Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 12, 1905)
THE OREGON " SUNDAY JOURNAL, PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING." NOVEMBER 12.-160?. TO" B A N N E'Rl ?i5 L IvJ S Oi' The Great By JACK (Opvrlfht by Hectare. PsIlUpe Ca.) IO aay tho least Mrs. naymere career In Dawson wss meteoric. She arrived In tho spring, with don sleds and French-Canadian voyageura, biased gloriously for a brelf month, and departed up tho river as soon ae 11 Vl Limm v w Dawson never , quits nnderetood this .' . j , K- IaamI raur jiurnva UQw luii. - Hundred felt aggrieved and lonely till tho , Nome strike waa made and old aenae ' tions gave way to new. : ror It had de lighted in Mrs. nayinor, ana nm her wide-armed. She waa pretty, charm ' ' Ina and. moreover, a widow,. And bo- cause of this she at onoo had at neet k vi dm 1. 1 jteriMala any uunw, wi ai.uv.ww. and adventuring younger sons, whose . ears were yearning for tho frou-frou of a woman's skirts. The- mining engineers reverea ins memory of her huebsnd, tho late Colonel ' Sayther, while tho syndicate and pro moter representatives spoke awesomely of his deals and manipulations; for be WBB KHUWO wwu 111 u, mmmm mm m ' mining man, and aa even a greater one lit London. Why hla widow, of all women, should have come Into tho coun try, waa the great interrogation. But , ther were a practical breed, tho men . of the northland. with a wholesome dis regard for theories and a firm grip on facts. And to not a few of them Keren Bayther waa a most essential faot That she did not regard the matter In thla - light is evidenced by the neatness snd ' celerity with which refusal and proposal tallied off daring her four weeks' stay. the Interrogation remained.- To the solution, chance vouchsafed one clue. Her last victim,. Jack Coughran, having fruitlessly laid at her feet both his heart and (00-foot creek claim on . Bonanza, celebrated the misfortune by walking sll of a night with the gods. In the midwatch of thia night ho hap- ; pened to rub shoulders with Pierre Fan . taine, none other than head man of Karen Sayther's voyageura. Thia rubbing of shoulders led to recognition and drinks, and ultimately Involved both men in a common muddle of Inebriety. , ,-Hehr Pierre Fontaine later on gurgled thickly. -o for Madame Sayther mak visitation to thees coun try? . More, batter .you splk wit ar I know not'ing 'tall, only all de tarn her ask one. man's name. "Pierre," her splk wit me; "Pierre, you moos find thees mans, and I glf yon mooch 11.000 yon , find thees mans." Thees ,mansT Ah. t ouL Thees man'a name rot yon call Taveit Pirn. OnL m'aleur. Daveed 7 Payne, " All do tarn her splk das name. And all de tara I look ronnt valre mooch, work lak hell, but no oan find nan dam mans, and no get f 1.000 'tall. By dam! "HehT Ah, oul. One tam dose, mens ot corns from- Circle City, does mono ' know theeg mans. "Him Blroh creek, dey splk. And madams? Her say Bonf and loos niuDT iu inn inc. ana mr idik wit me. "Pierre,' her splk. "harness de aogs. we go queea. we Iina xnena mans I glf you IM00 more.' And I aay, ' "Oul, queekl AUona, madameT - "For sure. I fink, daa 11.000 mine. Bully boy! Den more mens come from Circle City, and dey say no, daa thees mane. Parsed Payne, come Dawaon leel uiiii iwvft. dq mwm ana uui uui. "Out m'elenr. - Thees day madams splk. "Pierre." ber splk. and glf ma $400. go buy pollng-boat Tomorrow wa go up de liver.' Ah; out tomorrow, p oe river, and daa dam Sitka Charley mak n. -.aM .. MH...VI IIAA Ta H Thua it waa, when Jack Coughran un burdened himself next day, that Dawson . fell to wondering who waa this David fayne, ana in wnat way nia existence por upon urvii ujmir e. nui inai very day, as Pierre Fontaine had aaid. Mrs. Sayther and her barbaric crew of voyageura towed np tho east bank' to Klondike City, ahot across to tho west bank to eseapa tho bluffs and disap peared amid tha mass of Islands to the south. , - i w..l -. - . i . t , 1 .. & n -a .r.. i.i.. ..in ,i.- Thees is free Island.' 71 As he spoke, Pierre Fontaine drove Ms pole against ths bank and held the ,- stern of the boat against the current. This thrust the bow In, till a, nimble half-breed climbed ashore with the painter and made fast. i "One leel tarn, madams. I go look A chorus of dors marked his disap pearance orer the edge of the bank, but a minute later he was back imln. "Out mi flame, thees la de cabin. I . mak investlgstion. No can find mans at home. But him no go valre far, valre Ions;, or him no leave dots. Him com queek, you bet!