\"Nope,\"Lonansweredcarelessly。\"I’vebeenintheotherdirection,downCircleCityway。Dave’supDawsonway,ain’the?\"
Thewomannodded,andLonfelltounharnessingthedogs,whileI
unlashedthesledandcarriedthecampoutfitintothecabin。Thecabinwasalarge,one-roomaffair,andthewomanwasevidentlyaloneinit。Shepointedtothestove,wherewaterwasalreadyboiling,andLonsetaboutthepreparationofsupper,whileIopenedthefish-
bagandfedthedogs。IlookedforLontointroduceus,andwasvexedthathedidnot,fortheywereevidentlyoldfriends。
\"YouareLonMcFane,aren’tyou?\"Iheardheraskhim。\"Why,I
rememberyounow。ThelasttimeIsawyouitwasonasteamboat,wasn’tit?Iremember……\"
Herspeechseemedsuddenlytobefrozenbythespectacleofdreadwhich,Iknew,fromthetenorIsawmountinginhereyes,mustbeonherinnervision。Tomyastonishment,Lonwasaffectedbyherwordsandmanner。Hisfaceshoweddesperate,forallhisvoicesoundedheartyandgenial,ashesaid-
\"ThelasttimewemetwasatDawson,Queen’sJubilee,orBirthday,orsomething——don’tyouremember?——thecanoeracesintheriver,andtheobstacleracesdownthemainstreet?\"
Theterrorfadedoutofhereyesandherwholebodyrelaxed。\"Oh,yes,Idoremember,\"shesaid。\"Andyouwononeofthecanoeraces。\"
\"How’sDavebeenmakin’itlately?Strikin’itasrichasever,I
suppose?\"Lonasked,withapparentirrelevance。
Shesmiledandnodded,andthen,noticingthatIhadunlashedthebedroll,sheindicatedtheendofthecabinwhereImightspreadit。
Herownbunk,Inoticed,wasmadeupattheoppositeend。
\"IthoughtitwasDavecomingwhenIheardyourdogs,\"shesaid。
Afterthatshesaidnothing,contentingherselfwithwatchingLon’scookingoperations,andlisteningthewhileasforthesoundofdogsalongthetrail。Ilaybackontheblanketsandsmokedandwatched。
Herewasmystery;Icouldmakethatmuchout,butnomorecouldI
makeout。Whyinthedeucehadn’tLongivenmethetipbeforewearrived?Ilookedatherface,unnoticedbyher,andthelongerI
lookedtheharderitwastotakemyeyesaway。Itwasawonderfullybeautifulface,unearthly,Imaysay,withalightinitoranexpressionorsomething\"thatwasneveronlandorsea。\"Fearandterrorhadcompletelyvanished,anditwasaplacidlybeautifulface——
ifby\"placid\"onecancharacterizethatintangibleandoccultsomethingthatIcannotsaywasaradianceoralightanymorethanI
cansayitwasanexpression。
Abruptly,asifforthefirsttime,shebecameawareofmypresence。
\"HaveyouseenDaverecently?\"sheaskedme。Itwasonthetipofmytonguetosay\"Davewho?\"whenLoncoughedinthesmokethatarosefromthesizzlingbacon。Thebaconmighthavecausedthatcough,butItookitasahintandleftmyquestionunasked。\"No,Ihaven’t,\"I
answered。\"I’mnewinthispartofthecountry——\"
\"Butyoudon’tmeantosay,\"sheinterrupted,\"thatyou’veneverheardofDave——ofBigDaveWalsh?\"
\"Yousee,\"Iapologised,\"I’mnewinthecountry。I’veputinmostofmytimeintheLowerCountry,downNomeway。\"
\"TellhimaboutDave,\"shesaidtoLon。
Lonseemedputout,buthebeganinthathearty,genialmannerthatI
hadnoticedbefore。Itseemedashadetooheartyandgenial,anditirritatedme。
\"Oh,Daveisafineman,\"hesaid。\"He’saman,everyinchofhim,andhestandssixfeetfourinhissocks。Hiswordisasgoodashisbond。ThemanlieswhoeversaysDavetoldalie,andthatmanwillhavetofightwithme,too,aswell——ifthere’sanythingleftofhimwhenDavegetsdonewithhim。ForDaveisafighter。Oh,yes,he’sascrapperfromwayback。Hegotagrizzlywitha’38popgun。Hegotclawedsome,butheknewwhathewasdoin’。Hewentintothecaveonpurposetogetthatgrizzly。’Fraidofnothing。Freean’
easywithhismoney,orhislastshirtan’matchwhenoutofmoney。
Why,hedrainedSurpriseLakehereinthreeweeksan’tookoutninetythousand,didn’the?\"Sheflushedandnoddedherheadproudly。
Throughhisrecitalshehadfollowedeverywordwithkeenestinterest。\"An’Imustsay,\"Lonwenton,\"thatIwasdisappointedsoreonnotmeetingDavehereto-night。\"
Lonservedsupperatoneendofthetableofwhip-sawedspruce,andwefelltoeating。Ahowlingofthedogstookthewomantothedoor。
Sheopeneditaninchandlistened。
\"WhereisDaveWalsh?\"Iasked,inanundertone。
\"Dead,\"Lonanswered。\"Inhell,maybe。Idon’tknow。Shutup。\"
\"Butyoujustsaidthatyouexpectedtomeethimhereto-night,\"I
challenged。
\"Oh,shutup,can’tyou,\"wasLon’sreply,inthesamecautiousundertone。
Thewomanhadclosedthedoorandwasreturning,andIsatandmeditateduponthefactthatthismanwhotoldmetoshutupreceivedfrommeasalaryoftwohundredandfiftydollarsamonthandhisboard。
Lonwashedthedishes,whileIsmokedandwatchedthewoman。Sheseemedmorebeautifulthanever——strangelyandweirdlybeautiful,itistrue。Afterlookingathersteadfastlyforfiveminutes,IwascompelledtocomebacktotherealworldandtoglanceatLonMcFane。
Thisenabledmetoknow,withoutdiscussion,thatthewoman,too,wasreal。AtfirstIhadtakenherforthewifeofDaveWalsh;butifDaveWalshweredead,asLonhadsaid,thenshecouldbeonlyhiswidow。
Itwasearlytobed,forwefacedalongdayonthemorrow;andasLoncrawledinbesidemeundertheblankets,Iventuredaquestion。
\"Thatwoman’scrazy,isn’tshe?\"
\"Crazyasaloon,\"heanswered。
AndbeforeIcouldformulatemynextquestion,LonMcFane,Iswear,wasofftosleep。Healwayswenttosleepthatway——justcrawledintotheblankets,closedhiseyes,andwasoff,ademurelittleheavybreathingrisingontheair。Lonneversnored。
Andinthemorningitwasquickbreakfast,feedthedogs,loadthesled,andhitthetrail。Wesaidgood-byeaswepulledout,andthewomanstoodinthedoorwayandwatchedusoff。Icarriedthevisionofherunearthlybeautyawaywithme,justundermyeyelids,andallIhadtodo,anytime,wastoclosethemandseeheragain。Thewaywasunbroken,SurpriseLakebeingfaroffthetravelledtrails,andLonandItookturnaboutatbeatingdownthefeatherysnowwithourbig,webbedshoessothatthedogscouldtravel。\"ButyousaidyouexpectedtomeetDaveWalshatthecabin,\"trembledonthetipofmytongueascoreoftimes。Ididnotutterit。Icouldwaituntilweknockedoffinthemiddleoftheday。Andwhenthemiddleofthedaycame,wewentrighton,for,asLonexplained,therewasacampofmoosehuntersattheforksoftheTeelee,andwecouldmaketherebydark。Butwedidn’tmaketherebydark,forBright,thelead-dog,brokehisshoulder-blade,andwelostanhouroverhimbeforeweshothim。Then,crossingatimberjamonthefrozenbedoftheTeelee,thesledsufferedawrenchingcapsize,anditwasacaseofmakecampandrepairtherunner。IcookedsupperandfedthedogswhileLonmadetherepairs,andtogetherwegotinthenight’ssupplyoficeandfirewood。Thenwesatonourblankets,ourmoccasinssteamingonupendedsticksbeforethefire,andhadoureveningsmoke。
\"Youdidn’tknowher?\"Lonqueriedsuddenly。Ishookmyhead。
\"Younoticedthecolourofherhairandeyesandhercomplexion,well,that’swhereshegothername——shewaslikethefirstwarmglowofagoldensunrise。ShewascalledFlushofGold。Everheardofher?\"
SomewhereIhadaconfusedandmistyremembranceofhavingheardthename,yetitmeantnothingtome。\"FlushofGold,\"Irepeated;
\"soundslikethenameofadance-housegirl。\"Lonshookhishead。
\"No,shewasagoodwoman,atleastinthatsense,thoughshesinnedgreatlyjustthesame。\"
\"Butwhydoyouspeakalwaysofherinthepasttense,asthoughsheweredead?\"
\"Becauseofthedarknessonhersoulthatisthesameasthedarknessofdeath。TheFlushofGoldthatIknew,thatDawsonknew,andthatFortyMileknewbeforethat,isdead。Thatdumb,lunaticcreaturewesawlastnightwasnotFlushofGold。\"
\"AndDave?\"Iqueried。
\"Hebuiltthatcabin,\"Lonanswered,\"Hebuiltitforher……andforhimself。Heisdead。Sheiswaitingforhimthere。Shehalfbelievesheisnotdead。Butwhocanknowthewhimofacrazedmind?
