A Woman who went to Alaska

started for Dawson. They were young, hopeful, ambitious and handsome. They owned a town lot in the city, but they had not t

ow them more than a trifle above necessary living expenses, and they could see them

eemed to them at the moment the most lucrative labor of which they were capable. They were fitted for laundry w

with the result that at the end of a year their bank account was not insignificant, they owned se

the famous camp, there trickled numerous fresh water springs, pure and cold when they left their sequestered sources among

a shadow, like a huge black bird of ill omen, suddenly hovered above the camp, sending a shudder through its entire length. A tiny germ, so small as to pass unnoticed and unheeded by, and yet

their number, being perhaps less strong, or more weary from work to which she had been unaccustomed, and more su

now reached Dawson. One sister had been persuaded by a member of the Dawson Bar t

e original four, though there

aily increased, and it was stated by reliable steamer men fro

r business was arranged, sales made, gold claims placed in charge of

d for St. Michael. People leaving Dawson by boat in the fall seldom linger beyond the third or fourth wee

g the following days on board an acquaintance sprung up which I much enjoyed. Little did we know that this friendship would afterwards

tree was to be seen. Not a rock under whose friendly shelter one might hide from the storms. There was almost no lumber in the camp with which to build houses, and no incoming steamers expected. A few rude shacks, tents and saloons, with two or three companies' buildings-of these was the town composed. Many were rushing for the stea

stricken down. For days she raved in delirium, and all feared she would die. Night and day they watched anxiously by her bedside. Everything was done fo

om the lovely head in obedience to the doctor's orders. But the little sist

s raged outside the little cabin, and the sun retreated farther from the A

he sisters erected a store building and warehouse on the beach near by. Into the latter they moved temporarily

On her lips she wore the same sweet, old smiles, however, and I knew her well by these. Since her recovery from the fever the hands of the sisters had not been idle, and they had become expert at sewing furs. This had kept them busy as be

and dreary winter from the home of these sweet and Christian women, no account

iately, which pleased me well, as I should then have a little time to look f

at me when I had stopped him on the street and asked for work in hi

sure we can please you. My friend is an extra good cook,

," he r

wages,

swered the gentleman whose two gold claims on famous

e district. Mr. A., a former Swedish missionary at Golovin Bay, had, with his doctor brother, voyaged to Nome on the

Eskimos. His mission was stationed at Golovin Bay, and he notified the Swedes, Brynteson, Hagalin, Lindbloom and Linderberg, who in turn saw G. W. Price and induced him to go with them, as he was the

y before they returned to the mines at Council

out of the creek bed from a cut five feet to bedrock for twenty hours amounted to fourteen thousand dollars in gold dust. The men shovelled all the gravel from th

ent that this claim produced four h

for Anvil Creek was all good, there being no really "poor dirt" in it, and number

claim, the monotony of bread making and dish washing to be varied by the new an

y. Along the river's edge and the beach near by many were digging and panning in the sands searching for "colors." Dog-teams were hauling freight and baggage, with their swearing and perspiring drivers at their heels, and while the big black-snake whips fl

tent leaked badly, as it had been hastily pitched, and the snow melted as it fell. Small rivers of water were soon drop

m town. Presently, to our great joy, we saw him coming with a loaded dog-team of freight, and best of all, with a man friend to assist him, whose strong arms and broad shoulders were well fitted to tent pitching. Hastily the cart was unloaded and the large canvas tent

of the small tent, with the exception of canned goods and such things as water would not injure. The sands were clean but wet, and if we were thankful for a stout canvas cover over

e the surf in roaring rage upon the beach. How thankful we were that we had chosen this spot instead of one directly in reach of the great rollers with their mist and spray; though we had the roar a

heartily eaten by all, including the visiting friend from Sitka who had assisted. A low box was used

enings, and we be left without any protection whatever. The ropes and stakes had frequently to be looked after and made

we rolled ourselves in our blankets and dozed on the rugs close to the oil stoves. For an hour I lay uneasily dreamin