- , .. "IJ-T a ... tolMA . T. 4I--.I .11 over from the boat Tou might hare made It softer, you know. From a neet-of furs amidships, Karen Sayther rose to her full height of slen der fairness. But If she looked 111 jr . frail in her elemental environment, she was boiled by the grip she put upon Pierre's hand, by the knotting of her wiiiai, vivmym mm . . tiiv. WIW wii,i i - i .i . - . - . , i pur utiuy, or ini piwnaia vuun at 'tier limbs as they held her out from the perpendicular bank while she made the ascent. Though - shapely flesh clothed delicate frame, her body was a seat of . strenstb. " ' Still, for all the careless ease with which she 'had made the landing, there, was a warmer color than usual to her face, and a perceptibly extra beat to her heart' But then, also. It was with a certain rererent curlouenees that aha , approach! the cabin, while the flush on - her cheek showed a yet riper mellow- "Look. Beet Pierre pointed to thsK scattered chips ly the woodpl1, "Him fresh two free day, no more." Mr. Sayther nodded. She "tried ta peer through the email window, bu It was made of greased parchment, which admitted light while it blocked vision. : Fsllln this, aha went round to the door, half lifted the rude latch to enter, but changed her mind and let It fall back Into place. Then she auddenly dropped on one knee and kissed, the rough-hewn threshold.- If Pierre Fontaine saw, he gave no rtgn and the memory In the time to come was never shared. But the next Instant one of the boatmen, placidly lighting hi pipe, was startled by an unwonted harshness In bis. cap taints voice. "Hey! Tou!' Le Oolre! You tnake'm ntt more better," Pierre commanded. "Plenty bear akin; - plenty s blanket lsm" Hut the nest was soon after disrupted and the major portion tossed up to the rreat of the shore, where lira. Sayther lay down to wait In comfort. Reclining on her elds, she looked out and over be v. Ide-atrtching Yukon, Abort Uie Inteiroaat ion i. LONDON ' mountains which lay beyond the farther shore the sky- was murky with the amoke oi unseen '. forest Area, and through thla the afternoon sun broke feebly,' throwing a vague radlanoe to earth and unreal shadows. To the sky line of the four Quarters soruoe- shrouded islands, dark waters and Ice- aoarrea rocsy riagee sirecanea uie im maculate wilderness. No sign of hu man existence broke, the solitude; no sound tbs stillness. . There ait seemed bound; under the unreality of the 'un known, wrapped in the brooding mys tery of great space. - Perhaps It was this which mad lira. Sayther nervous for aha changed ber position constantly, now ' to look up the river, now down, or to scan the gloomy shores for the half-hidden mouths of back channels. Aften aa hour or so the boatmen were sent ashore to pitch eamp for the night but Pierre remained with hla mlatresa to watch, "Aa! him come thees asm," he whis pered, after a long alienee, hla gase bent up the river to- the head of the Island. T A canoe, with a paddle flashing on either side, waa slipping down the cur rent. In the stern a man a form, and In the bow a woman's, swung rhythmically to the work..... Mrs. Sayther bad no area for the woman tin the oanoe drove In closer and her blaarre beauty peremp torily demanded notice. A close-fitting blouse of mooseskln. fantastically beaded. ouUined faithfully the , well- rounded Unoa of her body, while silken kerchief, gay of color and picturesquely draped, partly covered great masses of blue-black hair. But tt was the face, cast belike In copper bronse, which caught and held Mrs. Sayther" s fleeting glance Eves, piercing and black and large, with a traditionary hint of ob liqueness, looked forth from under clear stenciled, clean -arching brows. Without suggesting eadaverousnesa, though high boned and prominent the oheeka fell away and met' in a mouth, " tbln-llpped and softly strong. . It waa a face which advertised the dimmest trace of anclant Mongol blood, a reversion, after long oenturtea of wandering, - to tha parent stem. This effect waa heightened by tha delicately aquiline nose - with Its thin trembling nostrils, and by tha gen eral ale of sag! wlldness which Seemed to characterise not -only tha face but tho creature herself. - She