Maybeshewhollybelievesheisnotdead。Atanyrate,shewaitsforhimthereinthecabinhebuilt。Whowouldrousethedead?Thenwhowouldrousethelivingthataredead?NotI,andthatiswhyIletontoexpecttomeetDaveWalshtherelastnight。I’llbetastackthatI’dabeenmoresurprisedthansheifIHADmethimtherelastnight。\"
\"Idonotunderstand,\"Isaid。\"Beginatthebeginning,asawhitemanshould,andtellmethewholetale。\"
AndLonbegan。\"VictorChauvetwasanoldFrenchman——borninthesouthofFrance。HecametoCaliforniainthedaysofgold。Hewasapioneer。Hefoundnogold,but,instead,becameamakerofbottledsunshine——inshort,agrape-growerandwine-maker。Also,hefollowedgoldexcitements。ThatiswhatbroughthimtoAlaskaintheearlydays,andovertheChilcootanddowntheYukonlongbeforetheCarmackstrike。TheoldtownsiteofTenMilewasChauvet’s。HecarriedthefirstmailintoArcticCity。Hestakedthosecoal-minesonthePorcupineadozenyearsago。HegrubstakedLoftusintotheNippennuckCountry。NowithappenedthatVictorChauvetwasagoodCatholic,lovingtwothingsinthisworld,wineandwoman。Wineofallkindsheloved,butofwoman,onlyone,andshewasthemotherofMarieChauvet。\"
HereIgroanedaloud,havingmeditatedbeyondself-controloverthefactthatIpaidthismantwohundredandfiftydollarsamonth。
\"What’sthematternow?\"hedemanded。
\"Matter?\"Icomplained。\"IthoughtyouweretellingthestoryofFlushofGold。Idon’twantabiographyofyouroldFrenchwine-
bibber。\"
Loncalmlylightedhispipe,tookonegoodpuff,thenputthepipeaside。\"Andyouaskedmetobeginatthebeginning,\"hesaid。
\"Yes,\"saidI;\"thebeginning。\"
\"AndthebeginningofFlushofGoldistheoldFrenchwine-bibber,forhewasthefatherofMarieChauvet,andMarieChauvetwastheFlushofGold。Whatmoredoyouwant?VictorChauvetneverhadmuchlucktospeakof。Hemanagedtolive,andtogetalong,andtotakegoodcareofMarie,whoresembledtheonewomanhehadloved。Hetookverygoodcareofher。FlushofGoldwasthepetnamehegaveher。FlushofGoldCreekwasnamedafterher——FlushofGoldtownsite,too。Theoldmanwasgreatontownsites,onlyheneverlandedthem。
\"Now,honestly,\"Lonsaid,withoneofhislightningchanges,\"you’veseenher,whatdoyouthinkofher——ofherlooks,Imean?Howdoesshestrikeyourbeautysense?\"
\"Sheisremarkablybeautiful,\"Isaid。\"Ineversawanythinglikeherinmylife。Inspiteofthefact,lastnight,thatIguessedshewasmad,Icouldnotkeepmyeyesoffofher。Itwasn’tcuriosity。
Itwaswonder,sheerwonder,shewassostrangelybeautiful。\"
\"Shewasmorestrangelybeautifulbeforethedarknessfelluponher,\"
Lonsaidsoftly。\"ShewastrulytheFlushofCold。Sheturnedallmen’shearts……andheads。Sherecalls,withaneffort,thatI
oncewonacanoeraceatDawson——I,whooncelovedher,andwastoldbyherofherloveforme。Itwasherbeautythatmadeallmenloveher。She’d’a’gottheapplefromParis,onapplication,andtherewouldn’thavebeenanyTrojanWar,andtotopitoffshe’dhavethrownParisdown。Andnowshelivesindarkness,andshewhowasalwaysfickle,forthefirsttimeisconstant——andconstanttoashade,toadeadmanshedoesnotrealizeisdead。
\"Andthisisthewayitwas。YourememberwhatIsaidlastnightofDaveWalsh——BigDaveWalsh?HewasallthatIsaid,andmore,manytimesmore。Hecameintothiscountryinthelateeighties——that’sapioneerforyou。Hewastwentyyearsoldthen。Hewasayoungbull。
Whenhewastwenty-fivehecouldliftclearofthegroundthirteenfifty-poundsacksofflour。Atfirst,eachfalloftheyear,faminedrovehimout。Itwasalonelandinthosedays。Noriversteamboats,nogrub,nothingbutsalmonbelliesandrabbittracks。
Butafterfaminechasedhimoutthreeyears,hesaidhe’dhadenoughofbeingchased;andthenextyearhestayed。Helivedonstraightmeatwhenhewasluckyenoughtogetit;heateelevendogsthatwinter;buthestayed。Andthenextwinterhestayed,andthenext。
Heneverdidleavethecountryagain。Hewasabull,agreatbull。
Hecouldkillthestrongestmaninthecountrywithhardwork。HecouldoutpackaChilcatIndian,hecouldoutpaddleaStick,andhecouldtravelalldaywithwetfeetwhenthethermometerregisteredfiftybelowzero,andthat’sgoingsome,Itellyou,forvitality。
You’dfreezeyourfeetattwenty-fivebelowifyouwetthemandtriedtokeepon。
\"DaveWalshwasabullforstrength。Andyethewassoftandeasy-
natured。Anybodycoulddohim,thelatestshort-hornincampcouldliehislastdollaroutofhim。’Butitdoesn’tworryme,’hehadawayoflaughingoffhissoftness;’itdoesn’tkeepmeawakenights。’
Nowdon’tgettheideathathehadnobackbone。Yourememberaboutthebearhewentafterwiththepopgun。WhenitcametofightingDavewastheblamedestever。Hewasthelimit,ifbythatImaydescribehisunlimitednesswhenhegotintoaction,hewaseasyandkindwiththeweak,butthestronghadtogivetrailwhenhewentby。
Andhewasamanthatmenliked,whichisthefinestwordofall,aman’sman。
\"DavenevertookpartinthebigstampedetoDawsonwhenCarmackmadetheBonanzastrike。Yousee,DavewasjustthenoveronMammonCreekstrikin’ithimself。HediscoveredMammonCreek。Cleanedeighty-
fourthousandupthatwinter,andopeneduptheclaimsothatitpromisedacoupleofhundredthousandforthenextwinter。Then,summerbein’onandthegroundsloshy,hetookatripuptheYukontoDawsontoseewhatCarmack’sstrikelookedlike。AndtherehesawFlushofGold。Irememberthenight。Ishallalwaysremember。Itwassomethingsudden,anditmakesoneshivertothinkofastrongmanwithallthestrengthwitheredoutofhimbyoneglancefromthesofteyesofaweak,blond,femalecreaturelikeFlushofGold。Itwasatherdad’scabin,oldVictorChauvet’s。SomefriendhadbroughtDavealongtotalkovertownsitesonMammonCreek。Butlittletalkingdidhedo,andwhathedidwasmostlygibberish。I
tellyouthesightofFlushofGoldhadsentDavecleandaffy。OldVictorChauvetinsistedafterDaveleftthathehadbeendrunk。Andsohehad。Hewasdrunk,butFlushofGoldwasthestrongdrinkthatmadehimso。
