WHEREIN A MAN APPEARS
In the lives of countries there are crises where, for a breath,
destinies lie in the laps of the gods and are jumbled, heads or tails.
Thus are marked distinctive cycles like the seven ages of a man, and
though, perhaps, they are too subtle to be perceived at the time, yet,
having swung past the shadowy milestones, the epochs disclose
themselves.
Such a period in the progress of the Far Northwest was the nineteenth
day of July, although to those concerned in the building of this new
empire the day appealed only as the date of the coming of the law. All
Nome gathered on the sands as lighters brought ashore Judge Stillman and
his following. It was held fitting that the _Senator_ should be the ship
to safeguard the dignity of the first court and to introduce Justice
into this land of the wild.
The interest awakened by His Honor was augmented by the fact that he was
met on the beach by a charming girl, who flung herself upon him with
evident delight.
“That’s his niece,” said some one. “She came up on the first
boat--name’s Chester--swell looker, eh?”
Another new-comer attracted even more notice than the limb of the law; a
gigantic, well-groomed man, with keen, close-set eyes, and that
indefinable easy movement and polished bearing that come from
confidence, health, and travel. Unlike the others, he did not dally on
the beach nor display much interest in his surroundings; but, with
purposeful frown strode through the press, up into the heart of the
city. His companion was Struve’s partner, Dunham, a middle-aged, pompous
man. They went directly to the offices of Dunham & Struve, where they
found the white-haired junior partner.
“Mighty glad to meet you, Mr. McNamara,” said Struve. “Your name is a
household word in my part of the country. My people were mixed up in
Dakota politics somewhat, so I’ve always had a great admiration for you
and I’m glad you’ve come to Alaska. This is a big country and we need
big men.”
“Did you have any trouble?” Dunham inquired when the three had adjourned
to a private room.
“Trouble,” said Struve, ruefully; “well, I wonder if I did. Miss Chester
brought me your instructions O. K. and I got busy right off. But, tell
me this--how did you get the girl to act as messenger?”
“There was no one else to send,” answered McNamara. “Dunham intended
sailing on the first boat, but he was detained in Washington with me,
and the Judge had to wait for us at Seattle. We were afraid to trust a
stranger for fear he might get curious and examine the papers. That
would have meant--” He moved his hand eloquently.
Struve nodded. “I see. Does she know what was in the documents?”
“Decidedly not. Women and business don’t mix. I hope you didn’t tell her
anything.”
“No; I haven’t had a chance. She seemed to take a dislike to me for some
reason. I haven’t seen her since the day after she got here.”
“The Judge told her it had something to do with preparing the way for
his court,” said Dunham, “and that if the papers were not delivered
before he arrived it might cause a lot of trouble--litigation, riots,
bloodshed, and all that. He filled her up on generalities till the girl
was frightened to death and thought the safety of her uncle and the
whole country depended on her.”
“Well,” continued Struve, “it’s dead easy to hire men to jump claims and
it’s dead easy to buy their rights afterwards, particularly when they
know they haven’t got any--but what course do you follow when owners go
gunning for you?”
McNamara laughed.
“Who did that?”
“A benevolent, silver-haired old Texan pirate by the name of Dextry.
He’s one half owner in the Midas and the other half mountain-lion; as
peaceable, you’d imagine, as a benediction, but with the temperament of
a Geronimo. I sent Galloway out to relocate the claim, and he got his
notices up in the night when they were asleep, but at 6 A.M. he came
flying back to my room and nearly hammered the door down. I’ve seen
fright in varied forms and phases, but he had them all, with some added
starters.
“‘Hide me out, quick!’ he panted.
“‘What’s up?’ I asked.
“‘I’ve stirred up a breakfast of grizzly bear, small-pox, and sudden
death and it don’t set well on my stummick. Let me in.’
“I had to keep him hidden three days, for this gentle-mannered old
cannibal roamed the streets with a cannon in his hand, breathing fire
and pestilence.”
“Anybody else act up?” queried Dunham.
“No; all the rest are Swedes and they haven’t got the nerve to fight.
They couldn’t lick a spoon if they tried. These other men are different,
though. There are two of them, the old one and a young fellow. I’m a
little afraid to mix it up with them, and if their claim wasn’t the best
in the district, I’d say let it alone.”
“I’ll attend to that,” said McNamara.
Struve resumed:
“Yes, gentlemen, I’ve been working pretty hard and also pretty much in
the dark so far. I’m groping for light. When Miss Chester brought in the
papers I got busy instanter. I clouded the title to the richest placers
in the region, but I’m blamed if I quite see the use of it. We’d be
thrown out of any court in the land if we took them to law. What’s the
game--blackmail?”
“Humph!” ejaculated McNamara. “What do you take me for?”
“Well, it does seem small for Alec McNamara, but I can’t see what else
you’re up to.”
“Within a week I’ll be running every good mine in the Nome district.”
McNamara’s voice was calm but decisive, his glance keen and alert, while
about him clung such a breath of power and confidence that it compelled
belief even in the face of this astounding speech.
