Copyright, 1914, by
"Nothing, except that Tie's thtTonly
one. that hasn't caught the scurvy.
And why bnsn't he caught the scurvy?
I'll tell you. No, I won't And what
would bare been the use? Don't 1
know? I'm not a fool. Our caches
are Oiled with every kind of fruit
Juice and preserved vegetables. We
nro better situated thun any other
camp In Alaska to flght scurvy. There
Is no prepared vegetable, fruit and
nut food we haven't, and In plenty,''
"She's got you there. Smoke," Shorty
exulted. "An' It's a condition, not a
theory. You any vegetables cure.
Here's the vegetables, au' where' the
cure?"
"There' no explanation I can see,"
Smoke acknowledged. "Yet there Is
no rauip In Alaska like tlilH. I've, seen
Hcorvy a sprinkling of cases here and
(here but I never saw a whole camp
with It, uor did 1 ever see hiicIi terri
ble cases, which Is neither here nor
there, Shorty. We've got to do what
we can for these people, but Hint we've
not to make enmp ami take care of the
dogs. We'll see you In the morning
er-Mrs. filbley."
"Alius Sibley," she bridled. "And
now, young man, If you 'come fooling'
Around this rubln with any doctor stuff
I'll Ult you full of bird shot."
Next morning, after daylight, Smoke
cncouiiterod a man carrying a heavy
sled loud of firewood. He was a little
man, clean looking and spry, who walk
ed briskly despite the load. Smoke ex
perienced an Immediate dislike.
"What's tho matter with your' ho
suited
"Nothing," tho lit Do man answered.
"I know that," Smoke said. "Thai's
why I asked yon. You'ro Amos Went
worth. Now, why under the sun
haven't you the scurvy like all the
rest?"
"llecauso I've exorcised," came tho
quick reply. "There wasn't any need
for any of them to get It If they'd only
got out and done something. What
Old ttioy do? drowled and kicked and
grouched at the cold, the long nights,
the hardships, the aches and palua anil
everything else, They loafeil In tlielr
beds until they swelled up and couldn't
leave them, that's all. Look at mo.
I've worked. Come Into my cabin."
Smoko followed blin In.
"Squint around. Clean as whistle,
rh? You bet, Everything shipshape.
1 wouldn't keep those chips and shav.
Ings on the floor except for the warmth,
but they're clean chips and shavings.
You ought to see the Hour In some of
the shacks. Pigpens. As for tuu, 1
SupoorUd by 8tick In Eifti.r Hand,
Bit Had Pnui.it In Hobbl.nj by Hi
Csbin,
haven't eaten incut off au unwashed
dUli No, air. It mount work, and
l v worked, unit I haven't the scurvy."
"You've hit the mill on Ilia bead,"
Smoke admitted, "lint I see you've
only one bunk. Why so unsociable?"
"Because I like to be. It's easier to
clean up for one than two, Hint's why.
The lny blanket loarorsl Do you think
that I could huv stood one around?
No wonder they got scurvy."
It was very convincing, but Smoke
could not rid tilmtolf of hi dislike of
the man.
"What's Laura Sibley got It lu for
you fur?" ho asked abruptly,
Aiuos Weutworth shot a quick look
t tiliu. "Klic's a crank," was the re
ply. "So are we ill cranks, for that
matter. Hut heaven save me from the
crank that wou't wsab (he dishes that
he eats off of. and that's what this
crowd of cranks ar like."
A few minutes later Smoke was talk-
N
the Whtslsr Syndicate.
Ing with Laurn Sibley. Supported by
a stick In cither hand, she bad paused
In hobbling by his cabin,
"What have you got It In for Went-
worth for?" be asked with a sudden
ness that caught her off her guard.
Her green eyes flashed bitterly and
ber sore lips writhed on the verge of
1 unconsidered speech. Hut only a splut
ter of gasping, nnlntclllglblo sounds Is
sued forth, and then, by a terrible ef
fort, alio controlled herself.
"ijecause bo's healthy," she panted;
"because he hasn't tho scurvy; because
ho Is supremely selfl.su; because be
won't lift a baud to help anybody else;
because he Is letting us rot and die
without lifting a linger to fetch as a
pull of water or a load of Urewood.