waa. In fact the Tartar type modified to idealisation. and tho tribe of rod Indian la lucky that breeds guch.a. unique body onoo In a score of generations. . Dipping long atrokea and atrong, tha girl, in concert 'with the man, suddenly whirled tha tiny craft about against tho current, and brought it gently to tho shore. Another instant and aha stood at. the top of the bank, heaving up by rope, hand under band, - a .quarter - of rresn-amea moose, men tne man 101- lowed her, and together, - with a awlft rush, they drewup the canoe. The dogs were In a whining mass about them, and as the girl girl stooped amongst them caressingly, the man'a gase foil upon Mrs. Sayther, who had arisen. He looked, brushed - his eyes unconsciously aa though, hla sight were deceiving him, and looked again. .-- "Karen," he aaid Simply, coming for ward and extending his hand, "I thought for tho moment I waa dreaming. I went anow-blind for a time this spring, and since then my eyes have been playing tricks with me. , Mrs, Sayther. whose flush had deep ened and whose heart waa aurglng pain fully, bad been prepared for almoat anything aavo thla coolly extended hand; but she tactfully curbed herself and grasped it heartily with her own. "Ton know, Dave, I threatened often to come, and I would have, too, only-only- . , "Only I didn't "give tho word." Da vld Payne laughed and watched tha In dian girl disappearing Into the cabin. -on, i understand. Dave, and had 1 !bn ,n rour PlaceIdmotTuOIlljrtAn4 I os thlak ski anfiud by tt "avw uono ins same, bui l novo eome "Then come a little bit farther, Into tho cabin and get something to eat' ha aaid genially, ignoring or missing the feminine suggestion of appeal in her voice. "And you must be tired, too. Which way are you traveling? . Upt Then yon wintered In Dawson, or came In on tho Ice. "Your camp? He glanced at the voyageura circled about tha fire In the open, and held back the door for her jfoCenter. . "1 came UD on the Ice from Circle City last winter," ha continued, "and set tled down hero for while.- Am pros pecting some on Henderson creek, and. If that falls, have been thinking of trying my hand thla fall up tho Stewart river." ... . .: "Tou aren't changed much, are you?" she asked Irrelevantly, atrlvlng to throw the conversation npon 0 mora persona) basis. .-. ,1' . "A' little lees flesh, 'perhaps, and a little more muscle. How did you mean?" But she shrugged her shoulders and peered through tho dim light at tha In dian girt who bad .lighted the fire and was frying great chunks of moose meat alternated with thin ribbons of bacon. "Did yon stop in Dswson long?" The men waa whittling a stars of birchwood Into a rude ax handle, and asked the question without raising his head.' Oh. a few days." she answered, fol lowing tho girl with her eyea, and hardly heering. "What were1 you aaylng? In Dawson? , A month. In fact, and glad to get away. The Arctic mala Is elemental. you know and somewhat strenuous tn -Bound to 'Bound to be when ho gets right down to tbs solL He leaves convention with tho spring bed at home. But you were wise In your choice of time for leaving. Tou'll be out- of the country before mosquito season, which Is a blessing rour lack of experience will not permit you to appreclsto. - " "I suppose not. But tell mo shout yourself, about your life. What kind of neighbors have you? Or have you any?" While she queried, sha watched the girl grinding coffee la the comer of a flower sack' upon ths hearthstone. With a stesdinees -and skill, which pre dicted nervee ss primitive aa tha mevUod. she crushed tha Imprisoned berries with a heavy fragment of quarts. David Payne- noted his visitor's gase, and the shadow of a em lie drifted over his lips. "I did hsvo some,' he replied. "Mis aooiian chape, and a couple of Cornish men, but they went down to Eldorado to work at wagss for a grubstake." Mrs. Sayther east a look of speculative regard upon ths girt . "But ef course, there are plenty of Indians sboutt" "Every mother" a in of them down ta Dawaon long-ago. Not native la tho fiw . mvwmi i,. Tin 7 ' 1 - - f Vt Jmt whole country, barring Wlnaple hero, gad she'a a Kookuk lass comes from a thousand miles or bo down tho river." ' Mrs. Sayther felt auddenly faint; and, though the emits of interest la no wise waned, the face of .tha ma a seemed-to draw away to a telescopic distance, and the tiered