River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-01-07
FALLS WISCONSIN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 1897 ceA2N

insurmountable dislike to the Indians
and never failed TO assume a fight
ing attitude on the approach OF one of
these mem bers Of the first families,
and unless checked by her mistress
quickly ran the intruoer off into some
swampor river.
Bridget was the belle OF the camp,
and had more offers of marriage than
she had fingers. Ned Aylword was the
fortunate bridegroom and we cele-
brated the wedding at Christmas time
in true pioneer fashion. The following
season they both went to the mines
where Aylword ad a claim on
Napoleon Gdlch. Bridget put on
overalls and took her place with her
husband at the sluice boxes. Her
share of the proceeds was the nuggets
in each clean up, and that fall she
showed me sack with 81 900 worth of
the yellow beauties. This year they
went out with dust enough to keep
them in comfor Iable circumstances
the remainder c. 5heir lives.
The second sumner there were half
a dozen more women added to the
population of The camp, several of
them putting or boomers and coming
over the summit with their husbands,
the remainder coming in by steam
boat from the mouth of the river
These were the wives of the managers,
bookkeepers, or clerks connected with
the companies. Some of them had
been accustomed to all the refine
ments and conveniences of a wealthy
home, but never heard one OF them
mGrmur at the rough log cabin or
rude furniture of her surroundings.
Their winter dress was a trying
affair to their gentlemen friends.
They all wore a com bination cloak,
witha hood having facing of swans
down, behind which, somewhere in
the remote recesses was hidden a face
These garments were as like as two
peas in pod, and it was one OF the
hardest mental problems of my life
to remember some popularity of the
garment that would enable me to
address the lady by her proper name.
/ finally got them fixed all right.
Mrs. Healy had some marten trim
ming on the bottom of her cloak. Mrs.
Baldwin had pair of fox tails
dangling from the shoulders, Mrs.
Burril had no trimming at ALL while,
the doctors wife had her cloak cut
with square corners instead of round.
l remember the laugh at my expense,
when, one day, / addressed pretty
Allie Conway as Mrs. Baldwin. l was
Mortified to receive the scathing reply
in rich Irish brogue: "And its a
pretty gintlemon We are, to be calling
a young Teddy o 10, fifty years ould."
"But those fox tails" / stammered.
Faith an do yes suppose there's but
wan pair o. fox tails in all this
country, an Mrs. Baldwin owns
thim?"
Inexpressibly dreary must be the
life of the snlissior Try women at the
lonely missions on the Yukon.
Through nine months they can hold
no communication whatever with the
outside world, and the few newspapers
and magazines they can CLEAN from
the passing stealab boats in the summer
are treasured as little less sacred than
their bible. A little romance con-
nected with one of them may not
prove uninteresting. Miss Mellette
had been brought from England by
Bishop Bompas. When / first met
her she was stationed at the mission
above Forty Mile. There she met
Frank Dinsmore who promptly fellin
love with her. She shyly accepted his
otter and hand in hand they went to
the Bishop for blessing and approval.
But their love dreams were rudely
shattered. The old Bishop en-
phatically denied their suit unless
Dinsmore would pay him 5000 for the
loss of his teacher. This Frank could
not do and Bompas directly shipped
Miss Mellette oil to the Rampant
House on the Porcupine River, 200
miles north of the Arctic Circle. -
Mrs. Provost and her husband at St.
James Mission are planning moving
to Circle City, there to establish a
church and hospital, but for two years
they have seen the steamboats, go by,
refusing to take their effects up the
river, the provisions and liquor, with
which the boats are loaded, being
more profitable to the companies
than would be missionary bibles AMI
hymn-books. FRED ]. CURRIER.