THE BEAR WOMAN
By LELA OMAN
Ootoyuke was a very extraordin
ary woman. “I was a bear in the
other life, she always said and
explained why she was very
strong and had a palm an ordin
ary woman could spread both her
hands on. She was broad and al
ways shuffled about on short legs.
Her deep voice rumbled from a
great chest whenever she uttered
a word—which was very seldom.
She was one of Koak’s five wo
men whom he chose for beau
ty, grace and kindly dispositions.
When it came to a question of
Ootoyuke, one could not say that
she was a romantic figure. She
was a widow with a married
daughter whom she adored and
went to live with often.
During hunting seasons Koak
always insisted that she come
along. When she was with them
he noticed that they ran across
many game. When he went to
Kotzebue he was sure to be lucky I
at trading. He always bought two
large bundles of sue-mock (Rus
sian tobacco), one for Ootoyuke
and one for himself. Other wives
chewed whenever Koak and Oot
oyuke got motions to pass a little
around.
Occasions presented themselves
to prove that she was from a bear
family. Once when all the wives !
were out berry picking a bear
chased them. The women scram- ,
bled into their canoes and raced
for home. Upon reaching home
they realized that Ootoyuke was
not with them. Men with spears, j
bows and arrows went to inves- j
tigate. They found Ootoyuke pick- J
ing up salmon berries that the j
bear had caused to drop from the
short stems.
“Old-big-pants had no business
making salmon berries fall. They
are harder to pick when they are
on the ground,” she complained.
“What did you do when the
bear came so close as that?” some
one had asked.
“Why, I just clapped my hands,
like this.” She clapped her hands
together after setting down her
bucket and the large fur mitt she
always wore on her left hand.
“When the bear saw that he could
not scare me he just turned on his
heel and left.”
“You were just lucky he did not
maul you.” To this Ootoyuke j
I
Nome Laundry .
J
& Cleaners
CALL MAIN 29
I
FOR PICKUP
Joe Amarok. Proprietor
1 I __ j
. shrugged her great shoulders and
resumed her task.
Another incident that was well
told took place on the side of a
hill where the undergrowth was
thick and the footpath was nar
row. Other women took refuge in
the thick brush and trees when
they met a bear. Ootoyuke, with
her large birchbark basket heavy
with berries on her back, could
not do the same. Clumsy and
heavy, she was a barrier which
the attacking bear met.
Driven into fierce anger by the
women’s screams of terror, the
bear was coming on to attack
Ootoyuke. She thrust the tip of
her large cane, a good-sized sap
ling she always carried to balance
herself, into her large fur mitt,
and as the bear came on with an
open mouth in a furious growl,
she with all her strength rammed
the pole and mitt down the bear’s
throat. She held the end, with her
strength that matched the bear’s.
This was no trial to her. The bear
clawed the pole but the mitt was
secure in his windpipe. His speed
was so great as he came for the
attack that it had caused a sicken
ing choke which killed him.
The night came on with but the
wild animals and a soft breeze
disturbing its,silence as Ootoyuke
guarded her bear. She had not
wanted other bears to ruin its
skin that she could use for a rug.
The August night was black and
long, with stars twinkling be
witchingly as she waited for the
morning that was sure to bring
help. Just before the darkness
turned into twilight she snuggled
against the shaggy fur of the bear
and rested.
Soon she was awakened by the
cry of excited birds. Somewhere
not far from her another bear
splashed in crossing the Kobuk
River. Before it gained the oppo
site shore it breathed loudly
through its great nostrils. It had
caught her scent or that of the
ones coming for her delayed res
cue, for soon after she heard many
paddles go plop-plop in the water.
Her keen sense of hearing caught
the gurgling noise of the water
made by many paddles.
“She had always been lucky on
her other encounters with the
bears,” Koak lamented, more to
himself than to the men around
him, as they bucked against the
swift current. “She had always
said that she was a bear in the
other life.” Would the bear recog
nize its own kind and spare her?
Other women had ^ related that
they had heard the bear growl,
and one said that she had a
glimpse of it in a blind rage at
tacking Ootoyuke. Did she hear
the screams also? No, but the wil
lows and undergrowth shook as if
there was a terrible struggle,
as if there was a deafening impact
r --
Modern Laundry & Dry Cleaners
FIRST AVE. tt LANES WAY PHONE MAIN 113
EIGHT-HOUR SERVICE
IARCT1C OIL DELIVERY
STOVE OIL FURNACE OIL
Ben Young
We Check Your Tank Regularly
[Office Phone: BLACK 76 Residence: MAIN 52
i i j ..' i in' —■ .