That's tho kind of a brute he Is."
Still panting and gasping, she bob
bled on her way, and five minutes
afterward, coming out of tho cabin to
feed the dogs, Smoke saw ber entering
Amos Wentworth's cabin,
"Something rotten here. Shorty,
aomethlug rotten," be said, shaking his
head. "We've got to make thorn bustle.
First thing they'll have to bury their
dead. Tho strongest for the burial
squad, then the next strongest on the
firewood squad (they've been lying In
their blnnkets to save wood), and so
on down tho line. And spruce tea.
Mustn't forget that AU the sour
doughs swear by It These people
huvo never even beard of It"
"We sure got ouru cut out for us,"
8horty grinned, "First thing we know
we'll be full of lend."
"And that's our first job," Smoke
said.
In the next hour each of the twenty
oild cabins was raided, All ammuni
tion and every rifle, shotgun and re
volver was confiscated.
'Come on, you Invalids," was Shor
ty' method. "Shootlu' Irons fork; 'em
over. Wo need 'em."
"Who says so?" waa the query at
the flrnt cabin.
"Two doctors from Dawson," was
Shorty' answor. "An' what they say
goes. Como on. Shell out ammuni
tion too."
"What do you want them for?"
"To stand oft a war party of conned
beef comln' down tho canyon. And
I'm glvln' you fair warnlu' of a spruce
tea invasion. Come across,"
CHAPTER XVIII.
"Five Hundrtd Dollars a Potato,"
KItSlJADlNQ. bullying, and. at
times, by muln strength, men
were drugged from their bunks
uud forced to dress. Smoke
selected the mildest enses for the bur
lul squud. Another squad wus told
olT to supply the wood by which the
graves were bumed down lulu the fro
xen muck and gravel. Still another
squad hud to chop II rv wood and Im
partially supply every cabin. Those
who were too weak for outdoor work
were put to cleaning uud scrubbing
the cabins and washing clothes. Uue
sqund brought In many louds of spruce
boitKhs and every stove wus used for
the brewing of spruco tea.
Hut, no mutter whut face Smoke and
Shorty put on It, the situation was
grim nnd serious. At least thirty fear
ful mid Impossible canes could not be
taken from the beds, as the two men,
with niiiiscii and horror, learned, while
one, a woman, died In t.aura Sibley's
cabin. Yet atrong measure were nec
essary. When the working gangs came In at
noon they round decently cooked din
uera awaiting them, prepared by the
weaker members of their cabins under
the tutelage and drive of Smoke and
Shorty.
"That'll do," Smoke said at 3 In the
atlcnioon. "Knock olT. Co to your
bunks. You may bo feeling rotten
now, but you'll be the lielter for It
tomorrow. l)f course It hurts to get
well, but I'm going to get you well."
"Too late," Amos Went worth sneer
ed pallidly al Smoke's effort. "They
ought to bate started lu that way last
fall"
"Coma along with me," Smoke au
awered. "Pick up those two palls.
Vou'ro not ailing."
From cabin to cabin the three men
went, doHlng every man and woman
with full plut of spruce ic. Nor
was It easy.
"You might as well learn at tho start
that we mean business." Smoke stated
to the tlrst obdurate, who lay ou hit
back groaning through set teeth
"Stand by. Shorty," Smoke caught
the patient by the nose and tapHd the
solar plexus section so as to make the
mouth gasp open. "Now, Shorty t Down
she goosl"
And down she went. (vompuled
with unavoidable spluttering and
itruugllug.
"We're covering this aprtie tea route
four time day, and (her ar eighty
of you to be dosed each time," Smoke
Informed Ijiiic Sibley. "So we've no
time to fool. Will you take It. or must
I bold your nose?" Ill thumb and
fiirvdugor hovervU eloquently above
her, "I fa vegetable, so you needn't
THE SALEM DAILY CAPITA!.
have any qualms."
"111111 take It," she quavered.