logo of tha cabin to whirl drunksnly about But oho waa bidden draw np to tho table, and during ths meal discovered time and apace in which to find herself. She talked little, and that principally about '. tho land and weather, while tho man wandered off Into a long description of tho difference between tho shallow summer diggings of tha lower country and the deep win ter diggings of tho npper country. - "Tou do not ask why I came north Tr she asked. "Surely, you know." They had moved back from the table, and David Payne had returned to hla handle. "Did yon get my letter?" "A last one? No. I don't think so. Moat probably It's trailing around tha Birch creek country or lying In some trader's shack on the lower river. The way they run the mails in here Is shame ful. No order, no system, no . "Dont bo wooden, Dave! Help met1 She spoke aharply now, with an assump tion of authority whlah rested upon the past . "Why don t you ask ma about my self? About those wo knew In the old times? Have you no longer any Inter est in tha world? Do you know that my husband la dead?" ."Indeed. I am sorry. How long" "David!" She was ready to cry with vexation, but tha reproach aha threw Into her voice oaaed her. "Did yon get any of my letters T Tou must have got some . of - tnem, tnougn you never answered." . "Well. I didn't get tho last one, an nouncing, evidently, tho death of your husband, and most likely others went astray; but I did get some. I eri-read them aloud to Wlnaple td a warning that la, you know, to Imprera upon her the wickedness of her white slaters. Don't you?" She disregarded the sting, and went on. "In the last letter, which you. did not receive, I told, as you have gueased, of Colonel Sayther's death. That was a rear ago. I also Bald that if yon did not oome out to me, I would go In to you. And, aa I had often promised, I came." "I know of no promise." "In the earlier letters?" " "Yes, you promised, but as I neither asked nor answered. It waa unratified. So I do not know ot any such promise. But I do know ef anothsr. which you. too, may remember. It wss very long sgo." Ho dropped tho ax handle to the floor and raised hla head. "It was so vsry long ago, yet I remember it dis tinctly, tho day, tho time, every de tail. We wore in a rose garden, you and I your mother's rose garden, All things were budding, blossoming, and tho sap of spring waa in our blood. And I drew you over it waa tho first and klseed yon full on tha Jipa. Don't yon remember?" "Don't go over It Dave, . don't! -1 know every shameful line' of it How often have I wept! If yon only know how I have auf fared " "Tou promised me then ay, and a thousand times In the swet days that followed. .Each look of your eyes, each touch of your hand, each ayllabla that fell from your lips, was a promise. And then how shall I say? there came a man. He was old old enough to have begotten you and not nice to look up on, but aa ths world goes, clean. He had done no wrong, followed the letter of. the law, was respectable. Further, nd to the -point, ho possessed some several paltry mines a scors; it does not mattsr; and ha owned a few miles of lands, and engineered deala, and clipped coupons. - He" .- -" 'But there were other things," she Interrupted, "I . told you. -TFressurs money matters want my" - people- trouble. Tou understood the whole sor did situation. I could not help it It waa hot my wilt I was sacrificed, or I sacrificed, have It aa you wish. Bat my Ood! Dare, I gavo yon apt--Tou never did mo justice.. Think what I have gone through!" JeA,. It waa not your will? Pressure? Under high heaven there was nothing to win you to thla man's bed or that." "But I cared for you all the time," she pleaded. "I waa unused to your way of measuring love. I am still un used I do not understand." "Wa were speaking ef thlrf msnv you saw fit to marry. What manner of man waa he? Wherein did he charm your soul? - What potent virtues were his? True, he had a golden grip an al mighty golden- grip. He knew the odda. He wao versed In cent per' cent. I Ho had a narrow wit and excellent ' m r m it tlj, ' i! Lit h ' AS life 0m " 4iMfJM ix 5r! I h - ni w' .ij 9 a. Judgment Of the viler porta, whereby ho transferred thla man'a money to his pockets, and' that man's money, and tho next man'a. And tho law amtled. In that tt did not condemn, our Chris tlanthlce approved. By social meas ure ho waa not a bad man. . But by your measure, Karon, by mine, by ours ot tho rose garden, what wao he?" "Remember, ho la dead." "Tho fact Is not altered thereby. What .was ho? A great, gross material creature, deaf to song, blind to beauty; dead to tho spirit Ho waa-fat with laslness, - and - flabby-cheeked, and 'the round of his belly wltneased his glut tony" . .