The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-05-24

quires an entire season. even in q
very small claim. When the gravel 10
deeper than certain amount-say ten
feet-the task Of removing 1t becomes
formidable In this case the pay-d1rt
can sometimes be got at In the winter
season when the gravels are frozen
hard by sinking shafts through those
gravels and drifting along the pay
dirt,
Owing to the difficulty in bringing in
supplies, prices are very high at the
river posts and much higher In the
diggings. The freight alone from the
coast to the diggings costs as h1gh
as fifty cents pound, so that when
one eats potatoes at a 81 a pound ana
bacon at 85 cents g. pound, other things
being in proportion, the cost of living
Is enormous, and even employment at
$40 per day for sixty days out Of the
year will not enable q man to grow
rich very rapidly. Owing to the high
price Of supplies, no claim that does
not pay at least SO day to each man
working can be worked except at a
loss.
Romance has also entered into this
dominion Of Mammon and upright
eousness It has come in the form OF
pretty girl about whom nobody knows,
and yet whom every one loves. She
Is by no means daughter Of the gods,
and is neither divinely tall nor most
divinely fair, but she Is a. sturdy
beauty who works her own claim, and
who. the gossips have it, Is making
money. Not only does she work her
claim but on more than one occasion
has defended it with revolvers. If
there is anything that the miner ad-
nlires, it Is a plucky woman. II there
is aught that he really loves, 1t Is a
pretty girl who seems not to be aware
Of his existence. Pleasant, bright, with
a CHEEKY word for all and q word OF
affection for none. this girl Of the
mines has almost set the diggings by
the ears No man has the slightest
claim upon Annie Graves, as she calls
herself, and If any man alleged that
he did have, it would probably have
tendency to shorten his existence. Miss
Annie is in many respects like unto
the typical Westerner. About the
medium height, she is Of good figure
and carries herself like princess. Her
face is neither oval nor round. AS one
of the red shirted gentry said. Shes
pretty-that's ALL There Is scarcely
a night but what in some one Of the
places where whisky and cards rule,
there Is not quarrel over this young
woman between men who have per-
haps never spoken to her. She Is the
daughter of the diggings and there Is
no man there who would not fight for
her at the drop Of the hat.
AS to her history, she Is entirely
reticent No one knows from whence
she came. The most that anybody can
say is that she simply appeared here
one morning and from that time the
diggings' Inhabitants have been her
slaves. 1t might be thought g. rather
dangerous task for pretty young
woman to go about alone and appar-
emily friendless so far as close friends
are concerned, but the man who would
say an insulting word to Annie Graves
had better turn his thoughts to the
next world, for that is the direction in
which he is sure to go.
So the diggings grow and prosper
and If all goes well there will be no
such things as hard times In our part
Of the world for many long day The
richness Of the Yukon gold fields has
been proved beyond all question.