"Hurry upl"
That night, exhausted as by no bard
day of trail, Smoke arid Shorty crawl
ed into their blankets.
"I'm fairly sick with It," Smoke con
fessed. "The way they suffer Is awful.
But exercise Is the only remedy I can
think of, and It must be given a thor
ough trial. I wish we bad a sack of
raw potatoes."
"Sparklns, he can't wash no more
dishes," Shorty said. "It hurts him so
be sweat bis pain. I seen him sweat
It 1 had to put him back In the bank
ho was that helpless."
"If only we had row potatoes,"
Smoke went on. "The vital, essential
something Is missing from that prepar
ed stuff. The life has been evaporated
ont of It."
"An If that young fellow Jones In
the Brownlow cabin don't croak before
morula' 1 mis my guess."
"For heaven' sake be cheerful,"
Smoke chlded.
In the morning not only was Jones
dead, but one of the stronger men who
had worked on the firewood sqund was
found to have banged himself. A
nightmare procession of duys set In.
For a week, steeling blranelf to the
task, Smoke enforced the exercise and
the spruce ten, and one by one and In
twos and threes ho was compelled to
knock off the workers. As be was
learning, exercise was the last thing
In tho world for scurvy patients. The
diminishing burial squad was kept
steadily at work, and a surplus half
dozen graves were always burned
down and wnltlng. One day Smoke
saw the seer-ess entering Amos Went
worth's cabin nnd followed uftcr her.
At the door he could bear her voice,
whimpering uud pleading.
"Just for me," she was begging aa
Smoke entered. "I won't tell a soul"
Both glanced guiltily at the Intruder,
and Smoke was certain that he was on
the edge of something, be knew not
what, and be cursed himself for not
having eavesdropped.
'Out with HI" bo commanded harsh
ly. "What Is It?"
"What Is what?" Amos Wcntworth
asked sullenly. And Smoke, could not
name what was what
Orlmincr nnd grimmer grew the situ
ation. In that dark hole of a canyon the
horrible death list mounted up. Each
day, In apprehension. Smoke and Shor
ty examined each other's mouth for the
whitening of the gums and mucous
membranes the Invariable first symp
tom of the disease.
I've quit," Shorty announced one
evening. "I've been thlnkln' It over,
an' 1 quit I cun make a go at slave
drlvlu', but cripple drlvln' ' too much
for my stomach. They go from bad to
worso. They ain't twenty men I can
drive to work. I told Jackson this
afternoon he could take to his buuk.
lie was gcttln' ready to suicide. I
could see It stick In' out all over blin.
Exercise nln't no good."
"I've made up my mind to the same
thing," Smoke nnswered.
Tho everlasting mlrnclo of Went
worth's Immunity perplexed Smoke.
Why should be olono not have de
veloped scurvy? Why did Laura Sib
ley hate him and at tho same time
whlno nnd snivel and beg from blm?
On severnl occnslons Smoke mndo It
u point to drop Into Wentworth's cabin
ut nieultlme. Hut one thing did be
nolo that waa suspicious and thnt was
Weutworth' suspicion of blm. Next
ho tried sounding out Laura Sibley.
"Raw potatoes would cure everybody
hero," be remarked to tho socroKS. "I
know It I've cen It work before."
Tho flare of conviction In her eyes,
followed by bitterness and hatred, told
blin tho scent was warm.
"Why didn't you bring In n supply
of fresh potatoes on the steamer?" he
nuked.
"Wo did. tint coming up the river
we sold them nil out ut a bargalu at
Fort Yukon. We had plenty of tho
evaporated kinds, and wo knew they'd
keep better. They wouldn't even
freeze."
Smoke groaned. "Now, mightn't
there have been a couple of odd sacks
left-accldeiitiilly, you know, mislaid
on thu t earner?"
She shook her bend, as ho thought,
trlllo belntedly, then added, "We nev.
er found any."
"But mightn't there?" ho persisted.
"How do 1 know?" she rasped angri
ly. "I dldu't hnvo chnrgo of tho com
missary." "And Amos Wentworth did," be
Jumped to tho conclusion. "Very good.
