The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-11-30
James and the KIondyker.

Brete Harte in The independently
Wa woz sittin free-llke ez you and me
IN our camp on the Stainslow,
Round a roarin' fire Of brush and brlar,
stirred up by pitch-pine bough
And Jones OF Yolo had finished his SOLO
on Bilson's prospectin pan
And we all woz gay until Jefferson Gay
KEN i'm with a KlOndike man.
Now 7 most despise low language and
lies as [ used to remark 10 Nye.
mt the soul OF Truth-though he was but
a vouth-lOoked out of the stranger
eye.
And the things he said I had frequent
read in the papers down on me
Bay"
And the words he chosed woz the kind
wots used in the best theayter play.
He talked of SHOWS. and NJ whisky wot
froze I'm the solidest kind of a chuhN'
Which il took lust a pound to so fairy
around when the boys had q hfst-
class drunk
And OF pork that was drilled and win
dynamite filled before 70 would yield
10 a blow
For things will be strange when Their
mometers range 10 sixty degrees be-
low.
How they made soup or hoots-which
the oldest best suits-and a Try
from a dancin shoe,
How I'm Yukon valley corpse de baliy
might get up fine "menoO'
But the regular fare when they'd nothin'
10 spare and had finished their final
mule
Was the harness leather which with hides
went together. though the last didn
count as a rule.
Now an this seemed true. and quite nat
erai. too, and then ne spoke Of the
gold.
And we an s0t up. and rehlled his cup
and this Is the yarn he told
There was gold in heaps-but it's there
it keeps. and will keep 20 the Juds
ment Day.
For it's very rare that n man gets there
and the man that is there must
stay!
It's a thousand miles by them Russian
isles tiu you come onto Fort Get
There"
(Which the same you are not If you'll
look az the spot on the map-that of
gold is bare)
Then a river begins that the Amazon
skins and the big Mississippi knocks
out
For its seventy miles cross its mouth
when it smiles and-you've only
begun your route.
Here Bilson arose with q koerless-like
pose and he g1zed ON that klondiAe
youth
And ne says: "Fair sir do not think I
infer that your words are NOT words
of truth.
But ! simply ask why-since that oll men
must die-your sperrit is wandern
when AT Dawson City-the more's the
plty-you've been frozen up nigh
year"
, "You need not care. for 7 never was
there" said the simple kIondihe
man.
I'm n company Goater and business pro-
moter. and this is my little plan;
chow, Won the dangers 10 which You are
strangers. and now for a small sum
What price YOU expect us-as per this
prospectus-to insure your safe rec
turn"
Then Blson stared and he almost roroi.
but he spoke I'm a calm-lke tone.
sYou'u excuse me for sayiH you re ralu'i
delayin' your chance 20 insure your
own
For we're wavworn and weary your
style isn't CHEEKY. we've had quite
enough OF your game
Rut-what did affect us-he took thar
prospectus and chucked it right into
the flannel
| Then our roarin' fire OF bresh and br1ar
flashed up on the Stanislow,
And Jefferson CLAY went softly away
with that youth with idowncaft
brow.
And Jones Of Yolo repeated his solo on
that still. calm evening air.
And we thought with a shver Of YUKON
River and the fort that was called
Get There"