284 THE UPPER YUKON 



for the entertainment of visitors, completed 

 the equipment of the house. 



The woman's husband goes by the title of 

 ^'Doctor," although he doesn't hang out a sign, 

 nor does he pretend to be a practitioner. Yet 

 he always has a generous stock of medicines 

 on hand in case of need. He is a game-war- 

 den and is known also as a prospector. At 

 any rate, the neighbors say that he is very 

 often months and months away from home. 

 In the meantime, the wife looks after the chil- 

 dren and her household duties, besides acting 

 as the manager of a road house at which an 

 occasional traveler may sometimes ask for 

 food and shelter. She does the cooking, the 

 washing, and the sweeping up of that estab- 

 lishment, and with all of this care and work 

 upon her hands, she is light-hearted and ap- 

 parently contented. Moreover, if any one 

 should be taken suddenly sick, she would be 

 importuned to visit personally one of her own 

 sex, or to prescribe to the best of her judg- 

 ment from her husband's medicine case for 

 one of the opposite sex. Asked when she had 

 last visited her mother's home in Minnesota, 

 she replied, "Not for many years, but I am 

 going home when my husband returns." 

 Sure enough, when we were on our way "out," 