ere so many are camped. A. wishes herself home again. People around our tent all night were talking, moving, afraid of the storm, but the big ships are still here and they would put out to sea if it were necessary for their safety. They say we have smallpox in town from the steamer 'Ohio,' and yesterday Mrs. H., who came up on the 'St. Paul,' was reported to be dying from pneumonia. The nurse, Mrs. J

cause there was no gold in the beach sands, but because it was so infinitesimally tiny that they had no means of securing it. No hand rocker, copper plate, nor amalgam had been used with success, neither did any of the myriads of prospective miners bring anything with them which promised better results. Great heaps of machinery called by hope

make more money with us than by taking flyers in wild-cat oil schemes, etc." The poster was illustrated by a huge machine gotten up on the centipede plan; at least, it resembled that hated insect from having attached to its frame two sets of wheels of diffe

useless, and only brought bitter disappointment to their owners. Men had stripped the beach the summer before of all coarse gold which had, perhap

and leave the sands as rich as they had been after long years, perhaps ages of action, and blame could not rightly be attached to any one. Almost without exception, the men who did the cursing were the men who had never been ha

three hundred by fifty feet in size, now sold one-half of it for ten thousand dollars. It is small wonder, then, where "possession is nine points of the l

ened through on the Sandspit, but that was not likely, and he had given us his full and free consent to our camping temporarily there next his lots, we expected to ha

takes were driven he would come quietly in the night and pull them up, so we would find our canvas flapping in the morning breeze when we waked

ng to reserve for my own tent as soon as I succeeded in getting my things from the steamer. This disappointed me much, but I said nothin

A pair of old trousers generally hung by one suspender over a colored shirt, which, the summer before, possibly, had had a wash-tub experience, but not later; his footwear was altogether unmentionable. He was called well-to-do, and there

came a voice at the door. Going forward to enquire what was wan

om the chief

at?" I

ate these premis

reet? Will the other campers a

you shall move immediately. See th

nd saw the marks of a spurious document. It was poorly construct

the aldermen, to put our tents here, and we shal

from captain S.?" h

hief of police that we shall stay here until the captain ord

; neither did we hear any more for some time about moving our tents. It was as I suspected. Mr. S

the obstinate and perverse old man trotted off down town and secured an officer and four soldiers to come and put her off. The officer looked the gr

y has as much right to be here as any one else. What is the matter

as wild with anger. The floor of

etched over the frame, tables and seats provided, a corner partitioned off for a kitchen, dishes placed upon shelves, and they began serving meals. At this juncture I happened in one day just before noon and f

knife from Mary's hand; and when she demurred, I told her

them, feeling that I was of some service, and not heeding the surprised looks of a few ac

my breakfast, and rolling up my sleeves to my elbow

eceived a smile from little Alma. Many a man was glad enough, too, to render such service for a meal or lunch of hot coffee and doughnuts, especially such good, big, motherly ones as Mary made, and there was no lack of men helpers. How t

d cordially, leaving a good-sized bill in it at the same time, saying: "When you get throug

e waters of the little stream gurgled over the soft slate pebbles that strewed its course; but the season so far was a dry one, and more water was needed before much could be done at sluicing. Miners were not happy at the prospect of a dry season, which meant a stoppage of all mining operations, and eagerly scanned the h

y. On the upper end of Number Nine a small new machine called a separator was put in by so

sity, after my work was done I climbed the hill to investigate. The prospectors had left after digging a hole about six feet deep and four square, ev

m of the hole plainly showed, but whether it contained gold I knew not. As yet I was a tenderfoot; but something satisfactory was withou

sums had the summer before been taken, the blue and winding waters of famous Glacier Creek lying just beyond. Walking through the dry, deep tundra over the hills was warm, hard work,

ed, while frequently some rough miner swallowed the lump in his throat or wiped a tear, as he thought of his wife, daughter or sweetheart far away. We were

ght. One pan contained seventy-two dollars and seventy-five cents, one eighty-three dollars and thirty-five cents. Big, fat nuggets already melted into wondrous shapes, but iron rusted, as all A

usand dollars and three of the largest nuggets I ever saw has just been made this evening. Two of the nuggets were long and flat, as large as a tree-toad, and much the shape of one. The men took the first load of gold dust to town-seventy