\"Thatsettledit,thatfirstglimpsehecaughtofher。HedidnotstartbackdowntheYukoninaweek,ashehadintended。Helingeredonamonth,twomonths,allsummer。Andwewhohadsufferedunderstood,andwonderedwhattheoutcomewouldbe。Undoubtedly,inourminds,itseemedthatFlushofGoldhadmethermaster。Andwhynot?TherewasromancesprinkledalloverDaveWalsh。HewasaMammonKing,hehadmadetheMammonCreekstrike;hewasanoldsourdough,oneoftheoldestpioneersintheland——menturnedtolookathimwhenhewentby,andsaidtooneanotherinawedundertones,’TheregoesDaveWalsh。’Andwhynot?Hestoodsixfeetfour;hehadyellowhairhimselfthatcurledonhisneck;andhewasabull——ayellow-manedbulljustturnedthirty-one。
\"AndFlushofGoldlovedhim,and,havingdancedhimthroughawholesummer’scourtship,attheendtheirengagementwasmadeknown。Thefalloftheyearwasathand,Davehadtobebackforthewinter’sworkonMammonCreek,andFlushofGoldrefusedtobemarriedrightaway。DaveputDuskyBurnsinchargeoftheMammonCreekclaim,andhimselflingeredoninDawson。Littleuse。Shewantedherfreedomawhilelonger;shemusthaveit,andshewouldnotmarryuntilnextyear。Andso,onthefirstice,DaveWalshwentalonedowntheYukonbehindhisdogs,withtheunderstandingthatthemarriagewouldtakeplacewhenhearrivedonthefirststeamboatofthenextyear。
NowDavewasastrueasthePoleStar,andshewasasfalseasamagneticneedleinacargoofloadstone。Davewasassteadyandsolidasshewasfickleandfly-away,andinsomewayDave,whoneverdoubtedanybody,doubtedher。Itwasthejealousyofhislove,perhaps,andmaybeitwasthemessagetickedofffromhersoultohis;butatanyrateDavewasworriedbyfearofherinconstancy。Hewasafraidtotrusthertillthenextyear,hehadsototrusther,andhewasprettywellbesidehimself。SomeofitIgotfromoldVictorChauvetafterwards,andfromallthatIhavepiecedtogetherI
concludethattherewassomethingofascenebeforeDavepullednorthwithhisdogs。HestoodupbeforetheoldFrenchman,withFlushofGoldbesidehim,andannouncedthattheywereplightedtoeachother。
Hewasverydramatic,withfireinhiseyes,oldVictorsaid。Hetalkedsomethingabout’untildeathdouspart’;andoldVictorespeciallyrememberedthatatoneplaceDavetookherbytheshoulderwithhisgreatpawandalmostshookherashesaid:’Evenuntodeathareyoumine,andIwouldrisefromthegravetoclaimyou。’OldVictordistinctlyrememberedthosewords’Evenuntodeathareyoumine,andIwouldrisefromthegravetoclaimyou。’AndhetoldmeafterwardsthatFlushofGoldwasprettybadlyfrightened,andthatheafterwardstookDavetoonesideprivatelyandtoldhimthatthatwasn’tthewaytoholdFlushofGold——thathemusthumourherandgentleherifhewantedtokeepher。
\"ThereisnodiscussioninmymindbutthatFlushofGoldwasfrightened。Shewasasavageherselfinhertreatmentofmen,whilemenhadalwaystreatedherasasoftandtenderandtooutterly-uttersomethingthatmustnotbehurt。Shedidn’tknowwhatharshnesswas……untilDaveWalsh,standinghissixfeetfour,abigbull,grippedherandpawedherandassuredherthatshewashisuntildeath,andthensome。Andbesides,inDawson,thatwinter,wasamusic-player——oneofthosemacaroni-eating,greasy-tenor-Eye-talian-
dagopropositions——andFlushofGoldlostherhearttohim。Maybeitwasonlyfascination——Idon’tknow。SometimesitseemstomethatshereallydidloveDaveWalsh。Perhapsitwasbecausehehadfrightenedherwiththateven-unto-death,rise-from-the-gravestuntofhisthatsheintheendinclinedtothedagomusic-player。Butitisallguesswork,andthefactsare,sufficient。Hewasn’tadago;
hewasaRussiancount——thiswasstraight;andhewasn’taprofessionalpiano-playeroranythingofthesort。Heplayedtheviolinandthepiano,andhesang——sangwell——butitwasforhisownpleasureandforthepleasureofthosehesangfor。Hehadmoney,too——andrighthereletmesaythatFlushofGoldnevercaredarapformoney。Shewasfickle,butshewasneversordid。
\"Buttobegettingalong。ShewasplightedtoDave,andDavewascominguponthefirststeamboattogether——thatwasthesummerof’98,andthefirststeamboatwastobeexpectedthemiddleofJune。
AndFlushofGoldwasafraidtothrowDavedownandfacehimafterwards。Itwasallplannedsuddenly。TheRussianmusic-player,theCount,washerobedientslave。Sheplannedit,Iknow。I
learnedasmuchfromoldVictorafterwards。TheCounttookhisordersfromher,andcaughtthatfirststeamboatdown。ItwastheGoldenRocket。AndsodidFlushofGoldcatchit。AndsodidI。I
wasgoingtoCircleCity,andIwasflabbergastedwhenIfoundFlushofGoldonboard。Ididn’tseehernamedownonthepassengerlist。
ShewaswiththeCountfellowallthetime,happyandsmiling,andI
noticedthattheCountfellowwasdownonthelistashavinghiswifealong。Thereitwas,stateroom,number,andall。ThefirstIknewthathewasmarried,onlyIdidn’tseeanythingofthewife……
unlessFlushofGoldwassocounted。Iwonderedifthey’dgotmarriedashorebeforestarting。There’dbeentalkabouttheminDawson,yousee,andbetshadbeenlaidthattheCountfellowhadcutDaveout。
\"Italkedwiththepurser。Hedidn’tknowanythingmoreaboutitthanIdid;hedidn’tknowFlushofGold,anyway,andbesides,hewasalmostrushedtodeath。YouknowwhataYukonsteamboatis,butyoucan’tguesswhattheGoldenRocketwaswhenitleftDawsonthatJuneof1898。Shewasahummer。Beingthefirststeamerout,shecarriedallthescurvypatientsandhospitalwrecks。ThenshemusthavecarriedacoupleofmillionsofKlondikedustandnuggets,tosaynothingofapackedandjammedpassengerlist,deckpassengersgalore,andbucksandsquawsanddogswithoutend。Andshewasloadeddowntotheguardswithfreightandbaggage。Therewasamountainofthesameonthefore-lower-deck,andeachlittlestopalongthewayaddedtoit。IsawtheboxcomeaboardatTeeleePortage,andIknewitforwhatitwas,thoughIlittleguessedthejokerthatwasinit。Andtheypileditontopofeverythingelseonthefore-lower-deck,andtheydidn’tpileitanytoosecurelyeither。
Themateexpectedtocomebacktoitagain,andthenforgotaboutit。
Ithoughtatthetimethattherewassomethingfamiliaraboutthebighuskydogthatclimbedoverthebaggageandfreightandlaydownnexttothebox。AndthenwepassedtheGlendale,boundupforDawson。