Now wtnit Is your private opinion
Just between us two? Do you think
Weutworth has any raw potatoes stor
ed ii way somewhere?"
"No; certainly not Why should he?"
Struggle us bo would with ber,
Smoke could not bring her to admit
tho io8slllllty.
That night when tho camp groaned
and slept or groaned nnd did not sleep,
Smoke went to Wentworth's uullghted
cabin.
"Listen to me, Wentworth," be said.
"I've got a thousand dollars In dust
right hero In this sack. I'm rich
man In this country, and t can afford
It 1 think I'm getting touched. Put
raw potato In my hand and the dust
I your. Here, heft It"
And Smoke thrilled when Amos
Wentworth put out his hand In the
darkness nnd hefted the gold. Smok
hoard bltu fumble In th blanket and
then felt pressed Into his hand not
th heavy gold sack, but the omnia,
takabl potato, the (Is of ben'
yg, warm from contact with th oth
er' body.
8moko did not wait till morning. (I
and Shorty were expecting at any time
the denth of their worst two case,
and to tbt cabin the partner went
(J rated and mashed up In a cup, cktu
and clinging pvk of earth and all,
waa tb tbousnuU dollar potato a thick
JOURNAL, SALEM. ?E.. SATURDAY, ALT,.
ttuid that they ted. several drops at a
time. Into the frightful orifices that
bad once been months. Shift by shift
through the long night Smoke and
Shorty relieved each other at adminis
tering the potato Juice, rubbing it into
Hie poor swollen gums where loose
teeth rattled together and compelling
the swallowing of every drop of the
precious elixir.
By evening of the next day the
change for the better in the two pa
tients was miraculous and almost un
believable. They were no longer tbe
worst cases, in forty-cigbt hours, with
the exhaustion of the potato, they
were temporarily out of danger, though
far from being cured.
"Ill tell you what I'll do," Smoke
said to Wentworth. "I've got holdings
In this country, nnd my paper Is good
anywhere. I'll give you $000 a potato
up to tW.000 worth. That's 100 pota
toes." "Was that all tbe dust yon bad?"
Weutworth queried.
"Shorty and I scraped up all we had.
But, straight, be and I are worth sev
ernl millions between us."
"I haven't any potatoes," Wentworth
said finally. "Wish I bad. That po
tato 1 gave you was the only one. I'd
been saving It all tho winter for fear
I'd get this scurvy. 1 ouly sold It so
as to bo able to buy a passage out of
the country when tbe river opens."
Despite tho cessntion of potato Juice,
the two treated cases continued to Im
prove through ttie third day. The un
treated ensea went from bad to worse.
On the fourth morning three corpses
were burled.
Then Smoke and Shorty together In
vaded Wentworth's cabin, throwing
blm out In the snow, while they turn
ed the Interior upside down. Laura
Sibley hobbled In and frantically Join
ed them In the search.
Though the very floor was dug up.
they discovered nothing.
Auothcr day passed, during which
they kept a steady watch on Went-
"I'll give you $500 a potato up to $50,000
worth."
worth' movements. Several times
when bo started out water bucket lu
hand, for tho creek tbey casually up
proached tho cabin, nnd each tlmo he
hurried back without the water.
"They're cached right hero In his
cabin," Shorty said. "But whure?
Wo sure overhauled It plenty." He
stood up and pulled on his mittens.
"I'm golu' to (lnd 'em If 1 buve to pull
the blnmo shack down a log nt a time."
He glanced nt Smoke, who, with an
lutent absent face, had not heard him.
"What's catln' you?" Shorty demand
ed wrathfully.
"Just trying to remember something,
Shorty."
"What's the game?"
"Wntch mo, that's all," Smoke bat
fled. "I always told you, Shorty, thnt
a deflcleut acquaintance with litera
ture was a handicap, even In tho Klon
dike. Now, what we'ro going to do
came out of a book. I read It when 1
was a kid, and It will work. Comeon!"
