below at that, and my ears freeze terrible willing since that winter
on the Porcupine.

"That evening, when I wasn't looking, he sneaked the locket out of
his shirt and stared at it, famished. Then he kissed it, if you
might rehabilitate such a scandalous, hold-fast-for-the-corner
performance by that name.

"'I must let her know right away,' says he. 'How can I do it?'

"'We can hire a messenger, and send him to Dawson,' says I.
'Everybody in camp will pay five dollars a letter, and he can bring
back the outside mail. They have monthly service from there to the
coast. He'll make the trip in ninety days, so you'll get news from
home by the first of March. Windy Jim will go. He'd leave a good
job and a warm camp any time to hit the trail. Just hitch up the
dogs, crack a whip, and yell 'Mush on!' and he'll get the snow-shoe
itch, and water at the mouth for hardship.'

"Not being house-broke and tame myself, I ain't authority on the joys
of getting mail from home, but, next to it, I judge, comes writing to
your family. Anyhow, the boy shined up like new money, and there was
from one to four million pages in his hurried note. I don't mean to
say that he was grouchy at any time. No, sir! He was the
nickel-plated sunbeam of the whole creek. Why, I've knowed him to do
the cooking for two weeks at a stretch, and never kick--and _wash the
dishes, too_,--which last, as anybody knows, is crucifyin'er than
that smelter test of the three Jews in the Scripture. Underneath all
of his sunshine, though, I saw hints of an awful, aching, devilish,
starvation. It made me near hate the woman that caused it.