\"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。