Several minutes later, under a pale
gleaming, greenish aurora boreal Is, the
two men crept up to Amos Went
worth's cabin. Carefully and noise
lessly they poured kerosene over the
logs, extra drenching the door frnme
and window sash. Then the match
was applied, and they watched the
flaming oil gather headway. They
drew back beyond the growing light
and waited
They saw Wentworth rush out stnre
wildly at the contluirratlon uud plunge
back into the caliln Scarcely a minute
elapsed when lie emerged, this time
slowly, hair doubled over, hla ihoul
ders burdened by a sack, heavy nnd
unmistakable.
Smoke and Shorty sprung ut blin like
a tmtr of famished wolve. Tbey bit
kliu right and left at the miM instant
Ho crumpled down under the weigh!
of the sack, which Smoke pressed over
with his hands to mak aure. Then
he felt bis huec clasped by Went
worth' arms as th man turned
ghastly face upward.
"Ulve me a doaen, only a dotvn
balf doxen-aud yon can bar the
rt." he squalled. "Just half a doxen,"
he waited. "Just half a doseiu 1 w
going to turn them over to J on to
morrow. Ye, tomorrow. That w my
Idea. They're life I Tbey'r Ufel Just
halt a doxenr
"Wher'a the other tackr Smoke
bluffed,
.S3u J
23. 191"
"I ate It up." was the reply, unlm
peachably honest "That sack's all
that's left Give me a few. You can
have the rest"
"Ate 'em up!" Shorty screamed. A
whole sack! An' them geezers dyln'
for want of 'em! This for you! An
this! An' this! An' this! You swine!
You bog!"
There was no sleep in camp that
night Hour after hour Smoke and
Shorty went the rounds, doling the
life renewing potato Juice, a quarter
of a spoonful at a dose, Into the poor
ruined mouths of the population. And
through the following day while one
slept the other kept up the work.
There were no more deaths. The
most awful cases began to mend with
an immediacy that was startling.
"Nary a potato," Shorty told the
whining, begging Wentworth. "You
ain't even touched with scurvy. You
got outside a whole sack, an' you're
loaded against scurvy for twenty years.
Knowin' you, I've come to understand
God. I always wandered why he lt
Satan live. Now I know. He let him
live Just a I let you live. But lt' a
cryin' shame, Just the same."
"A word of advice," Smoke told
Wentworth. "These men are getting
well fast. Shorty and I are leaving in
a week, and there will be nobody to
protect you when these men go after
you. There's the trail. Dawson's eight
een days' travel."
"Gentlemen, I beg of you, listen to
me," Wentworth whined. "I'm a stran
ger In this country. 1 don't know the
trail. Let me travel with you. I'll give
you $1.000'lf you'll let me travel with
yon."
"Sure." Smoke grinned maliciously,
"If Shorty agrees."
"Who? Me?" Shorty stiffened for a
supreme effort. "I ain't nobody. Wood
ticks niu't got notliln' on me when it
comes to humility. I'm a worm, n
maggot brother to the pollywog an'
child of the blowfly. I ain't afraid
or asbnmed of notbln' that creeps or
crawls. But travel with that mistake
of creation go 'way, man! I ain't
proud, but you turn my stomach."
And Amos Wentworth went away,
aloue, dragging a sled loaded with pro
visions sufficient to Inst him to Daw
son. A mile down the trail Shorty
overhauled him.
"Come here to me," wag Shorty's
greeting. "Come across. Fork over.
Cough up."
"I don't understand," Wentworth
quavered, shivering from recollection
of the two bentlngs, hand and foot be
had already received from Shorty.
"That thousand dollars, d'ye under
stand that? That thousand dollars
gold Smoke bought that measly potato
with. Come through."
And Amos Wentworth passed the
gold sack over.
"Hope a skunk bites you an' you get
howltn' bydropboby," were the terms
of Shorty's farewell.
CHAPTER XIX.
A Flutter In Eggs.
T was In the A. C. company's big
store at Dawson that Lucille Ar
ea I beckoned Smoke Bellew over
to tbe dry goods counter. -
Smoke obeyed her call with alacrity.
The man did not exist In Dawson who
would not have been flattered by the
notico of Lucille Arral, the singing
soubrette of the tiny stock company
that performed nightly at the Palace
Opera House.