In spite of himself, Wilton Struve, lawyer, rake, and gentlemanly
adventurer, felt his heart leap at what the other’s daring implied. The
proposition was utterly past belief, and yet, looking into the man’s
purposeful eyes, he believed.
“That’s big--awful big--_too_ big,” the younger man murmured. “Why, man,
it means you’ll handle fifty thousand dollars a day!”
Dunham shifted his feet in the silence and licked his dry lips.
“Of course it’s big, but Mr. McNamara’s the biggest man that ever came
to Alaska,” he said.
“And I’ve got the biggest scheme that ever came north, backed by the
biggest men in Washington,” continued the politician. “Look here!” He
displayed a type-written sheet bearing parallel lists of names and
figures. Struve gasped incredulously.
“Those are my stockholders and that is their share in the venture. Oh,
yes; we’re incorporated--under the laws of Arizona--secret, of course;
it would never do for the names to get out. I’m showing you this only
because I want you to be satisfied who’s behind me.”
“Lord! I’m satisfied,” said Struve, laughing nervously. “Dunham was with
you when you figured the scheme out and he met some of your friends in
Washington and New York. If he says it’s all right, that settles it. But
say, suppose anything went wrong with the company and it leaked out who
those stockholders are?”
“There’s no danger. I have the books where they will be burned at the
first sign. We’d have had our own land laws passed but for Sturtevant of
Nevada, damn him. He blocked us in the Senate. However, my plan is
this.” He rapidly outlined his proposition to the listeners, while a
light of admiration grew and shone in the reckless face of Struve.
“By heavens! you’re a wonder!” he cried, at the close, “and I’m with you
body and soul. It’s dangerous--that’s why I like it.”
“Dangerous?” McNamara shrugged his shoulders. “Bah! Where is the danger?
We’ve got the law--or rather, we _are_ the law. Now, let’s get to work.”
It seemed that the Boss of North Dakota was no sluggard. He discarded
coat and waistcoat and tackled the documents which Struve laid before
him, going through them like a whirlwind. Gradually he infected the
others with his energy, and soon behind the locked doors of Dunham &
Struve there were only haste and fever and plot and intrigue.
* * * * *
As Helen Chester led the Judge towards the flamboyant, three-storied
hotel she prattled to him light-heartedly. The fascination of a new land
already held her fast, and now she felt, in addition, security and
relief. Glenister saw them from a distance and strode forward to greet
them.
He beheld a man of perhaps threescore years, benign of aspect save for
the eyes, which were neither clear nor steady, but had the trick of
looking past one. Glenister thought the mouth, too, rather weak and
vacillating; but the clean-shaven face was dignified by learning and
acumen and was wrinkled in pleasant fashion.
“My niece has just told me of your service to her,” the old gentleman
began. “I am happy to know you, sir.”
“Besides being a brave knight and assisting ladies in distress, Mr.
Glenister is a very great and wonderful man,” Helen explained, lightly.
“He owns the Midas.”
“Indeed!” said the old man, his shifting eyes now resting full on the
other with a flash of unmistakable interest. “I hear that is a wonderful
mine. Have you begun work yet?”
“No. We’ll commence sluicing day after to-morrow. It has been a late
spring. The snow in the gulch was deep and the ground thaws slowly.
We’ve been building houses and doing dead work, but we’ve got our men on
the ground, waiting.”
“I am greatly interested. Won’t you walk with us to the hotel? I want to
hear more about these wonderful placers.”
“Well, they _are_ great placers,” said the miner, as the three walked on
together; “nobody knows _how_ great because we’ve only scratched at them
yet. In the first place the ground is so shallow and the gold is so easy
to get, that if nature didn’t safeguard us in the winter we’d never dare
leave our claims for fear of ‘snipers.’ They’d run in and rob us.”
“How much will the Anvil Creek mines produce this summer?” asked the
Judge.
“It’s hard to tell, sir; but we expect to average five thousand a day
from the Midas alone, and there are other claims just as good.”
“Your title is all clear, I dare say, eh?”
“Absolutely, except for one jumper, and we don’t take him seriously. A
fellow named Galloway relocated us one night last month, but he didn’t
allege any grounds for doing so, and we could never find trace of him.
If we had, our title would be as clean as snow again.” He said the last
with a peculiar inflection.
“You wouldn’t use violence, I trust?”
“Sure! Why not? It has worked all right heretofore.”
“But, my dear sir, those days are gone. The law is here and it is the
duty of every one to abide by it.”
“Well, perhaps it is; but in this country we consider a man’s mine as
sacred as his family. We didn’t know what a lock and key were in the
early times and we didn’t have any troubles except famine and hardship.
It’s different now, though. Why, there have been more claims jumped
around here this spring than in the whole length and history of the
Yukon.”
They had reached the hotel, and Glenister paused, turning to the girl as
the Judge entered. When she started to follow, he detained her.
“I came down from the hills on purpose to see you. It has been a long
week--”
“Don’t talk that way,” she interrupted, coldly. “I don’t care to hear
it.”