Strip Tease Dancer
With 41-In. Bust
Gets Body Insured
By James Bacon
HOLLYWOOD, (^-General
Motors has more money in the
bank, but no Wall Street corpora
tion can ever hope to match the
capital structure of Tempest
Strong, Incorporated.
Certainly no other corporation
has such well rounded assets.
Tempest Strong is a strip tease
dancer with the kind of figure
that must give Dior frantic frus
tration. She a 41-inch bust.
That makes her different from
most girls. In fact, she’s the kind
of girl who wears a sweater only
when she’s cold Other than make
her itch, a sweater does nothing
else for her.
Draping a $7,500 mink coat on
one arm and a press agent on the
other, the red-haired Miss Storm
breezed into the austere Boston
Room of the Statler Aotel Thurs
day to sign up for one million
dollars worth of body insurance
with Lloyds of London.
Her press agent even produced
a copy of the policy but none of
the 50 male reporters bothered to
look at it.
Miss Storm explained that she
decided to take out the policy
after breaking her ankle in a fall
on stage some months ago at Min
sky’s in Newark, N.J.
The Tempest Storm story is
the kind of success tale that Hora
tio Alger would have loved. Four
years ago she was a pudgy cocktail
waitress in a Los Angeles suburb.
All she had was a 41-inch bust
but with hips to match.
She applied for a $40-a-week
job in the chorus of the Follies
Burlesque Theater in downtown
Los Angeles.
“She weighted 160 pounds and
had straggly black hair,” manager
Bob Biggs recalls. “But I hired her
anyhow because I could see she
had talent.”
Aided by diet and a bumpy
though grinding exercise routine,
her measurements are hips 34,
and waistline 24. The bust still is
41 inches.
“I realize 41-inch busts are a
dime a dozen,” she told a reporter.
“But how many girls can have a
24-inch waist at the same time?”
Then her press agent told in
sotto voce that she was opening
New Year’s Eve at the Follies
Theater for $2,000 a week.
“But,” she added, my managers
will only allow me to keep $150
a week for myself. Now that I’m
incorporated I’m flat all the time.”
of collision by two great bodies.
All the other women offered
vague descriptions, which were
not much to draw hope from.
Whatever the consequences, they
would soon come upon the spot.
Chances were Ootoyuke was still
alive. However slim, this hope
Koak was still clinging to. If she
were dead, at least a bear leaves
part of its spoils for the relatives
to claim and put away, after
which certain rites were carried
as befitting ancient customs.
The scene that they came upon
was in itself a testimony of disas
ter, that is, for the unfortunate
bear. There he lay with a long
pole protruding from its mouth.
Neck unnaturally bulging.
“My mitten is in its throat,”
Ootovpke offered as explanation.
(To Be Continued
[Make Do]
I
AP ISewsfeatures
PAINT can be prevented from
accumulating in the lip of a
paint can by punching several
holes in the lip with a nail.
The holes will be sealed when
the lid is replaced.
Handwriting on the wall usually
means there’s a child in the fam
ily.
Sales management reports that
the dime isn’t really worthless. It
still makes a fairly good screw
driver.
in series of DOCTORS’ TESTS
90% CASES OF PILES’
PAIN RELIEVED!
1 vcw 5tainles1T\5? of cases
■ FORM now ALSO «»““£* P“»
! a \/ iff a d t r i tested by doctors
L.AVA,LABLE.—\— amazing Pazo
Ointment stopped bleeding, re
duced swelling, healed cracking...
WITHOUT SURGERY! Pain was
stopped or materially reduced.
Pazo acts to soothe, relieve itching
instantly. In tubes, also modern
Suppositories. Get Pazo® at drug
gists for wonderful fast relief.
Fine Job Printing al The Nuggei
GLUE POT
Soda Fountain
CIGARS, CIGARETS
TOBACCO
CANDY !
FRESH ICE CREAM
EVERY DAY
.—............. ....
Awake my soul in joyful lays Isa. 51:9
And sing thy great Redemmer's praise. Isa. 12
He justly claims a song from me. Col. 3:16
His loving kindness, oh, how free! Jer. 9:24
Paid Adv.
WINTER SCHEDULE
NOME TO FAIRBANKS
MONDAY, TUESDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY
i 1
NOME TO KOTZEBUE
TUESDAY AND SATURDAY
BUSH FLIGHT FRIDAY
NOME TO DEERING, CANDLE,
BUCKLAND AND KOTZEBUE