"Things uro dead," she complained,
with pretty petulance, "There hasn't
been a stampede for a week. There's
no dust In circulation. There's always
standing room now at the opera house.
And thero hasn't been a mall from
tbe outside for two whole weeks. In
short, this burg has crawled Into its
cave and gone to sleep. We've got to
do something. It needs livening, and
you nnd I can do It I've broken with
Wild Water, you know."
Smoko caught two almost simulta
neous visions. One was of Jov Gas-
tell,
tho other was of himself, In the
midst of a bleak suow stretch under
a cold arctic moon, belmr not shotted
with nccurateness and dispatch by the
aforesaid Wild Water. Smoke's re
luctance nt raising excitement with the
aid of Lucille Arral was too patent for
her to miss.
"I'm
not thinking what vou nn
thinking nt nil. thank you," she chlded,
with a liiuiih and a pnut "Take It
from me. Mr. Smoke Bellew, I'm not
going to make love to you, nnd if you
dare to muko love to me Wild Water
will take care of your case. You know
him. Besides, I-I baveu't really bro
ken with blm. Wild Water thinks I'vo
broken with liltu, don't you see?"
"Well, havo you, or haven't you?"
"I bavcu't-thero! But It's between
you nnd tne In confidence,"
"Where do I come in, stalking horse
or fall guy?"
"Neither. You make a pot of money,
we put across tho Inugh on Wild Wa
ter and cheer Dawson up, nnd, best of
all and the reason for It all. be gets
disciplined. Ho needs It. ne's-well
tho best way to put It Is he's too turbu
lent no broke out last night again.
Sowed the floor of the M. & M. with
gold dust-all of a thousand dollars.
You've beard of It. of course,"
"Ye; this morning. But still 1 don't
get you."
"Listen, no waa too tnrbulent I
broke our engagement and he' going
around making a noise like a broken
heart Now we come to It 1 like
egg."
"But what have eces and anrmm.
got to do with Itr Smoke demanded.
"Everything. I Hk egg,. There'
only limited- supply of egg In Daw
on." "Sure. Slavovltoh' restaurant bin
most of them. Ham and one egg.
bam and two eggs, IS. That mean $'i
an egg, retail."
"II like egg too," b continued
"But that' not the point I like them.
I have breakfast every morning at II
o'clock at 8lvoyltcbX I luv.riably
at two eggs, sue pauseu iuiijhm-
ly. "Suppose. Just suppose, someDouy
corners eggs."
She waited, and Smoke regarded ber
with admiring eyes, while In his heart
he backed with approval Wild Water's
choice of ber.
"You're not following." she said.
"Go on." be replied. "1 give up
What's the answer?"
"Stupid! You know Wild Water.
When he sees I'm languishing for
eggs, nnd I know bis mind HUe a book
and 1 know bow to languish, what
will he do? Why, 'he'll Just start
stampeding for the man that's got the
corner in eggs. He'll buy the corner,
no matter what it costs.
"Picture: I come into Slavovltch'sat
11 o'clock. Wild Water will be nt the
next table. He'll make It his business
to be there. 'Two eggs, Rhirred.' Til
say to the waiter. 'Sorry, Miss Arral,'
the waiter will say, 'they nin't no
more eggs.' Then np speaks Wild Wa
ter In that big bear voice of his, 'Wal
ter sir eggs, soft boiled. And the
waiter says, 'Yes, sir,' nnd the eggu
are brought rieiure: uu ivmui
looks sideways at me, and 1 look like
a particularly indignant Icicle, and
summon the welter. 'Sorry, Miss Ar
ral,' he says, 'but them eggs Is Mr.
Wild Water's. You see, miss, he owns
'em.' Picture: Wild Water, trium
phant dolug his best to look uncon
scious while be eats his six eggs.
"Another picture: Slavovitch himself
bringing two shirred eggs to me and
saying: 'Compliments of Mr. Wild Wa
ter, miss.' What can I do? Whatcan
I possibly do but smile at Wild Water?
And then we make up, of course, and
he'll consider it cheap If be bas been
compelled to pay $10 for each and ev
ery egg In the corner."