“See here--what makes you shut me out and wrap yourself up in your
haughtiness? I’m sorry for what I did that night--I’ve told you so
repeatedly. I’ve wrung my soul for that act till there’s nothing left
but repentance.”
“It is not that,” she said, slowly. “I have been thinking it over during
the past month, and now that I have gained an insight into this life I
see that it wasn’t an unnatural thing for you to do. It’s terrible to
think of, but it’s true. I don’t mean that it was pardonable,” she
continued, quickly, “for it wasn’t, and I hate you when I think about
it, but I suppose I put myself into a position to invite such actions.
No; I’m sufficiently broad-minded not to blame you unreasonably, and I
think I could like you in spite of it, just for what you have done for
me; but that isn’t all. There is something deeper. You saved my life and
I’m grateful, but you frighten me, always. It is the cruelty in your
strength, it is something away back in you--lustful, and ferocious, and
wild, and crouching.”
He smiled wryly.
“It is my local color, maybe--absorbed from this country. I’ll try to
change, though, if you want me to. I’ll let them rope and throw and
brand me. I’ll take on the graces of civilization and put away revenge
and ambition and all the rest of it, if it will make you like me any
better. Why, I’ll even promise not to violate the person of our
claim-jumper if I catch him; and Heaven knows _that_ means that Samson
has parted with his locks.”
“I think I could like you if you did,” she said, “but you can’t do it.
You are a savage.”
* * * * *
There are no clubs nor marts where men foregather for business in the
North--nothing but the saloon, and this is all and more than a club.
Here men congregate to drink, to gamble, and to traffic.
It was late in the evening when Glenister entered the Northern and
passed idly down the row of games, pausing at the crap-table, where he
rolled the dice when his turn came. Moving to the roulette-wheel, he
lost a stack of whites, but at the faro “lay-out” his luck was better,
and he won a gold coin on the “high-card.” Whereupon he promptly ordered
a round of drinks for the men grouped about him, a formality always
precedent to overtures of general friendship.
As he paused, glass in hand, his eyes were drawn to a man who stood
close by, talking earnestly. The aspect of the stranger challenged
notice, for he stood high above his companions with a peculiar grace of
attitude in place of the awkwardness common in men of great stature.
Among those who were listening intently to the man’s carefully modulated
tones, Glenister recognized Mexico Mullins, the ex-gambler who had given
Dextry the warning at Unalaska. As he further studied the listening
group, a drunken man staggered uncertainly through the wide doors of the
saloon and, gaining sight of the tall stranger, blinked, then approached
him, speaking with a loud voice:
“Well, if ’tain’t ole Alec McNamara! How do, ye ole pirate!”
McNamara nodded and turned his back coolly upon the new-comer.
“Don’t turn your dorsal fin to me; I wan’ to talk to ye.”
McNamara continued his calm discourse till he received a vicious whack
on the shoulder; then he turned for a moment to interrupt his
assailant’s garrulous profanity:
“Don’t bother me. I am engaged.”
“Ye won’ talk to me, eh? Well, I’m goin’ to talk to _you_, see? I guess
you’d listen if I told these people all I know about you. Turn around
here.”
His voice was menacing and attracted general notice. Observing this,
McNamara addressed him, his words dropping clear, concise, and cold:
“Don’t talk to me. You are a drunken nuisance. Go away before something
happens to you.”
Again he turned away, but the drunken man seized and whirled him about,
repeating his abuse, encouraged by this apparent patience.
“Your pardon for an instant, gentlemen.” McNamara laid a large white and
manicured hand upon the flannel sleeve of the miner and gently escorted
him through the entrance to the sidewalk, while the crowd smiled.
As they cleared the threshold, however, he clenched his fist without a
word and, raising it, struck the sot fully and cruelly upon the jaw. His
victim fell silently, the back of his head striking the boards with a
hollow thump; then, without even observing how he lay, McNamara
re-entered the saloon and took up his conversation where he had been
interrupted. His voice was as evenly regulated as his movements,
betraying not a sign of anger, excitement, or bravado. He lit a
cigarette, extracted a note-book, and jotted down certain memoranda
supplied him by Mexico Mullins.
All this time the body lay across the threshold without a sign of life.
The buzz of the roulette-wheel was resumed and the crap-dealer began his
monotonous routine. Every eye was fixed on the nonchalant man at the
bar, but the unconscious creature outside the threshold lay unheeded,
for in these men’s code it behooves the most humane to practise a
certain aloofness in the matter of private brawls.
Having completed his notes, McNamara shook hands gravely with his
companions and strode out through the door, past the bulk that sprawled
across his path, and, without pause or glance, disappeared.
A dozen willing, though unsympathetic, hands laid the drunkard on the
roulette-table, where the bartender poured pitcher upon pitcher of water
over him.
“He ain’t hurt none to speak of,” said a bystander; then added, with
enthusiasm:
“But say! There’s a _man_ in this here camp!”