meself that bucked it.' That night, while Lon McFane sought the
forgiving arms of the Church in the direction of Father Roubeau's
cabin, Malemute Kid talked long to little purpose.

'But would you,' persisted Mackenzie, 'supposing they had
fought?' 'Have I ever broken my word?' 'No; but that isn't the
point. Answer the question. Would you?' Malemute Kid straightened
up. 'Scruff, I've been asking myself that question ever since,
and--'

'Well?'

'Well, as yet, I haven't found the answer.'



In a Far Country

When a man journeys into a far country, he must be prepared to
forget many of the things he has learned, and to acquire such
customs as are inherent with existence in the new land; he must
abandon the old ideals and the old gods, and oftentimes he must
reverse the very codes by which his conduct has hitherto been
shaped. To those who have the protean faculty of adaptability,
the novelty of such change may even be a source of pleasure; but
to those who happen to be hardened to the ruts in which they were
created, the pressure of the altered environment is unbearable,
and they chafe in body and in spirit under the new restrictions
which they do not understand. This chafing is bound to act and
react, producing divers evils and leading to various misfortunes.