-. 7'- "But he la dead. " It la we who are now now I now! . Don't you. hear? As yon aay,-1 nave- been Inconstant I have sinned. Good. But should not you, too, cry peecavl? If I have broken promises, have not youT Tour love of mo rose garden waa or ail time, or oo you aaid. Where la it now?" "It Is here! now!" he crledT striking his breast passionately with clenched band. "It haa always been." "And . your ' love waa a great love; there waa none greater," she continued; "or so yon said In the rose garden. ' Tet it la not enough, large enough, to for give mo here, crying at your feet?" Tho man hesitated. HI mouth opened: worda shaped vainly on hla Hps. .She had forced him to bare his heart and speak truths which ho had hidden from himself. And sho waa good to looi upon, standing there In a glory of pas slon, calling back old associations-and warmer life. He turned away his head that ho might not see, but she paaaod around and fronted him. - - "Look at me, Dave! Look at mo! I am tha same after aU. AMU mw yvu if you would but see. We are not changed." Her band rested on his shoulder, and his had half passsd, roughly, shout her. wHan 1 HIM MMrcr'ackfe o? "a""mltch startled him to himself. Wlnaple. alien to the scene, waa lighting the alow wick of the slush lamp. She appeared to atart out against a background of utter black, and the flame, flaring suddenly up, lighted her bronse beauty to royal goia. "You see, it is Impossible." he groaned, thrusting the fair-haired woman, gently from him. "It la Impossible," ho re peated. "It la impossible." "I am not a "girt Dave, with a girl's illusions,", she aaid aoftly. though not daring to come back to him. "It la as a woman that I understand. Men are men. A common custom of tho country. I am not shocked. - I divined It from the first. But ahl It is only a marriage of the country not a real marriage." "Wo do not ask such questions" In Alaska," ho interposed feebly, . -. I know, but"' . 'Well, then, it Is- only a marriage of tho country nothing else." "And there aro no children?" - , "No." ' '..' Nor;' . J". ? - - "No, no: nothing; but Is Is impos sible." , "But it Is not." Shs waa at hla aids again, her hand touching lightly, ca ressingly, tlie sunburned back of his. "I know tho custom of tho land too well. Men do tt every day. ' They do not care to remain hero, ahut out from the world, for alt their days; oo they give an order on the P. C. C. company for a year's provisions, soms money in hand, and tha girl is content Br tho end of that time. a man" She shrugged her shoulders. 'And oo with ths girl here. We will give her an order on the company, not for a yoar, but for Ufa. What waa ah when you found her? A raw, meat-eating aavage; flahr tn summsr, moose In winter, feasting in plenty, tarring in famine, But for you that' la what ahe would have remained. For -your com Ing ahe waa" happier; Tor your going, surely with a life of comparative splen dor sssured, she will bo happier than If you had never. bn." w, no," no protested. "It la not right" ,- r 1 ' , . "Come, Dave, yon must sea. She la not your kind. There Is no rscs affin ity. She la an aborigine, sprung from tho soli, yet close to the soil, and Im possible to lift from tho soil. . Born aav age, savage aha will die. But we you and I tha dominant evolved race tho salt of the earth and tho masters there of! We are made for each other. The supreme cell is of kind, and wa aro of kind. Reason and feeling dictate It Tour very instinct demands It That you cannot deny. You cannot escape tho generations behind you. Tours Is an ancestry which, has survived for a ' ef C 2r Jv til. '"A ' Tl.NiL'SJ . ' 51 WiU Not( Giv Yoa 'WW v " Up! I Wai Not Give You lVvf V thousand eenturlea, and for a hundred thousand centuries, and your lino muat not stop here. It cannot Tour ances try will not. permit It Instlnot la stronger than tho . wilt The race la mightier than you. Come, Dave, let' us go. " We are young , yet and ' life is good. , Come." Wlnaple, passing out of tho cabin to