"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。

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