth. T he tw in “ Sun D ogs”
torship. H arrin g to n , w ith th e list of discovered m u staches on th e ir u p p e r’
purchase still ru nning th rough hls lips, and w ere recognized a s b ro th e r
head, dragged along in th e rear, nor fractio n kings of E ldorado. In one of)
opened h is m outh once ail th e way th e m ost prom inent sets, and th e slow
down Into the tow n. W hen they came e st in uncovering, w as Cal G albraith,
to th e hack door of th e opera house w ith th e “S p irit o f th e Pole.” Oppo
they took the b lan k et from M adeline’s site him w as J a c k H a rrin g to n and th«i
shoulders and spread it on th e snow, “R ussian P rin cess.”
T h e rest had)
slipping out of P rin ce's moccasins, she discovered them selves, y et th e G reeki
stepped upon it In new satin slippers. d an cer w as still m issing.
All eyee
T he m asquerade w as a t its height. w ere upon th e group. Cal G albraith,.
She h esitated , but they Jerked open In response to th e ir cries, lifted lifif
th e door and shoved h e r In.
T hen p a rtn e r's niHsk.
F re d a 's w onderful
they ran nround to come in by the face an d h rlllln n t eyes flashed out u p
fro n t entrance.
on them . A ro a r w ent up. to be hu sh
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ed suddenly lu^tlie new a n d absorbing!
“W here Is F re d a ? ” th e old tim ers m ystery of th e “R u ssian Princes».”^
questioned, w hile th e ehe-cha-quas H e r face w as still hidden, and Jack)
w ere equally energetic in asking who H arrin g to n w as stru g g lin g w ith her.
F red a w as.
T h e ballroom buzzed T h e dan cers U ttered on th e tip to es o f
w ith her nam e. I t w as on everybody’s expectancy. H e crushed h e r dainty'
lips. G rizzled "sour-dough boya,” dny costum e roughly, and th e n —and th e n
laborers a t the m ines but proud of th e revelers exploded. T h e Joke wa»
th e ir degree, e ith e r p atronized the on them . They had danced all n ig h t
spruce-looking te n d e rfe e t and lied w ith a tabooed n ativ e w om an.
eloquently, th e “sour-dough hoys” be
B ut those th a t knew, and they w ere
ing specially cre a te d to toy w ith tru th , many, « eased ab ru p tly , an d a hush fell
o r gave them savage looks of indigna upon the room. Cal G alb raith cro ss
tion because of th e ir ignorance. P er ed over w ith g re a t strid es, angrily,
h ap s fo rty kings o f th e U pper and nnd spoke to M adeline in polyglot
Low er countries w ere on th e floor,
B ut she re tain ed her com
j each deem ing him self h o t on th e trail Chinook.
posure, ap p aren tly oblivious to th e
an d stu rd ily hacking hls Judgm ent fact th a t she w as th e cynosure o f all
w ith th e yellow d u st of th e realm. An eyes, nnd answ ered hint in English.
a s s is ta n t wns se n t to th e man a t the She show ed n eith er frig h t nor unger,
scales, upon whom had fallen th e b u r and M alem ute Kid chuckled nt her
• den of w eighing up th e sacks, while w ell-bred equanim ity. T he king felt
several of th e gam blers, w ith th e rules hurtled, d e fe a te d ; h ls common Siw ush
of chance a t th e ir finger ends, m ade w ife hnd passed beyon him.
j up allu rin g hooks on th e field and fa
’T o m e !” he said finally. “Come on
vorites.
home.” «
\
W hich wns F re d a ? T im e and again
‘‘I beg pardon,” she re p lie d ; “I have
| th e G reek d an cer w as th o u g h t to have a greed to go to su p p er w ith Mr. H ar
t been discovered, but each discovery rington. Besides, th e re ’s no end of
j b ro u g h t panic to th e b ettin g ring and d ances prom ised.”
a fra n tic reg isterin g of new w agers by
llu rrln g to n extended hls arm te
th o se who w ished to hedge.
Male lend h er nwny. H e evinced not th e
m ute Kid took an In terest In the hunt, slig h test disinclination to w ard show
h ls advent being hailed uproaricusly ing his back, hut M alem ute K id had
by th e revelers, who knew him to a by th is tim e edged in closer. T he C ir
m an. T h e Kid had a good eye for the cle C ity king w as stunned. T w ice hls
tric k of a step, an d e a r fo r th e lilt hand «Iropped to his belt, and tw ice
o f a voice, and p riv a te choice w as a th e Kid g ath ered him self to s p rin g ;
m arvelous c re a tu re w ho scin tillated h u t th e re tre a tin g couple passed safe
a s th e “A urora B orealis."
B ut th e ly through th e supper-room door,
j G reek d an cer w as too su b tle fo r even w here canned oy sters w ere spread a t
h ls pen etratio n . T he m ajo rity of the five d o llars th e plate.
T h e crow d
gold h u n ters seem ed to hav e centered sighed audibly, broke up Into couples,
th e ir verdict on the “R u ssian P rin and follow ed them .
F re d a pouted
cess,” w ho w as th e m ost graceful in and weDt In w ith Cal G a lb ra ith ; but
th e room, and hence could be no o th sh e had a good h e a rt and a snre
e r th a n F re d a Moloof.
tongue, and she spoiled hls oyster* for
D uring a q u ad rille a ro a r o f s a tis him . W hat sh e said Is o f no im por
factio n w ent up. 8he waa discovered. tance, b u t hls face w ent red end white.
A t previous balls. In th e figura “all
T h e supper room w ts filled w ith ■
h a n d s round,” F re d a had displayed an pandem onium of voices, w hich censed
in im itab le step and v ariatio n p ecu liar suddenly as Cal G alb raith stepped
ly h e r own. As th e figure w aa called, over to hls w ife’s table. Since the
th e “R u ssian P rin c e ss” gave the unm asking, considerable w eight* of
nnlque rhythm to limb and b o d y .. A d u st h ad been placed as to the out
chorus of I-told-you-so'e shook the come.
E verybody
w atch rd
with
squared roof beam s, w hen lo t It w as b re a th le ss I n te r e s t H arrin g to n ’s blue
| noticed th a t th e “A urora B orealis” eyes v r t steady, b u t under the over
! and a n o th e r m ask, th e “S p irit of the hanging fabieelotk the la te st in slx-
: Pole," w ere p erform ing th e sam e trick guns balanced on hls knees. Mr deline
equally well. And w hen tw o tw in looked up, C«.< '* " y . w ith little Interest
"S u n D ogs” and a “F ro s t Q ueen” fol-
"M ay— May I ave th e n ext round
lew ed s u i t a second a ss ista n t w aa d is d ln c e w ith y o u r ’ th e king stutter.*!.
p atch ed to th e aid o f th e a u n a t th e
T h e w ife of th e king glanced a t her
■cales.
c a rd an d Inclined h er head.
j aiyl with him w as also the patient