Asshesalutedus,IthoughtofDaveonboardofherandhurryingtoDawsontoFlushofGold。Iturnedandlookedatherwhereshestoodbytherail。Hereyeswerebright,butshelookedabitfrightenedbythesightoftheothersteamer,andshewasleaningcloselytotheCountfellowasforprotection。Sheneedn’thaveleanedsosafelyagainsthim,andIneedn’thavebeensosureofadisappointedDaveWalsharrivingatDawson。ForDaveWalshwasn’tontheGlendale。
TherewerealotofthingsIdidn’tknow,butwassoontoknow——forinstance,thatthepairwerenotyetmarried。Insidehalfanhourpreparationsforthemarriagetookplace。Whatofthesickmeninthemaincabin,andofthecrowdedconditionoftheGoldenRocket,thelikeliestplacefortheceremonywasfoundforward,onthelowerdeck,inanopenspacenexttotherailandgang-plankandshadedbythemountainoffreightwiththebigboxontopandthesleepingdogbesideit。Therewasamissionaryonboard,gettingoffatEagleCity,whichwasthenextstep,sotheyhadtousehimquick。That’swhatthey’dplannedtodo,getmarriedontheboat。
\"ButI’verunaheadofthefacts。ThereasonDaveWalshwasn’tontheGlendalewasbecausehewasontheGoldenRocket。Itwasthisway。Afterloiterin’inDawsononaccountofFlushofGold,hewentdowntoMammonCreekontheice。AndtherehefoundDuskyBurnsdoingsowellwiththeclaim,therewasnoneedforhimtobearound。
Soheputsomegrubonthesled,harnessedthedogs,tookanIndianalong,andpulledoutforSurpriseLake。Healwayshadalikingforthatsection。Maybeyoudon’tknowhowthecreekturnedouttobeafour-flusher;buttheprospectsweregoodatthetime,andDaveproceededtobuildhiscabinandhers。That’sthecabinwesleptin。
Afterhefinishedit,hewentoffonamoosehunttotheforksoftheTeelee,takin’theIndianalong。
\"Andthisiswhathappened。Cameonacoldsnap。Thejuicewentdownforty,fifty,sixtybelowzero。Irememberthatsnap——IwasatFortyMile;andIremembertheveryday。Ateleveno’clockinthemorningthespiritthermometerattheN。A。T。&T。Company’sstorewentdowntoseventy-fivebelowzero。Andthatmorning,neartheforksoftheTeelee,DaveWalshwasoutaftermoosewiththatblessedIndianofhis。IgotitallfromtheIndianafterwards——wemadeatripovertheicetogethertoDyea。ThatmorningMr。Indianbrokethroughtheiceandwethimselftothewaist。Ofcoursehebegantofreezerightaway。Theproperthingwastobuildafire。ButDaveWalshwasabull。Itwasonlyhalfamiletocamp,whereafirewasalreadyburning。Whatwasthegoodofbuildinganother?HethrewMr。Indianoverhisshoulder——andranwithhim——halfamile——withthethermometeratseventy-fivebelow。Youknowwhatthatmeans。
Suicide。There’snoothernameforit。Why,thatbuckIndianweighedovertwohundredhimself,andDaveranhalfamilewithhim。
Ofcoursehefrozehislungs。Musthavefrozenthemnearsolid。Itwasatomfooltrickforanymantodo。Andanyway,afterlingeringhorriblyforseveralweeks,DaveWalshdied。
\"TheIndiandidn’tknowwhattodowiththecorpse。Ordinarilyhe’dhaveburiedhimandletitgoatthat。ButheknewthatDaveWalshwasabigman,worthlotsofmoney,ahi-yuskookumchief。Likewisehe’dseenthebodiesofotherhi-yuskookumscartedaroundthecountryliketheywereworthsomething。SohedecidedtotakeDave’sbodytoFortyMile,whichwasDave’sheadquarters。Youknowhowtheiceisonthegrassrootsinthiscountry——well,theIndianplantedDaveunderafootofsoil——inshort,heputDaveonice。DavecouldhavestayedthereathousandyearsandstillbeenthesameoldDave。
Youunderstand——justthesameasarefrigerator。ThentheIndianbringsoverawhipsawfromthecabinatSurpriseLakeandmakeslumberenoughforthebox。Also,waitingforthethaw,hegoesoutandshootsabouttenthousandpoundsofmoose。Thishekeepsonice,too。Camethethaw。TheTeeleebroke。Hebuiltaraftandloadeditwiththemeat,thebigboxwithDaveinside,andDave’steamofdogs,andawaytheywentdowntheTeelee。
\"Theraftgotcaughtonatimberjamandhunguptwodays。Itwasscorchinghotweather,andMr。Indiannearlylosthismoosemeat。SowhenhegottoTeeleePortagehefiguredasteamboatwouldgettoFortyMilequickerthanhisraft。Hetransferredhiscargo,andthereyouare,fore-lowerdeckoftheGoldenRocket,FlushofGoldbeingmarried,andDaveWalshinhisbigboxcastingtheshadeforher。Andthere’sonethingIcleanforgot。NowonderIthoughtthehuskydogthatcameaboardatTeeleePortagewasfamiliar。ItwasPee-lat,DaveWalsh’slead-dogandfavourite——aterriblefighter,too。Hewaslyingdownbesidethebox。
\"FlushofGoldcaughtsightofme,calledmeover,shookhandswithme,andintroducedmetotheCount。Shewasbeautiful。Iwasasmadforherthenasever。ShesmiledintomyeyesandsaidImustsignasoneofthewitnesses。Andtherewasnorefusingher。Shewaseverachild,cruelaschildrenarecruel。Also,shetoldmeshewasinpossessionoftheonlytwobottlesofchampagneinDawson——orthathadbeeninDawsonthenightbefore;andbeforeIknewitIwasscheduledtodrinkherandtheCount’shealth。Everybodycrowdedround,thecaptainofthesteamboat,veryprominent,tryingtoringinonthewine,Iguess。Itwasafunnywedding。Ontheupperdeckthehospitalwrecks,withvariousfeetinthegrave,gatheredandlookeddowntosee。TherewereIndiansalljammedinthecircle,too,bigbucks,andtheirsquawsandkids,tosaynothingofabouttwenty-fivesnarlingwolf-dogs。Themissionarylinedthetwoofthemupandstartedinwiththeservice。Andjustthenadog-fightstarted,highuponthepileoffreight——Pee-latlyingbesidethebigbox,andawhite-hairedbrutebelongingtooneoftheIndians。Thefightwasn’texplosiveatall。Thebrutesjustsnarledateachotherfromadistance——tappingateachotherlong-distance,youknow,sayingdastanddassent,dastanddassent。Thenoisewasratherdisturbing,butyoucouldhearthemissionary’svoiceaboveit。
\"Therewasnoparticularlyeasywayofgettingatthetwodogs,exceptfromtheothersideofthepile。Butnobodywasonthatside——
everybodywatchingtheceremony,yousee。Eventheneverythingmighthavebeenallrightifthecaptainhadn’tthrownaclubatthedogs。Thatwaswhatprecipitatedeverything。AsIsay,ifthecaptainhadn’tthrownthatclub,nothingmighthavehappened。
