stefansson-wrangel-09-32-095v

390 THE ADVENTURE OF WRANGEL ISLAND

cooking, washing dishes, and sewing.” December 27th, “The
seamstress is doing very well and is cheerful.”

In the entry for January 10th, 1922, we have: “The woman is
again on a strike, accompanied by a deluge of tears. Why? None
of us know.”

In the entry for January 12th four lines have been erased. In
that for January 14th two and one-half lines have been erased
but the following was not removed: “The weather is warm and
she will be all right. I am sure she is the most stubborn creature
I have ever known.”

On January 17th the diary tells us “The woman is working
fine,” and on January 19th we have this fragment “The seamstress
complains of a headache and when I gave her some ‘Aspirin’
-----------”, after which three and one-half lines have been erased.
Three lines have also been erased from the entry for January 20th.

These erasures by Mr. Noice are the more exasperating and less
defensible because Knight made it plain in the entry for September
29th (quoted above) that he was deliberately putting down the
very things he wanted all men to know about this difficult situa-
tion. Any sympathy with Mr. Noice one might have had on the
ground that he was trying to protect the woman, disappears when
we remember that it was he who first published some of these
things, that he has tried to publish others, and that on the basis
of them he has charged Ada Blackjack in the press with far worse
motives and actions than there is just reason to deduce from any
evidence we have.

From this time on the troubles with Ada Blackjack seem to
have ceased. January 23rd we have, “The woman is working O. K.
to-day.” January 25th, “Woman doing O. K.”

On February 9th, “The woman has been working diligently for
a long time and excepting an occasional spell of crying seems to
be contented.” February 25th, “For the last few days the woman
has been doing all the cooking, dishwashing and scullery work
besides sewing and mending, and doing it very well. She surely
is the most inconsistent body I have ever known.”

There is no further mention of Ada Blackjack until May 27th
when Knight says, “I have not said anything much for a long
time about the seamstress but will take the time now to say that