"Go on, go on!" Smoke urged. "At
what station do I climb on to thechoo
choo cars or at what water tauk do I
get thrown off?"
"Ninny! You make that corner in
eggs. You start In immediately, to
day. You can buy every egg In Daw
son for $3 nnd sell out to Wild Water
at almost any advance. And then,
afterward, we'll let tho Inside history
come out. Tbo laugh will be on Wild
Water. His turbulence will be some
subdued. Yon and I share the glory
of It Yon make a pile of money. And
Dawson wakes up with a grand ba,
ha!"
"Hey, Shortyl" Smoke called across
the main street to his partner and
crossed over. "1 want you to do me a
favor."
"Sure," Shorty said gallantly. "What
Is it? Let her rip."
"1 want you to buy eggs for me"
"Sure, an' Floridy water an' talcum
powder, if you say tho word. Look
here, Smoke, if you want to go In for
high llvln' you go an' buy your own
eggs."
"I am going to buy, but I want you
to belp me to buy. Yon go right
straight to Slavovltch's. Pay as high
as $3, but buy all he's got"
"Three dollars!" Shorty groaned.
"An' I heard tell only yesterday that
he's got all of 700 In stock! Twenty
ono hundred dollars for hen fruit Say,
Smoke, I'd sure do anything for you.
If you had a cold In the head nn" was
laylu' with both urms broke I'd set by
your bedside day an" night an' wipe
your nose for yon, but I'll be everlast
In'ly d-d If I'll squander twenty-ono
hundred good Iron dollurs on hen frail
for you or any other two legged man."
"They're not your dollurs, but mine.
Shorty. It's a deal 1 have on. What
I'm after Is to corner every blessed
egg in Dawson, in the Klondike, on tho
Yukon. You've got to help me out I
haven't the time to tell you of the In
wardness of the deal. 1 will after
ward and let you go half on it If you
want to. But the thing right now is
to get the eggs. Now. you hustle up to
Slavovltch's and buy all he's got And
luen aeep on. soso out every egg lu
uawson and buy it Understand'
Buy It!"
Never was a market cornered more
quickly. lu three days every known
egg In Dawson with the exception of
several dozen was In the hand of
Smoke nnd Shorty.
The several dozen not yet gathered
i were In the hands of
lu
One, with whom Shorty was dealing,
was nn Indian woman who lived In a
cabin on the hill bad: of the hospital
"I U get her today," shorty announc
ed next morning. "Pa bo back In a
Jiify. If I don't bust myself u-sbov!n'
dust nt her."
In the afternoon when Smoko re
turned to the cabin he found Shorty
"What luck?" Shorty nsked careless
ly after several minutes had passed
Nothing doing," Smoke answered.
now did you get on with tho squaw?"
Shorty cocked his bead triumphant
y toward a tin pall of eggs on tho ta
ble. Seven dollars n clatter, though "
ho confessed b
-.1i.7ered.,,M nnally,B Stuoke MM.
nd then the fellow told me he'd al-
bad. Shorty. Somebody else Is In the
marke. Those twenty-elght egga axS
luble to cause us trouble. you
the .ucccss of the corner consist In
hold ne everv !
holding every last"-
He broke off to stare at hi. partner.
A r enounced change was coming over
Shorty-one of agitation masked by
extren,, deliberation. "Do you mind
Wndly just repeatln' over bow man,
"Twenty -eight"
wit They Just exactly, nreclselv
nor nothln' more or anyfhlng Cs.n
twcntflgbt egg. In ,ht
ettln" ou the tahhv . - I" . pa"
ams-cd ,ast one usTexay
great big round Iron
throw, u you BtllU(, n
wnflln.TnllwUl,nii f
wlMn' and free to Impart"
"Go on." Smoke requested.
"Well, that geezer you was dlckeritf
with Is a big buck Indian. Am I
right?"
Smoke nodded nnd continued to nod
to each question.
"He's got one cheek bnlf gone, where
a bald face grizzly swatted blm. Am I
right? He's h dog trader right, en
His name Is Scar Face Jim. That's so
nln't It? D'ye get my drift'"
"Yon mean we've been bidding"
"Against each other? Sure thing.