\"Themissionaryhadjustreachedthepointwherehewassaying’Insicknessandinhealth,’and’Tilldeathusdopart。’Andjustthenthecaptainthrewtheclub。Isawthewholething。ItlandedonPee-lat,andatthatinstantthewhitebrutejumpedhim。Theclubcausedit。Theirtwobodiesstruckthebox,anditbegantoslide,itslowerendtiltingdown。Itwasalongoblongbox,anditsliddownslowlyuntilitreachedtheperpendicular,whenitcamedownontherun。Theonlookersonthatsidethecirclehadtimetogetoutfromunder。FlushofGoldandtheCount,ontheoppositesideofthecircle,werefacingthebox;themissionaryhadhisbacktoit。Theboxmusthavefallentenfeetstraightupanddown,andithitendon。
\"Nowmindyou,notoneofusknewthatDaveWalshwasdead。WethoughthewasontheGlendale,boundforDawson。Themissionaryhadedgedofftooneside,andsoFlushofGoldfacedtheboxwhenitstruck。Itwaslikeinaplay。Itcouldn’thavebeenbetterplanned。Itstruckonend,andontherightend;thewholefrontoftheboxcameoff;andoutsweptDaveWalshonhisfeet,partlywrappedinablanket,hisyellowhairflyingandshowingbrightinthesun。Rightoutofthebox,onhisfeet,hesweptuponFlushofGold。Shedidn’tknowhewasdead,butitwasunmistakable,afterhanginguptwodaysonatimberjam,thathewasrisingallrightfromthedeadtoclaimher。Possiblythatiswhatshethought。Atanyrate,thesightfrozeher。Shecouldn’tmove。ShejustsortofwiltedandwatchedDaveWalshcomingforher!Andhegother。Itlookedalmostasthoughhethrewhisarmsaroundher,butwhetherornotthishappened,downtothedecktheywenttogether。WehadtodragDaveWalsh’sbodyclearbeforewecouldgetholdofher。Shewasinafaint,butitwouldhavebeenjustaswellifshehadnevercomeoutofthatfaint;forwhenshedid,shefelltoscreamingthewayinsanepeopledo。Shekeptitupforhours,tillshewasexhausted。Oh,yes,sherecovered。Yousawherlastnight,andknowhowmuchrecoveredsheis。Sheisnotviolent,itistrue,butshelivesindarkness。ShebelievesthatsheiswaitingforDaveWalsh,andsoshewaitsinthecabinhebuiltforher。Sheisnolongerfickle。ItisnineyearsnowthatshehasbeenfaithfultoDaveWalsh,andtheoutlookisthatshe’llbefaithfultohimtotheend。\"
LonMcFanepulleddownthetopoftheblanketsandpreparedtocrawlin。
\"Wehavehergrubhauledtohereachyear,\"headded,\"andingeneralkeepaneyeonher。Lastnightwasthefirsttimesheeverrecognizedme,though。\"
\"Whoarethewe?\"Iasked。
\"Oh,\"wastheanswer,\"theCountandoldVictorChauvetandme。Doyouknow,IthinktheCountistheonetobereallysorryfor。DaveWalshneverdidknowthatshewasfalsetohim。Andshedoesnotsuffer。Herdarknessismercifultoher。\"
Ilaysilentlyundertheblanketsforthespaceofaminute。
\"IstheCountstillinthecountry?\"Iasked。
Buttherewasagentlesoundofheavybreathing,andIknewLonMcFanewasasleep。
THEPASSINGOFMARCUSO’BRIEN
\"Itisthejudgmentofthiscourtthatyouvamosethecamp……inthecustomaryway,sir,inthecustomaryway。\"
JudgeMarcusO’Brienwasabsent-minded,andMuclucCharleynudgedhimintheribs。MarcusO’Brienclearedhisthroatandwenton-
\"Weighingthegravityoftheoffence,sir,andtheextenuatingcircumstances,itistheopinionofthiscourt,anditsverdict,thatyoubeoutfittedwiththreedays’grub。Thatwilldo,Ithink。\"
ArizonaJackcastableakglanceoutovertheYukon。Itwasaswollen,chocolateflood,runningamilewideandnobodyknewhowdeep。Theearth-bankonwhichhestoodwasordinarilyadozenfeetabovethewater,buttheriverwasnowgrowlingatthetopofthebank,devouring,instantbyinstant,tinyportionsofthetop-
standingsoil。Theseportionswentintothegapingmouthsoftheendlessarmyofbrownswirlsandvanishedaway。Severalinchesmore,andRedCowwouldbeflooded。
\"Itwon’tdo,\"ArizonaJacksaidbitterly。\"Threedays’grubain’tenough。\"
\"TherewasManchester,\"MarcusO’Brienrepliedgravely。\"Hedidn’tgetanygrub。\"
\"AndtheyfoundhisremainsgroundedontheLowerRiveran’halfeatenbyhuskies,\"wasArizonaJack’sretort。\"Andhiskillin’waswithoutprovocation。JoeDeevesneverdidnothin’,neverwarbledonce,an’jes’becausehisstomachwasoutoforder,Manchesterupsan’plugshim。Youain’tgivin’measquaredeal,O’Brien,Itellyouthatstraight。Givemeaweek’sgrub,andIplayeventowinout。Threedays’grub,an’Icashin。\"
\"WhatfordidyoukillFerguson?\"O’Briendemanded。\"Ihaven’tanypatiencefortheseunprovokedkillings。Andthey’vegottostop。
RedCow’snonesopopulous。It’sagoodcamp,andthereneverusedtobeanykillings。Nowthey’reepidemic。I’msorryforyou,Jack,butyou’vegottobemadeanexampleof。Fergusondidn’tprovokeenoughforakilling。\"
\"Provoke!\"ArizonaJacksnorted。\"Itellyou,O’Brien,youdon’tsavve。Youain’tgotnoartisticsensibilities。WhatfordidIkillFerguson?WhatfordidFergusonsing’ThenIwishtIwasalittlebird’?That’swhatIwanttoknow。Answermethat。Whatfordidhesing’littlebird,littlebird’?Onelittlebirdwasenough。I
coulda-stoodonelittlebird。Butno,hemustsingtwolittlebirds。Igave’machanst。Iwenttohimalmightypoliteandrequestedhimkindlytodiscardonelittlebird。Ipleadedwithhim。
Therewaswitnessesthattestifiedtothat。
\"An’Fergusonwasnojay-throatedsongster,\"someonespokeupfromthecrowd。
O’Brienbetrayedindecision。
\"Ain’tamangotarighttohisartisticfeelin’s?\"ArizonaJackdemanded。\"IgaveFergusonwarnin’。Itwasviolatin’myownnaturetogoonlisteningtohislittlebirds。Why,there’smusicsharpsthatfine-strungan’keyed-upthey’dkillforheapsless’nIdid。
I’mwillin’topayforhavin’artisticfeelin’s。Icantakemymedicinean’lickthespoon,butthreedays’grubisdrawin’itashadefine,that’sall,an’Iherebyregistermykick。Goonwiththefuneral。\"
O’Brienwasstillwavering。HeglancedinquiringlyatMuclucCharley。
\"Ishouldsay,Judge,thatthreedays’grubwasamitesevere,\"thelattersuggested;\"butyou’rerunnin’theshow。Whenweelectedyoujudgeofthisheretrialcourt,weagreedtoabidebyyourdecisions,an’we’vedoneit,too,b’gosh,an’we’regoin’tokeepondoin’it。\"
