Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-10-26
CHAPTER I.
rnNf CnU,T no nIrE DEcHTTE

oA0 NAhA0 ~ Rhc5 a.
The White pass starts off here and goes
right plumb over the mountains like
this
And the speaker made a bold stroke
with a huge piece of chalk with which
he was ornamenting the floor Of the
village store in Merrivale, where every
thing was dispensed from postage
stamps TO lace curtains.
Clustered about his kneeling figure
were q dozen men of all ages whose
eyes were eagerly following the rude
map OF Alaska which Hank Merritt
was drawing for their benefit. :
For stories of the wonderful wealth
OF this far-off Eldorado had penetrated
wen this remote place among the hills
OF New Hampshire, and the Globe re-
ports Of the lucky strikes made by
venturesome ~argonauts had stirred the
blood Of every man in the village UNI
til the riches OF the Yukon valley had
become the all~-engrossing topic among
those III met every evening at this
public rendezvous to pass an hour or
two after their days toll was finished.
"This is where o strike the lake.
he continued, AN then It's bout al
water the rest o. the way, near as 1
can make out. Gold is so plenty they
dig 1t out jest as easy as we spade up
WOIIllS 10 20 IlSIlll6 WILL HcS WulHa
I'd like to try II If it warn't so darned
far off an didn't cost so much TO git
there"
The arrival of the mail interrupted
his artistic efforts, and when the hand
full of letters had been put away the
postmaster was called upon to read
aloud from the papers anything new
regarding the favorite topic.
"The steamer p. w. Weare had eight
miners on board who brought out a
total Of $500, 900. Others had 10000 to
$780, 600 apiece, and some refused to
give their flgures. The steamer Port
land brought down 81, 900, 900. One mar
got $216 from a pan of dirt, and two
miners cleaned up $4,000 in q single
days work.
AS the reader paused n might have
heard n pin drop, so intense was the
silence for fully a minute. Then a
dozen voices broke out in EXPLANATIONS
OF amazement and disbelief and In the
turmoil nothing Ineligible could be
distinguished.
There was one listener, however,
who said nothing, but after the rest
had Gained down a bit he secured a
copy Of the paper M FASTENED to the
farm where he was employed with a
wild impulse surging through his brain.
In his little room under the caves he
eagerly devoured h article he a
heard at the store, and In another coll
umn he found an interview with one
of the pioneers of Dawson City, giving
full details as to the proper outfit and
It's cost.
1t was midnight when the stalwart
young farmer sought his couch, and
for the first timo In his healthy life
sleep refused to come to him, for he had
made up his mind to leave the village
where h greater part of his youth
had been spent and seek his fortune in
this distant land, where a stout heart
and strong hands seemed able to force
nature TO relax her icy grip on her gol-
den stores.
Tom Scott's life had been an I'M
eventful me-. He was the only son Of
a sea captain and until the death OF his
mother they lived on Cape Cod. Then
an uncle too him on his farm at Mer-
rivale and his father continued his row
ing life. A few years ago, however,
Obed Rider, a native Of Merrivale, who
had sailed with Toms father as mate,
returned to the village with a story
which made q great sensation at the
time. 1t was to the effect that Cap
tain Scott had deserted his ship at San
Francisco and absconded with a large
sum Of money belonging to the own
ers.
Tom was a lad Of IS at the time, but
few eye-witnesses would ever forget
the scene when he hurled the lie at the
brawny sailor and fought like a young
tiger until overpowered by the brute
strength of his fathers defamer, whose
nose was d~isfigured for life in the en-
counter and who vowed vengeance for
his injury.
This was four years ago, but Tom
Scott still felt the disgrace cast upon
his lame. His uncle had now been
dead over three years, and Tom had
saved the wages paid him by the farm
err for whom he had worked since that
time, until he possessed about s400,
which was deposited in the village saw
ings bank. This would buy him a
miners outfit, but how to reach the
far northwest was the problem.
His sleep was troubled that night,
but with the morning came the de-
termination to start at once for Bos-
His announcement was received with
amazement, but Tom Scott was a man
of prompt action, and that afternoon
saw him In Boston. He had been In
the city several times before, and had
no difficulty in finding n respectable
hotel where the rate was within his
means, but by the time he had eaten
ah' NFIS ~ ""p az N"l IN Il
thick snowstorm set in. He de-
termined, however, to lose no time in
his search, and made his way to the
water front, where he had no doubt he
could obtain all the needed informa-
ton.
Atlantic avenue was practically de-
serted when he reached 1t, and the big
flakes had covered the ground with a
white mantle which made his foot
steps inaudihle as he walked along, not
without a slight feeling of uneasiness
as he thought of his little capital
strapped about his waist under his
clothes in a waterproof belt which had
been his first purchase.
AS he approached a saloon from
which came n murmur of
voices and a sharp clinking of glasses,
two men came out directly in front of
him and turned in the direction In
which he was walking. being only q
few feet in advance. Coming from the
w~ell-lighted saloon as they did into the
thick storm, they failed to notice Tom.
and upon this fact his whole future de-
pended, although he was far from sus-
pecting such an improbable thing at
the time.
II tell o he's going on that bark
to San Francisco" said the taller of the
two men, eagerly. Hes bound for the
Klondike, and he must have a fat roll
with him 1 heard him say HI would
buy his outfit out there. We can lay
for him on the dock when hi is going
board"
tits q risky job" replied the other,
nervously.
"Oh, what's the matter with you!"
was the angry rejoinder.
Nothing, but we take great risks.
L don't like It,"
There's no risk at ALL" urged the
other. "All we have to do is just tap
him on the head and go through him.
whole thing won't take q minute.
and we can be at the west end before
knows what struck him. I'm going
TO have his stuff. and If you want to
go back on me, I'll"
The rest Of the sentence was indis-
Iinguishable. The word Klondike had