feed tho dogs, caught hla attention and caused him. to shako hla head and weakly reiterate. But the woman's hand slipped about hla neck and her cheeks pressed to his. - Hla bleak life rose up and ' amote him tho vain struggle with pitiless forces j the dreary years of frost and - famine; tho harsh and jarring oontact with elemental life: the aching void which mere animal existence could not AIL And there, se duction by his side, whispering of brighter, warmer lands, of music, light and joy, called the old times back again. Hs visited it unconsciously Faces rushed in upon him; glimpses of forgotten scenes, memories of merry houro; strains of song and trills of laughter "Come, Dave, eome. I -have for both. The way la gvft" Sho luuked1 nuuur llPf at tha baro furnishings of tho cabin. "I have for both. The world la at our feet and all Joy is ours. Come! cornel ' She was in his arms, trembling, and ho held her tightly. Ho rose to his feet But the snarling of hungry . doga and tho - shrill cries of Wlnapie bringing about peace between the combatants cams muffled to hla ear through the heavy logs. And another scene flashed before him. A struggle in tho forest a bald-face grlssly, broken-legged, terrible; tho snarling of tho doga and tha shrill cries of Wlnaple aa aho urged them to tho attack; himself-In tho midst of tho crush, breath- leas, panting, striving to hold off red death; broken-backed, " entrall-rlpped doga howling In Impotent an guish and desecrating ths snow; the virgin white running scaiist wlth tho blood of man and beast; tha bear, fero cious. Irresistible, crunohing, crunching down to the core of his Mfe; and Wlnaple, t the last in the thick of the frightful muddle, hair flying, ayes flashing, fury Incarnate, . passing ths long hyntlng knife, again and again sweat started to hla forehead. He shook off the clinging woman and staggered back to tho wall. - And- shs. knowing that tha moment had eome, but una hla to divine what waa passing with in him, felt all shs had gained slipping away. ' - ' "Davs! Davel" she cried. "Ijsill not ?lve you np! I will not glve'you upt f you do not wish to come,' we will stay. I will stay with you. The world la less to ms than you are.' I will be a northland wife to you. I will cook your rood, reed your aogs, break trail for you, lift m paddle with you, 1 can do It Believe mo. ! am strong." and holding her from him; but his faco had grown stern and gray, and the warmth had died out of his eyes. "I will Pr off Pierre and the boat men and let them go, And I will stay with you, prisst or no priest mlnlstsr or no minister; go with you, now, any where! . Davel ' Davel Listen to me! Tou aay I did wrong In tho past an 4 I did let mo make up for It 1st ms atone. Jf I did not rightly measure lovo before, let mo show that I can now." .-. . Sho sank to tho floor and throw her arma. about bis knoea. sobbing. "And you do care for me. Tou do care for me. Think! -The long years I .have waited, ufferedt Tou can never know!" Ho stooped and raised hsr to her fset -"Listen!" ho commanded, opening tho door and lifting hsr bodily outside. "It cannot bo. - We aro not alone to bo con sidered. Tou must go. I wish you a safs Journey;' You will find It tougher work when you get up by the Sixty Mllo. but you have -the best boatman In-the I i 1 k p, i' i world, and will get through, all right Will you say good-bye. . Though sho already had herself tn hand, ahe looked at hire hopelessly. "If If If Wlnaple should" Sho qua vered and atopped. But he grasped tho unspoken thought and answered, "Tea." Then struck with the enormity of it "It cannot be con ceived. There la no likelihood. It muat not bo entertained." ' "Kiss me," she whispered, her face lighting. - Then - she turned and went away. "Break eamp, Pierre," aho aaid to tha boatman, who alone had remained awake against her xeturn. : "Wo anat bo going.",-" r -,-r- By the firelight , his sharp ayes scanned tho woo In her face, but be re Where Women -H H It ,'f ,;. . ,; N taking trips on foot through tha -. mountains of Europe, ladies, to in creaae their freedom of motion and minimise the dangera on narrow I trails, frequently wear ooatumes amas lng!y like those worn by tho mala guides; .Tho tourist in t&"AIpe sees nothing conspicuous in this get-up. ' One tho valley is reached, however, these women speedily don their skirt , Among tho native