\"MebbeI’vebeenatrifleharsh,Jack,\"O’Briensaidapologetically——
\"I’mthatworkedupoverthosekillings;an’I’mwillingtomakeitaweek’sgrub。\"Heclearedhisthroatmagisteriallyandlookedbrisklyabouthim。\"Andnowwemightaswellgetalongandfinishupthebusiness。Theboat’sready。Yougoandgetthegrub,Leclaire。
We’llsettleforitafterward。\"
ArizonaJacklookedgrateful,and,mutteringsomethingabout\"damnedlittlebirds,\"steppedaboardtheopenboatthatrubbedrestlesslyagainstthebank。Itwasalargeskiff,builtofroughpineplanksthathadbeensawedbyhandfromthestandingtimberofLakeLinderman,afewhundredmilesabove,atthefootofChilcoot。IntheboatwereapairofoarsandArizonaJack’sblankets。Leclairebroughtthegrub,tiedupinaflour-sack,andputitonboard。Ashedidso,hewhispered——\"Igaveyougoodmeasure,Jack。Youdoneitwithprovocation。\"
\"Castheroff!\"ArizonaJackcried。
Somebodyuntiedthepainterandthrewitin。Thecurrentgrippedtheboatandwhirleditaway。Themurdererdidnotbotherwiththeoars,contentinghimselfwithsittinginthestern-sheetsandrollingacigarette。Completingit,hestruckamatchandlightedup。Thosethatwatchedonthebankcouldseethetinypuffsofsmoke。Theyremainedonthebanktilltheboatswungoutofsightaroundthebendhalfamilebelow。Justicehadbeendone。
ThedenizensofRedCowimposedthelawandexecutedsentenceswithoutthedelaysthatmarkthesoftnessofcivilization。TherewasnolawontheYukonsavewhattheymadeforthemselves。Theywerecompelledtomakeitforthemselves。ItwasinanearlydaythatRedCowflourishedontheYukon——1887——andtheKlondikeanditspopulousstampedeslayintheunguessedfuture。ThemenofRedCowdidnotevenknowwhethertheircampwassituatedinAlaskaorintheNorth-
westTerritory,whethertheydrewbreathunderthestarsandstripesorundertheBritishflag。Nosurveyorhadeverhappenedalongtogivethemtheirlatitudeandlongitude。RedCowwassituatedsomewherealongtheYukon,andthatwassufficientforthem。Sofarasflagswereconcerned,theywerebeyondalljurisdiction。Sofarasthelawwasconcerned,theywereinNo-Man’sland。
Theymadetheirownlaw,anditwasverysimple。TheYukonexecutedtheirdecrees。SometwothousandmilesbelowRedCowtheYukonflowedintoBeringSeathroughadeltaahundredmileswide。Everymileofthosetwothousandmileswassavagewilderness。Itwastrue,wherethePorcupineflowedintotheYukoninsidetheArcticCircletherewasaHudsonBayCompanytradingpost。Butthatwasmanyhundredsofmilesaway。Also,itwasrumouredthatmanyhundredsofmilesfartheronthereweremissions。Thislast,however,wasmerelyrumour;themenofRedCowhadneverbeenthere。TheyhadenteredthelonelandbywayofChilcootandthehead-watersoftheYukon。
ThemenofRedCowignoredallminoroffences。Tobedrunkanddisorderlyandtousevulgarlanguagewerelookeduponasnaturalandinalienablerights。ThemenofRedCowwereindividualists,andrecognizedassacredbuttwothings,propertyandlife。Therewerenowomenpresenttocomplicatetheirsimplemorality。Therewereonlythreelog-cabinsinRedCow——themajorityofthepopulationoffortymenlivingintentsorbrushshacks;andtherewasnojailinwhichtoconfinemalefactors,whiletheinhabitantsweretoobusydigginggoldorseekinggoldtotakeadayoffandbuildajail。
Besides,theparamountquestionofgrubnegativedsuchaprocedure。
Wherefore,whenamanviolatedtherightsofpropertyorlife,hewasthrownintoanopenboatandstarteddowntheYukon。Thequantityofgrubhereceivedwasproportionedtothegravityoftheoffence。
Thus,acommonthiefmightgetasmuchastwoweeks’grub;anuncommonthiefmightgetnomorethanhalfofthat。Amurderergotnogrubatall。Amanfoundguiltyofmanslaughterwouldreceivegrubforfromthreedaystoaweek。AndMarcusO’Brienhadbeenelectedjudge,anditwashewhoapportionedthegrub。Amanwhobrokethelawtookhischances。TheYukonswepthimaway,andhemightormightnotwintoBeringSea。Afewdays’grubgavehimafightingchance。Nogrubmeantpracticallycapitalpunishment,thoughtherewasaslimchance,alldependingontheseasonoftheyear。
HavingdisposedofArizonaJackandwatchedhimoutofsight,thepopulationturnedfromthebankandwenttoworkonitsclaims——allexceptCurlyJim,whorantheonefarolayoutinalltheNorthlandandwhospeculatedinprospect-holesonthesides。Twothingshappenedthatdaythatweremomentous。InthelatemorningMarcusO’Brienstruckit。Hewashedoutadollar,adollarandahalf,andtwodollars,fromthreesuccessivepans。Hehadfoundthestreak。
CurlyJimlookedintothehole,washedafewpanshimself,andofferedO’Briententhousanddollarsforallrights——fivethousandindust,and,inlieuoftheotherfivethousand,ahalfinterestinhisfarolayout。O’Brienrefusedtheoffer。Hewastheretomakemoneyoutoftheearth,hedeclaredwithheat,andnotoutofhisfellow-
men。Andanyway,hedidn’tlikefaro。Besides,heappraisedhisstrikeatawholelotmorethantenthousand。
Thesecondeventofmomentoccurredintheafternoon,whenSiskiyouPearlyranhisboatintothebankandtiedup。HewasfreshfromtheOutside,andhadinhispossessionafour-months-oldnewspaper。
Furthermore,hehadhalfadozenbarrelsofwhisky,allconsignedtoCurlyJim。ThemenofRedCowquitwork。Theysampledthewhisky——
atadollaradrink,weighedoutonCurly’sscales;andtheydiscussedthenews。Andallwouldhavebeenwell,hadnotCurlyJimconceivedanefariousscheme,whichwas,namely,firsttogetMarcusO’Briendrunk,andnext,tobuyhisminefromhim。
Thefirsthalfoftheschemeworkedbeautifully。Itbeganintheearlyevening,andbynineo’clockO’Brienhadreachedthesingingstage。HeclungwithonearmaroundCurlyJim’sneck,andevenessayedthelatelamentedFerguson’ssongaboutthelittlebirds。Heconsideredhewasquitesafeinthis,whatofthefactthattheonlymanincampwithartisticfeelingswaseventhenspeedingdowntheYukononthebreastofafive-milecurrent。
Butthesecondhalfoftheschemefailedtoconnect。Nomatterhowmuchwhiskywaspoureddownhisneck,O’Briencouldnotbebroughttorealizethatitwashisboundenandfriendlydutytosellhisclaim。
