The Spoilers | Page 7

They had been aboard
three weeks and every heart was aflame with the desire to reach
Nome--to reach it ahead of the pressing horde behind.
What would be the temper of this gold-frenzied army if thrown into
quarantine within sight of their goal? The impatient hundreds would
have to lie packed in their floating prison, submitting to the foul disease.
Long they must lie thus, till a month should have passed after the
disappearance of the last symptom. If the disease recurred sporadically,
that might mean endless weeks of maddening idleness. It might even be
impossible to impose the necessary restraint; there would be violence,
perhaps mutiny.
The fear of the sickness was nothing to Dextry and Glenister, but of
their mine they thought with terror. What would happen in their
absence, where conditions were as unsettled as in this new land; where
titles were held only by physical possession of the premises? During
the long winter of their absence, ice had held their treasure inviolate,
but with the warming summer the jewel they had fought for so wearily
would lie naked and exposed to the first comer. The Midas lay in the
valley of the richest creek, where men had schemed and fought and
slain for the right to inches. It was the fruit of cheerless, barren years of
toil, and if they could not guard it--they knew the result.
The girl interrupted their distressing reflections.
"Don't blame these men, sir," she begged the captain. "I am the only
one at fault. Oh! I HAD to get away. I have papers here that must be
delivered quickly." She laid a hand upon her bosom. "They couldn't be
trusted to the unsettled mail service. It's almost life and death. And I
assure you there is no need of putting me in quarantine. I haven't the
smallpox. I wasn't even exposed to it."

"There's nothing else to do," said Stephens. "I'll isolate you in the deck
smoking-cabin. God knows what these madmen on board will do when
they hear about it, though. They're apt to tear you to shreds. They're
crazy!"
Glenister had been thinking rapidly.
"If you do that, you'll have mutiny in an hour. This isn't the crowd to
stand that sort of thing."
"Bah! Let 'em try it. I'll put 'em down." The officer's square jaws
clicked.
"Maybe so; but what then? We reach Nome and the Health Inspector
hears of small-pox suspects, then we're all quarantined for thirty days;
eight hundred of us. We'll lie at Egg Island all summer while your
company pays five thousand a day for this ship. That's not all. The firm
is liable in damages for your carelessness in letting disease aboard."
"MY CARELESSNESS!" The old man ground his teeth.
"Yes; that's what it amounts to. You'll ruin your owners, all right.
You'll tie up your ship and lose your job, that's a cinch!"
Captain Stephens wiped the moisture from his brow angrily.
"My carelessness! Curse you--you say it well. Don't you realize that I
am criminally liable if I don't take every precaution?" He paused for a
moment, considering. "I'll hand her over to the ship's doctor."
"See here, now," Glenister urged. "We'll be in Nome in a week-- before
the young lady would have time to show symptoms of the disease, even
if she were going to have it--and a thousand to one she hasn't been
exposed, and will never show a trace of it. Nobody knows she's aboard
but we three. Nobody will see her get off. She'll stay in this cabin,
which will be just as effectual as though you isolated her in any other
part of the boat. It will avoid a panic--you'll save your ship and your
company--no one will be the wiser--then if the girl comes down with

small-pox after she gets ashore, she can go to the pest-house and not
jeopardize the health of all the people aboard this ship. You go up
forrad to your bridge, sir, and forget that you stepped in to see old Bill
Dextry this morning. Well take care of this matter all right. It means as
much to us as it does to you. We've GOT to be on Anvil Creek before
the ground thaws or we'll lose the Midas. If you make a fuss, you'll ruin
us all."
For some moments they watched him breathlessly as he frowned in
indecision, then--
"You'll have to look out for the steward," he said, and the girl sank to a
stool while two great tears rolled down her cheeks. The captain's eyes
softened and his voice was gentle as he laid his hand on her head.
"Don't feel hurt over what I said, miss. You see, appearances don't tell
much, hereabouts--most of the pretty ones are no good. They've fooled
me many