A Ticket to Adventure / A Mystery Story for Girls

eep, then half-awake murmured dreamily: "A tick

nd had come to her in her sleep, she s

rmured. "Everythi

ept was hard, a mattress on the dock. About her

ska. "Not far now, only a short way by rail. And then-" A thrill ran through her being. They were t

ed beauty of France were not new to her. But Alaska! How she had thrilled at thought of it! She was thinking of all this when, of

strange thing. Sitting bolt upright

with a sigh, she murmured, "Oh! All right. Some other time." At tha

ig girl thought. "Dreaming of

stinct now. "A child crying in the

eping back among the blankets. "It can't be any

the children. Little wonder, for they had that day-hundreds of men, women and children-disembark

are, groceries, shoes, hammers, saws, and clothespins on the dock at Anchorage. Men dashed about searching for tents and baggage. Women sought out los

spread their blankets, they had stretched out on the rough surface of the dock to sle

isten once more, this time more closely. "A strange sort of c

ay across America, then along the coast

me and if possible, a modest fortune. Would they win? With God's help, could they? And was true adventure to be thrown in for good measure? The girl

lled, the cry of a child in the night. Florence dearly lo

get out and hunt h

armth of the blankets, slipped on knickers and

discovered two blanket-wrapped figures. Girls they were, one small, on

asked, striving to keep h

slow, deep tone. "White man dog. Strange

all came by steamboat. There are

st a trembling hand

bad. Not very deep, but dog bites are

water from a thermos bottle into a basin, s

tell her. Tell her it will hurt." She spoke to the older girl, who said some words in her own language to the attentive child. When she had finished, Florence re

tched the child's face. A single tear crept fro

r the moment. Florence knew that. Yet

he North. It is with this spirit that we all must face the trials and dangers that li

tanding erect, hands clenched tight, she sto

e asked, dropping aga

hild

l bind it up tight a

r older sister's side. Her pain gone, her cry stilled, she had f

e felt the slender arms of Mary, her cousin, close about her a

ence told herself. Then, out of sympathy

cold. Yet Florence thrilled at thought of it all. That journey, how it

Country of Michigan. Because she had few relatives and

was no work and, struggle as they mi

was to send two hundred or more families to the rich Matamuska Valley in Alaska. T

orence, who was of true pioneer stock, young, sturd

, and here they were at the seaport of the railr

ly to herself. "Tomorrow, to-"

of tents. Yet, city of tents as it was, it did not lack signs of excitement. This was the great day. On this day the future home owners of this rich valley, surrounded by its snow-capped mountains, were to draw lots for their tracts of land. Some tracts were close to Palmer, some ten or twelve miles away. A few s

g time of waiting in line, Mark approache

heart pause, then go leaping. It meant so much, so ve

ark cupped his hand, then together they

ered tensely. "Here-here is our map. Whe

of disappointment. "Seven miles from tow

ose right in the middle of it waiting to be made into hamburger. But then,"

, a huge man from the western plains, had drawn a tract of land only a half mile from town. He had no cow. The Hughes family o

cried. "Right in t

possession, old Boss. Cows were dear-milk was hardly to be had at any price. "And yet-" she sighed. Long tramps through the deep snow, with a w

der of the two Indian girls Florence had seen and aided back there at the dock in Anchorage. Now the gi

rence whis

girl repeated. "Bye and by

slow, steady, thoughtful, dependable. F

here was a look of uncerta

l," Ramsey McGregor growl

his brow. "What do you say?" he

y," was Florence'

ary swallowed hard. She h

Life had pushed her about so long she was quite willing to

After all, the claim we got is the claim we drew. Looks like G

ed. And so the matter was settled. Somewhere o

se were hitched, not to a sled, for there was no snow, but to a narrow three-wheeled cart equipped with auto wheels. Whence had come those auto

t-scented, low-growing fir and spruce, now watched the pale green and white of quaking asp, and now went rolling over a l

r passing through a wide stretch of timber, t

A lake!" Mary exclai

standing ajar, seemed to say, "Nobody's home. Nobody's been home for many a day." For all that, the gray cabin, built of great, seasoned lo

nt later they stepped in awed silenc

n the corner, a rusted frying pan and a kettle, that was about all. Yet, strangely enough, as Florence tiptoed across the threshold she found hersel

thed deeply. Th

ght, for all they could tell, be waiting. At the

orence bre

" Mary

ey tiptoed out i

she said, spreading her arms wide to take in the ca

s what?" Ma

ed the girl,

e exclaimed.

he girl smiled a happy smile.

ours! And to think, we nearly missed it!" Then, quite wild with joy, she surpris

ded from the edge of the clearing a loud: "Get up! Go 'long there!" and a

cart, shouted, "Whoa, January!" to his shaggy horse,

hem new settlers?

kers had grown for months all untrimmed and whose hair fell to his shoulder

" he asked. Again

maybe-and then again maybe not. There's the clea

ple who once lived here. It's a notion of mine, th

the ones that lived in this cabin. Came here durin' the war. Lot of queer ones in th

rd the cabin. "Big woman. Hard work

Spies, maybe. Government boat at Anchorage just

ce shu

on. "Might come back-Chica

claim the cabin?" Florence was t

e valley, lots of 'em. Folks got discouraged and quit. Raise plenty of things to eat. Can't sell a th

cking to his horse. "Live back there

man gave his shaggy horse a light tap with th

the Indian girl, n

is name?" Florence

irl n

"And did he pick a p

t her until they all bur

ted. Raise anything. Can't sell anything. No market-you want things that don't grow on the ground." Her world seemed to have take

ought at last. "Perhaps that ma