women, however, trousers play an entirely different role. These women work tn tho fields to a great extent. ' They have long appre ciated tho fact that the length and full ness of a woman'a skirt form a de cided hindrance to their movements when work has to be done In, deep, dewy grass, or cattls followed over ateep paths, or tho necessary duties attended to in closely peeked stalls. In the hilly country districts of tho Canton of Va lols, in Oerman Wallls, the women wear a peculiar kind of knickerbockers to en able them to climb the mountains and go after their missing goats. The so- called "tennerln," or milkmaids, living up on tha Alps with tho cows, during the summer, and making cheeae, wear the earns habiliment but only for con venience. Even in the foothill of the npper Bavarian mountains- art occasional Pecu liar looking, manly form may be aeen busily engaged, proving on nearer in spection to bo a woman who haa donned trousers for greater aohvenlenoe rn working, though sho has therebv'.thrust her aesthstle sense far tn tha back ground. A field worker would, by ber appearance, hardly attract tho least exacting of men, although sho msy not necessarily be ugly. Such an apparition 111 - completely nonplus the city man on whone astonished gase it bursts for ine iirsi lime. - women in inn amra are also met With along tho shores of the mountain lakes, for work in tho high roads or on swampy , ground Is ren dered znuob. easier by this costume. 'i'o the. rural adorer her toilet Is by nd means repellent- shs is svery bit -aa attractive to him In her awkward garb as tn all tho glory of her Swiss Sunday best, - .'. To tho herdswoman tolling high np in the Alps trousers have become truly an Indispensable article of clothing. Their. duties aro aunh that skirts would provs to bo a real obstacle to them; and they soon lesrn to feel perfectly at home in boys' clothoa. - The Alpine visitor, who to served by an exceptionally pretty and youthful - hordswoman.. Is vsry spt to hsvo bis rdor dampened. If, after a short absence, sho suddenly appesra in this unique apparel Instead of the usual costume of tho country In which she first greeted his eyes. In ths Tyrolean Alps women are ooeaalonally met with wh. have gono'so far aa to wear the local short trousers of tho mountaineers, il Si 1 ceived tho extraordinary command as though tt were tho .most usual thing in. the world. -"Olil, tnadame," he as seated "Which way?, Dawson H. "No." she anewered, lightly enough; npi out; Dyea," v , Whereat he fell upon the Bleeping voyageura. kicking them, grunting, from -thslr blankets, and buckling them down, , to tho work, the while his voice vt- , brant with action, shrilling through-rill the eamp. In a trloo Mre. Sayther's tiny tent had been struck, pots and pans . ' were belng gathered up, blanket rolled, . and tho men staggering under the loads to tha boat Here, on the banks, Mrs. Sayther waited until the luggage waa made ahlpshapa and her neat prepared. "Wa lino up to de head of de island." Pierre explained to her while running out tho long towrope.- "Den wo tak to daa back channel, where, de water not queek. and I t'ink wo mak good tara." souffllng and pattartng of feet in the laat year's dry grass eaught his quick oar, and ha turned hla head. The " Indian girl. lroled by a bristling rln of wolf dogs, was coming toward them. Mrs. Sayther noted that, tha girl's face, which had been Opatbetlo throughout' the scene In tho cabin, had now qulok oned Into biasing and wrathful life. , "What yon do. my man?" ahe de manded abruptly of Mra. Sayther. "Him lay on bunk, and him look bad all tho time. I aay, "What the matter, Dave? Yon elckT" But him no aay nothing. ' After that him aay. "Good girl, Wlnaple, go way. I be all. right -blmeby.' What you do my man. eh? I think yon bad woman." ' : ' Mrs.' Sayther looked curiously at the' barbarian woman who shared tha life -of this man, while aho departed alone la the darkness of tha night -"I think you bad woman." . Wlnaple repeated In tho alow, methodical way of one Who gropea, for strange worda in an alien tongue. "I think better you . go way. no como no more. Eh? What ' you think? X have one man, I Indian glrL - - Yon 'M erica n - woman. ' You good to see. Ton find pjenty men. Your oyeo blue Ilka the sky. ' Your skin so white, so soft r - Coolly sho thrust out a brown fore finger and pressed the soft