That squaw's bis wife, an' they keep
house on the hill back of the hospital.
I could 'a' got them eggs for two a
throw If you hadn't butted In "
"And so conld 1," Smoke laughed, "it
you'd kept nut. Hut Jt doesn't niuoimt
to anything. We know that we've got
the corner. That's the big thing."
Shorty spent the next hour wrestln
with n stub of n pencil on the margin
of a three-year-old newspaper.
"There she stands," ne snld at last
"lmnie give yon the totals. You an'
me has right now in our possession ex
actly 073 eggs. They costs us exactly
$2,700. If we stick up Wild Water foe
$10 an egg we stand to win, clean net
an' nil to the good. Just exactly $0,
!)70." 1
At 11 thnt night Smoke was routed,
from sound sleep by Shorty.
"1 Just seen Slavovitch. He says to
me: "Shorty, 1 want to speak to you
about them eggs. I've kept it quiet
Nobody knows I sold 'cm to you. But
If you're 6peculntln' I can put you wise
to a good thing." An' he did, too,
Smoke.
"Well, maybe it sounds oncredlble,
but that good thing was Wild Water
Charley. He's lookin' to buy eggs. He
goes around to Slavovitch an' offers
him $5 an egg, an' before be quits he's
offerin' S3. An' Slavovitch nln't got no
eggs. Last thing Wild Water says to
Slavovitch Is thnt he'll beat tbe bead
offen him li be ever, finds ont Slavo
vitch has eggs cached away some
wbcres. Slavovitch bad to tell 'm be'd
sold tbe eggs, but thnt the buyer was
secret
"Slavovitch says to let him say the
word to Wild Water, who's got the
eggs. 'Shorty,' he says to me, 'Wild
Water'U come a-runntn'. You can hold
him up for $8. "Eight dollars your
grandmother,' 1 Bays. 'He'll fall for
$10 before I'm done with nlm.' . Any
way, 1 told Slavovitch I'd think It over
and let blm know In the mornln'. Of
course we'll let 'in pass the word on to
Wild Water. Am 1 right?"
"Yon certainly are. Shorty. First
thing In the morning tip off Slavovitch.
Have him tell Wild Water that you
and I are partners In the deal."
In the morning Smoke chanced upon
Lucille Arral again at tbe dry goods
counter of the A. C. store.
"It's working!" be Jubilated. "It s
workingl Wild Water's been around
to Slavovitch, trying to buy or bully
eggs out of blm. And by this time
Slavovitch has told blm that Shorty
and I own the corner."
Lucille Arral's eyes sparkled with de
light "I'm going to breakfast right
now," she cried. "And I'll ask the
waiter for eggs nnd be so plaintive
when there aren't any as to melt a
heart of stone. And you know Wild
Water's heart is anything but stone,
ile'll buy tbo corner if It costi him one
of his mines, nold out for a stiff 0g
ure. Nothing less than $10 will satisfy
me, and If you sell for anything less,
Smoke, I'll never forgive you."
That noon, up In their cabin, Shorty
placed on tho tabje a pot of beans, a
pot of coffee, a smoking platter of
moose meat and bacon, a plate of
stewed dried peaches nnd called,
"Grab's ready!"
Smoke opened the door for a brentb.
of frosty air and snw something that
made hi in close the door hurriedly and
dash to the stove. The frying pan, still
hot from the moose meat nnd bacyn,
he put back on the front lid. Into the
frying pan ho put a generous dub of
butter, then reached for nn egg, whlctt
he broke and dropped spluttering Into
the pan. As be reached for a secoiidr
egg Shorty gained his side and clutched,
his arm In an excited grip.
"Hey, what you doln'?" be demanded.
"Frying eggs," Smoke Informed him.
breaking the second one and throwing?
off Shorty's detaining hand. "Get out
"8horty and I own th corner." j
?,!.t!llT,8,VSh0rt'- Water's com
mfnSte. "" 1 be'" her 10 T
(Continued next Saturday.)
J