Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-13

take the Dyea trail
When the history Of the present ex-
citement is written up, woman's part in
1t will form chapter of special in
terest.
Along the Skaguay trail, I was at
tracted by the sound of an axe in the
wood, and going in its direction, found
there, all alone, slim woman about 20
years old. telling trees and building a
| cabin. took q snap shot picture of
her before she knew Of my presence. She
told me that she and her husband start
| ed for the Klondike, but not being able
to proceed, her husband opened a saloon
till spring, and wished her to serve in
it.
This she positively refused to do but
being willing to do her part in the
struggle, she would build a log cabin
and sell 1t when the rush was on. I
gave her a lift with few logs she had
ready for the wall, and left, feeling that
she was a noble woman and a true
helpmeet. Miss Gerald on the Dyea
trail, was also an object of interest, and
on invitation I visited her and learned
some things of her wonderful life story.
Her tent is large and comfortable, and
in every way she is equipped for the
hardships of the interior. Her outfit is
complete, even to a man servant She
Is about seventy years old, but as hale
and hearty as a woman of thirty, and
a most interesting conversationalist
She moves her camp little by little, as
the weather permits in the direction Of
her destination. Miss Gerald was
reared and educated in New York city;
loved poor lad whom her wealthy fa-
ther would not allow her to marry; the
war of the rebellion called the object of
her hearts devotion to the "tented
field" and he was killed in battle. She
then bade adieu forever to all her peo-
pie and the palatial homes of New
York, for the western frontier. A tent
is her home wherever she may be, and
by running estaurants and trading in
mining stocks, she makes lots OF money.
Rude, rough mining men she prefers to
all others, and though she has been
among them for about thirty years, she
has never been insulted by any one of
them. She has been to all the gold and
silver excitements of the past thirty
years in North and South America, and
when even Cripple Creek grew tame
| and monotonous to her, she resolved to
pitch her tent along the banks of the
| Yukon She would not live in a city
house nor among the sneaking hypo-
critics of civilization again, she said, If
| she were given the whole world. She is
a remarkable woman, and maintains a
/ dignif1ed air in conversation and in her
surroundings which is most pleasing.
Miss McDougall Of Seattle, witnessing
the daily struggle of her poor parents
| to remove a heavy mortgage on their
| home, started to wash and cook for the
miners on the Klondike, but she met
with serious accident two hundred
miles from Lindermanns and is now
| there, laid up, without the aid of a
| doctor or woman's hand. The people
of Skaguay, however, like all frontier
people, are large-hearted and, raising
$400, have just sent an expedition to
bring her back, If alive.
Miss Perkins Of Massachusetts would
not stay behind when her old father re-
solved to go to the Klondike She cut
off her hair, donned mans attire and
roughed it over land and sea with him
| till a claim, and rich one. too, was
staked near Dawson. Claim m-jumpers
tried to scare father and "son" off the
ground, threatening to return at night