Hehesitated,itistrue,andtremblednowandagainonthevergeofgivingin。Insidehismuddledhead,however,hewaschucklingtohimself。HewasuptoCurlyJim’sgame,andlikedthehandsthatwerebeingdealthim。Thewhiskywasgood。Itcameoutofonespecialbarrel,andwasaboutadozentimesbetterthanthatintheotherfivebarrels。
SiskiyouPearlywasdispensingdrinksinthebar-roomtotheremainderofthepopulationofRedCow,whileO’BrienandCurlyhadouttheirbusinessorgyinthekitchen。ButtherewasnothingsmallaboutO’Brien。Hewentintothebar-roomandreturnedwithMuclucCharleyandPercyLeclaire。
\"Business’sociatesofmine,business’sociates,\"heannounced,withabroadwinktothemandaguilelessgrintoCurly。\"Alwaystrusttheirjudgment,alwaystrust’em。They’reallright。Give’emsomefire-water,Curly,an’le’stalkitover。\"
Thiswasringingin;butCurlyJim,makingaswiftrevaluationoftheclaim,andrememberingthatthelastpanhewashedhadturnedoutsevendollars,decidedthatitwasworththeextrawhisky,evenifitwassellingintheotherroomatadollaradrink。
\"I’mnotlikelytoconsider,\"O’Brienwashiccoughingtohistwofriendsinthecourseofexplainingtothemthequestionatissue。
\"Who?Me?——sellfortenthousanddollars!Noindeed。I’lldigthegoldmyself,an’thenI’mgoin’downtoGod’scountry——SouthernCalifornia——that’stheplaceformetoendmydeclinin’days——an’
thenI’llstart……asIsaidbefore,thenI’llstart……whatdidIsayIwasgoin’tostart?\"
\"Ostrichfarm,\"MuclucCharleyvolunteered。
\"Sure,justwhatI’mgoin’tostart。\"O’BrienabruptlysteadiedhimselfandlookedwithaweatMuclucCharley。\"Howdidyouknow?
Neversaidso。Jes’thoughtIsaidso。You’reamin’reader,Charley。Le’shaveanother。\"
CurlyJimfilledtheglassesandhadthepleasureofseeingfourdollars’worthofwhiskydisappear,onedollar’sworthofwhichhepunishedhimself——O’Brieninsistedthatheshoulddrinkasfrequentlyashisguests。
\"Bettertakethemoneynow,\"Leclaireargued。\"Takeyoutwoyearstodigitoutthehole,an’allthattimeyoumightbehatchin’teenylittlebabyostrichesan’pullingfeathersoutthebigones。\"
O’Brienconsideredthepropositionandnoddedapproval。CurlyJimlookedgratefullyatLeclaireandrefilledtheglasses。
\"Holdonthere!\"splutteredMuclucCharley,whosetonguewasbeginningtowaglooselyandtripoveritself。\"Asyourfatherconfessor——thereIgo——asyourbrother——Ohell!\"Hepausedandcollectedhimselfforanotherstart。\"Asyourfrien’——businessfrien’,Ishouldsay,Iwouldsuggest,rather——Iwouldtaketheliberty,asitwas,tomention——Imean,suggest,thattheremaybemoreostriches……Ohell!\"Hedownedanotherglass,andwentonmorecarefully。\"WhatI’mdrivin’atis……whatamIdrivin’at?\"
Hesmotethesideofhisheadsharplyhalfadozentimeswiththeheelofhispalmtoshakeuphisideas。\"Igotit!\"hecriedjubilantly。\"Supposenthere’sslathersmore’ntenthousanddollarsinthathole!\"
O’Brien,whoapparentlywasallreadytoclosethebargain,switchedabout。
\"Great!\"hecried。\"Splen’didea。Neverthoughtofitallbymyself。\"HetookMuclucCharleywarmlybythehand。\"Goodfrien’!
Good’s’ciate!\"HeturnedbelligerentlyonCurlyJim。\"Maybehundredthousanddollarsinthathole。Youwouldn’trobyouroldfrien’,wouldyou,Curly?Courseyouwouldn’t。Iknowyou——better’nyourself,better’nyourself。Le’shaveanother:We’regoodfrien’s,allofus,Isay,allofus。\"
Andsoitwent,andsowentthewhisky,andsowentCurlyJim’shopesupanddown。NowLeclairearguedinfavourofimmediatesale,andalmostwonthereluctantO’Brienover,onlytolosehimtothemorebrilliantcounter-argumentofMuclucCharley。Andagain,itwasMuclucCharleywhopresentedconvincingreasonsforthesaleandPercyLeclairewhoheldstubbornlyback。AlittlelateritwasO’Brienhimselfwhoinsistedonselling,whilebothfriends,withtearsandcurses,strovetodissuadehim。Themorewhiskeytheydowned,themorefertileofimaginationtheybecame。Foronesoberproorcontheyfoundascoreofdrunkenones;andtheyconvincedoneanothersoreadilythattheywereperpetuallychangingsidesintheargument。
ThetimecamewhenbothMuclucCharleyandLeclairewerefirmlysetuponthesale,andtheygleefullyobliteratedO’Brien’sobjectionsasfastasheenteredthem。O’Briengrewdesperate。Heexhaustedhislastargumentandsatspeechless。Helookedpleadinglyatthefriendswhohaddesertedhim。HekickedMuclucCharley’sshinsunderthetable,butthatgracelessheroimmediatelyunfoldedanewandmostlogicalreasonforthesale。CurlyJimgotpenandinkandpaperandwroteoutthebillofsale。O’Briensatwithpenpoisedinhand。
\"Le’shaveonemore,\"hepleaded。\"OnemorebeforeIsignawayahundredthousan’dollars。\"
CurlyJimfilledtheglassestriumphantly。O’Briendownedhisdrinkandbentforwardwithwobblingpentoaffixhissignature。Beforehehadmademorethanablot,hesuddenlystartedup,impelledbytheimpactofanideacollidingwithhisconsciousness。Hestooduponhisfeetandswayedbackandforthbeforethem,reflectinginhisstartledeyesthethoughtprocessthatwastakingplacebehind。Thenhereachedhisconclusion。Abenevolentradiancesuffusedhiscountenance。Heturnedtothefarodealer,tookhishand,andspokesolemnly。
\"Curly,you’remyfrien’。There’smyhan’。Shake。Ol’man,Iwon’tdoit。Won’tsell。Won’trobafrien’。Noson-of-a-gunwilleverhavechancetosayMarcusO’Brienrobbedfrien’causefrien’wasdrunk。You’redrunk,Curly,an’Iwon’trobyou。Jes’hadthought——
neverthoughtitbefore——don’tknowwhatthematter’ithme,butneverthoughtitbefore。Suppose,jes’suppose,Curly,myol’
frien’,jes’supposethereain’ttenthousan’inwholedamnclaim。
You’dberobbed。No,sir;won’tdoit。MarcusO’Brienmakesmoneyoutofthegroun’,notoutofhisfrien’s。\"