cheek of ' tho other woman. And to tho eternal credit of Karen Sayther, aha i never flinched. Pierre hesitated and half stepped forward, but she motioned hint away, though her heart welled to him with secret gratitude. "It " all right . Pierre, ""-she aaid. - "Please go away." Ho atopped back respectfully out of earshot where ho wtood,-wrnmbTIng"to" himself and measuring ths distance In apringe. t "Urn white, um eoft. like baby" Wlnaple touched tho other cheek and withdrew her hand. "Blmeby moaqulto coma. Skin get sore in spot; um owell, oh, so big; -urn hurt, oh, so much. Plenty mosquito; plsnty spot - I think better -you go now before mosquito come. This way.rpolntlng down the stream, "you . go St MlchaeH that H way." pointing up, "you go Dyea. Bet ter yon go Dyea. oood-bya." - And that which Mra. Sayther then did oaused Pterre-to marvel - greatly.- For aho threw her anna around the In dian girl, klased.ber, and burnt Into tears. . . .. "Be good to him," oho cried. "Be good to him." ; t Then aho slipped half down tho faco of the bank, called back "Good-bye." and dropped Into tha boat amidships. fisrre followed her and cast off. . Ho shoved tho steering osr Into place and gavo tho algnal. Lo Oolre lifted an old French chanson;- tho men. like a row of ghosts In - tho- dim starlight bent their backa to the tow lino; tho steer ing oar cut tha black current aharply,. and tho boat awept out Into tho night "An Ingenue -of the Slerraa. by: Bret Hart, ta next in Tho Journal's banner eerlee of short stories.) -r Wear Trousers whictfr-iogetber with tbo bodice and tha little round straw hat. are at times very becoming. T.lnai. tivmaera era alaft eommnn in this district These aro shortened to the "knee, while of course wool stock ings servo ' the same purposs aa the trouaer legs. This costume haa proved eminently practical for milking, for the herdswoman who muat do her work , balancing herself on a one-legged stool -with a milk pall between her kneea has In this way assured herself tho greatest , esse of movement . - - - When ths summer season has passed and all work tn the fields ceases and the cattle have been, driven to tho valleys, no mountain girl would dream of show ing herself in trousers. After the work--lng time Is over sho would appear Just a conspicuous and contrary to custom to the villagers as to us. If there 1 any woman then who haa tha privilege of going about in trousers It js tho old messenger,- .who makes trips from farm to -firm, from hamlet to hamlet to supply ' the bousswlves with odds and ends, for the sake of which It Is not worth whlls " to make the trip to village or city merchant For a trifle, which Is con siderably lees than either mall or freight -charges, - ths messenger collect the various articles ordered and then carries . them up tho mountains In spite of winter storm and snows. It I not difficult to ' understand that this woman should have " adopted trousers, which sha supplements . with thick woolen gaiters, for a woman wading through thick snowdrifts , and carrying a heavy load In addition can not be bothered holding np her skirt, especially alnco ahe needs both umbrella and slpenatock either or both being In constant use. After all, !t must be ad mitted that In certain cases tho sex Is entirely justified In wearing trousers as working clothes; but Ideas of emancipa tion aro never dreamed of. It never enters the head of ona of these women to have her hair out Ilk a man's, for she has a woman's heart and soul snd ha no desire to bo or seem anything , --- In othsr places, too. thsre are to be found woman w wear costumes for tho convenience ef their calling, oven for the exlgencleo of their existence. Tho strong, " stout, stalwart flshsrwoman of the lelsnd ' of Marken, off tho coast of Holland, and about an hour from Amsterdam, wear pants. They aro honest' homely bodies, ' and they wilt stand and converse with a male stranger, selling their fish, without sn Idea of impropriety and without the faintest 'trace of hesitancy In their man- ' ner. In Russia ther Is a fir brigade of th finest snd prettiest ladles ot ths town who always wear psnts whsn at work at a tire. In met, the trousers form an ' Important part -of-ThW "Uniform, and a useful part, to Judge from the alacrity with which they get to a fire, unhook? their ladders, rata them to the burning auuaing ana run up and down them.