The herald., 1898-03-27

dam!'
A London story goes that q leading novel
ist met an equally leading poet al a party
and, apparently, the two 'Sot on" very
well. Some time after, a friend asked tht
'Ieading" novelist what he thought of tbs
Pleading" poet. "Oh," was the reply, "a
charming man and very gifted writer
Yet to the eye he did not impress one
as I had expected. He lacked the great
brow of a Shakespeare" The friend looked
at the leading" novelist and smiled.
MORE ABOUT KLONDISE
From the entirely unbiased opinions OF
an English traveller, Mr.. H. de Wendt, fell
low of the Royal Geographical society, We
get at some real facts about the gold fields
of Alaska. He treats of the dangers and
The risks of travel mainly. But first lie
treats OF the genera, gold showing as fol-
lows:
at is all over the country, from Sitka
to the Arctic ocean and from Mackenzie
river to the BerinS sea. Up tc row, how
ever, tho Yukon basin has been the CEN
ter of attraction. ard, indeed, there is
scarcely a spot upon its upper waters
where you can wash pan out without
finding some deposit. Tho Yukon river
may (from a mining point OF view be d-
vided into three parts: O The upper sec
tion, In British territory, containing the
Lcwes, Stewart and Klondike rivers and
Forty-Mile City (o) the middle section,
from the American boundary to the Tana-
ma river, comprising Birch creek, other
tributaries Of varying Importance and
Circle City. and (3) the lower section, also
in American territory, down to Bering sea.
The gold taken from the three sections
amounted in 1894 to about G1 900. In 1897
from January to April 1st, the Klondil.e
district alone yielded G1, coo, $50, ana this
although under SOC men were at work.
AS 10 tho weather, Mr.. de Wendt does not
make very discouragirg showing, and
one is again reminded of what Lieutenant
Peary has so often declared, that if men
can be thoroughly well fed and clothed
they can stand the cold of Alaska perfectly
we'll. He says of the climate:
"I know at least a dozen 'old-timers'
who have spent six consecutive years in
the country for the cold has been greatly
exaggerated. Eighty degrees below zero
IS about the severest yet experienced. but
this Is very rare, and here, unlike Canada,
there Is seldom, the wind that makes even
twenty degrees below zero unbearable.
Winter generally commences in October,
(but often much eariier), and the Yukon
IS usually clear of ice by the middle of
May but this Is also uncertain. The snow
fall is not excessive, three feet being con-
sidered deep. The winter days are very
short, there being but two hours between
the rising and setting of the sun but II Is
never pitch dark, and the lovely northern
lights are common. In. summer the tenn
perature often reaches eighty degrees, but
the nights are cool and pleasant. The
days are then twenty hours long, with
twilight the remaining four"
But It is a sad commentary he makes on
the mosquito season:
Until we got more or less accustomed to
the annoyance, conversation, sleep and
even eating were quite out OF the Ques-
tion. I camPed out after Il hard days
work. famished with hunger and yet un-
able to raise mouthful to my lips, ow-
ing to the persistent onslaughts of these
pests. who are, indeed, one Of the greatest
curses of this great northern land. Even
the Indians suffer tortures from May until
September, but their bodies are smeared
G protection denied to the white man. A
Yukon mosquito viii torture dog to death
in a few hours, and frequently drive bear
and deer into the water. There is no rem
edy. We kept a damp rag smolderng all
night i'll the tent, which nearly suffocated
US, but had no effect whatever on our tiny
enemies.''
When a man is so impressed with the
<,f -,
noun "who" in speaking of them. we begin
to understand thelc importance. After all
1t seems that these insects are the things
most to be dreaded in Alaska.
WHAT MADE HER SOLEMN
Mrs. Stantons "Reminiscences" ex-
tracts from which have come to hand,
must have many things of rare interest
Her account of how she felt on a certain
occasion when she expected great things
to be said or thought shows her blunt and
honest way Of putting things:
81 nave felt solemn whenever
I have seen any daughters Of our grand
republic knitting, tatting, embroidering or
occupied with any of the 10000 digital alb
surdities that fill so large a place In the
lives of Ewes daughters
Looking forward to discus
Elons OF all these grand themes in meet
ing the eldest daughter of David and
Martha Wright, niece of Lucrctia Mott
sister-in-law OF William Lloyd Garrison, a
Queenly woman, s feet In height
with glorious black eyes, rivaling even
De StaePs in power and pathos, one can
readily experience my feelings when such
a woman pulled a cotton wash rag from
her pocket and forthwith began to knit
with bowed head. Fixing her eyes and con-
cen'rating her thoughts on a rag one foot
square, it was impossible for conversation
to rise above the wash rag level.
I not only was Solemn that day. but am
profoundly Solemn whenever / think of
that queenly woman and that cotton wash
rag"
o O 0
A VOYAGE OF CONSOLATION. Bv Mrs
e. c. Cotes (Sara Jeanette Duncan
author of "a Social Departllre "An
American Girl in London" "IIis Honor
and Lady" etc. Illustrated. 12mo.
cloth. s1.50 d. Appleton & Co.
Tn some sort this very lively story may
be denominated n sequel to "An American
Girl in London" Mamie Wick. daughter
Of Senator Wick CO Chicago, not being
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