The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-29

from New York. Times had been hard
in the East, and the mother, a widow.
saw no apparent escape from the
slough Of despond into which she was
steadily sinking. Like many others,
she looked to the West. and gathering
her little possessions together started
for this place, which she had decided
to make her home.
In the last few years, hard times
had been cruelty hard out here Mrs.
Iessarge found it necessary a year or
two after her arrival to place a mort
gage IN the little cottage which she
had bought with the money she
brought, in order that she and her
young daughter might live. Before
many months that mortgage falls due,
but the smiles Of fortune have not been
in Mrs Lessarge's direction, and she
has no money to pay the debt which
must be settled or cause her to lose her
home.
1t is in pursuit of enough gold to
pay off this mortgage that a young
girl Is today Drawing the perils of the
Klondike in the midst of a horde Of all
sorts and conditions of men and where
the members of the sterner sex con-
slider themselves in dire straits. 'I
suppose" she said the day she boarded
the steamer Mexico that was to con-
vey her to the Yukon, that it will be
very hard. But then" with a pttiful
smile you know that wnen you must
have anything you do not stop to
think of the hardships you may have
to suffer in getting it. I think it is
a great deal better that should have
a hard time for a little while than that
my mother should lose her home. Any
way L am going to try and see what
] can do, and surely if 1 fail I shall
be no worse off than I was before. If
/ succeed in making some money
enough to pay the mortgage, why then
no matter how hard it has been I shall
be SO very happy that it will not mat
ter at ALL
1t is very hard for person I'M
familiar with the necessities of a per-
son undertaking such a trip to under
stand what chances this young woman
Is taking. When she went aboard the
Mexico at Seattle, all she had was con-
tained in her grip which did not weigh
more than forty pounds, and with this
outfit she believed she would reach
and exist in the Klondike gold fields.
She bought a steerage ticket for Dyea.
and she was the only woman in the
part of the vessel.
Fortunately for her, the steward was
a man with a heart and gave her cabin
Accommodations without extra charge
EWord has come to us from some Of
those who have reached here since the
wreck of the Mexico on her return trip
that Miss Lessarge made MANY a
friend during the voyage, and that
when she landed in Dyea there was
more than one among her fellow pas
sengers WHO volunteered to do their
best to see her safely to her destina-
ton. One man said that the general
sentiment was that if the young lady
cared to- she might easily win, more
than fortune in the Klondike.
Miss Lessarge is far from being
girl of the Western type. She would
scarcely weigh more than a hundred
pounds and is rather delicate in ap-
pearance. Few persons indeed would
consider her capable even in remote
degree OF undergoing the hardships
which must fall to the lot of every man
and woman who attempts the overland
, route Miss I4essarge did not go up
ethe Yukon because she did not have
sufficient money to warrant her in