PercyLeclaireandMuclucCharleydrownedthefarodealer’sobjectionsinapplauseforsonobleasentiment。TheyfelluponO’Brienfromeitherside,theirarmslovinglyabouthisneck,theirmouthssofullofwordstheycouldnothearCurly’soffertoinsertaclauseinthedocumenttotheeffectthatifthereweren’ttenthousandintheclaimhewouldbegivenbackthedifferencebetweenyieldandpurchaseprice。Thelongertheytalkedthemoremaudlinandthemorenoblethediscussionbecame。Allsordidmotiveswerebanished。TheywereatrioofphilanthropistsstrivingtosaveCurlyJimfromhimselfandhisownphilanthropy。Theyinsistedthathewasaphilanthropist。Theyrefusedtoacceptforamomentthattherecouldbefoundoneignoblethoughtinalltheworld。Theycrawledandclimbedandscrambledoverhighethicalplateauxandranges,ordrownedthemselvesinmetaphysicalseasofsentimentality。
CurlyJimsweatedandfumedandpouredoutthewhisky。Hefoundhimselfwithascoreofargumentsonhishands,notoneofwhichhadanythingtodowiththegold-minehewantedtobuy。Thelongertheytalkedthefartherawaytheygotfromthatgold-mine,andattwointhemorningCurlyJimacknowledgedhimselfbeaten。Onebyoneheledhishelplessguestsacrossthekitchenfloorandthrustthemoutside。
O’Briencamelast,andthethree,witharmslockedformutualaid,titubatedgravelyonthestoop。
\"Goodbusinessman,Curly,\"O’Brienwassaying。\"Mustsaylikeyourstyle——finean’generous,free-handedhospital……hospital……
hospitality。Credittoyou。Nothin’base’ngraspin’inyourmake-
up。AsIwassayin’——\"
Butjustthenthefarodealerslammedthedoor。
Thethreelaughedhappilyonthestoop。Theylaughedforalongtime。ThenMuclucCharleyessayedspeech。
\"Funny——laughedsohard——ain’twhatIwanttosay。Myideais……
whatwashit?Oh,gotit!Funnyhowideasslip。Elusiveidea——
chasin’elusiveidea——greatsport。Everchaserabbits,Percy,myfrien’?Ihaddog——greatrabbitdog。Whash’isname?Don’tknowname——neverhadnoname——forgetname——elusivename——chasin’elusivename——no,idea——elusiveidea,butgotit——whatIwanttosaywas——O
hell!\"
Thereaftertherewassilenceforalongtime。O’Brienslippedfromtheirarmstoasittingpostureonthestoop,wherehesleptgently。
MuclucCharleychasedtheelusiveideathroughallthenooksandcranniesofhisdrowningconsciousness。Leclairehungfascinateduponthedelayedutterance。Suddenlytheother’shandsmotehimontheback。
\"Gotit!\"MuclucCharleycriedinstentoriantones。
TheshockofthejoltbrokethecontinuityofLeclaire’smentalprocess。
\"Howmuchtothepan?\"hedemanded。
\"Pannothin’!\"MuclucCharleywasangry。\"Idea——gotit——gotleg-
hold——ranitdown。\"
Leclaire’sfacetookonarapt,admiringexpression,andagainhehungupontheother’slips。
\"……Ohell!\"saidMuclucCharley。
Atthismomentthekitchendooropenedforaninstant,andCurlyJimshouted,\"Gohome!\"
\"Funny,\"saidMuclucCharley。\"Shameidea——veryshameasmine。Le’sgohome。\"
TheygatheredO’Brienupbetweenthemandstarted。MuclucCharleybeganaloudthepursuitofanotheridea。Leclairefollowedthepursuitwithenthusiasm。ButO’Briendidnotfollowit。Heneitherheard,norsaw,norknewanything。Hewasamerewobblingautomaton,supportedaffectionatelyandprecariouslybyhistwobusinessassociates。
TheytookthepathdownbythebankoftheYukon。Homedidnotliethatway,buttheelusiveideadid。MuclucCharleygiggledovertheideathathecouldnotcatchfortheedificationofLeclaire。TheycametowhereSiskiyouPearly’sboatlaymooredtothebank。Theropewithwhichitwastiedranacrossthepathtoapinestump。
Theytrippedoveritandwentdown,O’Brienunderneath。Afaintflashofconsciousnesslightedhisbrain。Hefelttheimpactofbodiesuponhisandstruckoutmadlyforamomentwithhisfists。
Thenhewenttosleepagain。Hisgentlesnorearoseontheair,andMuclucCharleybegantogiggle。
\"Newidea,\"hevolunteered,\"brandnewidea。Jes’caughtit——notroubleatall。Camerightupan’Ipatteditonthehead。It’smine。’Brien’sdrunk——beashlydrunk。Shame——damnshame——learn’mlesshon。TrashPearly’sboat。Put’BrieninPearly’sboat。Cashtoff——lethergodownYukon。’Brienwakeupinmornin’。Currenttoostrong——can’trowboat’gainstcurrent——mushwalkback。Comebackmadder’nhatter。Youan’meheadin’fortalltimber。Learn’mlesshonjes’shame,learn’mlesshon。\"
SiskiyouPearly’sboatwasempty,saveforapairofoars。ItsgunwalerubbedagainstthebankalongsideofO’Brien。Theyrolledhimoverintoit。MuclucCharleycastoffthepainter,andLeclaireshovedtheboatoutintothecurrent。Then,exhaustedbytheirlabours,theylaydownonthebankandslept。
NextmorningallRedCowknewofthejokethathadbeenplayedonMarcusO’Brien。Thereweresometallbetsastowhatwouldhappentothetwoperpetratorswhenthevictimarrivedback。Intheafternoonalookoutwasset,sothattheywouldknowwhenhewassighted。
Everybodywantedtoseehimcomein。Buthedidn’tcome,thoughtheysatuptillmidnight。Nordidhecomenextday,northenext。RedCowneversawMarcusO’Brienagain,andthoughmanyconjectureswereentertained,nocertaincluewasevergainedtodispelthemysteryofhispassing。
OnlyMarcusO’Brienknew,andhenevercamebacktotell。Heawokenextmorningintorment。Hisstomachhadbeencalcinedbytheinordinatequantityofwhiskyhehaddrunk,andwasadryandragingfurnace。Hisheadachedallover,insideandout;and,worsethanthat,wasthepaininhisface。Forsixhourscountlessthousandsofmosquitoeshadfeduponhim,andtheirungratefulpoisonhadswollenhisfacetremendously。Itwasonlybyasevereexertionofwillthathewasabletoopennarrowslitsinhisfacethroughwhichhecouldpeer。Hehappenedtomovehishands,andtheyhurt。Hesquintedatthem,butfailedtorecognizethem,sopuffedweretheybythemosquitovirus。Hewaslost,orrather,hisidentitywaslosttohim。Therewasnothingfamiliarabouthim,which,byassociationofideas,wouldcausetoriseinhisconsciousnessthecontinuityofhisexistence。Hewasdivorcedutterlyfromhispast,fortherewasnothingabouthimtoresurrectinhisconsciousnessamemoryofthatpast。Besides,hewassosickandmiserablethathelackedenergyandinclinationtoseekafterwhoandwhathewas。
Itwasnotuntilhediscoveredacrookinalittlefinger,causedbyanunsetbreakageofyearsbefore,thatheknewhimselftobeMarcusO’Brien。Ontheinstanthispastrushedintohisconsciousness。