Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-10-24
CHAPTER I.
TOM SCOTT TO THE RESCUE.

i. i.
CHAPTER I.
TOM SCOTT TO THE RESCUE.
Here's Dyea, and this is skaguay.
The White pass starts off here and goes
right plumb over the mountains like
this"
And the speaker made bold stroke
with a huge piece of chalk with which
he Was olnamenting the floor of the
village store in Merriva!e 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 E,ldorado had penetrated
even this remote place among the hills
of New hampshire, and the Globe re-
ports CT the lucky strikes made by
Nenturesonae argonauts had stirred the
blood Of every man in the village UNI
Ill the riches OF the Yukon valley had
become the all-engrossin3 topic among
those who met every evening at this
public rendezvous to pass an hour or
TWO after their days toll was finished.
This is where you strike the lake y
lie continued. am then it's bout all
water the rest % the way, near as /
can make out Gold is SO plenty they
dis it out jest as easy rs we spade up
worms to go fishing With. Gee whiZ!
Ia like to try 1t III it warn't so darned
far off am 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 hsen put away the
postmaster wss called upon to read
aloud from the papers anything new
| reSarcling the favorite topic.
| ''I'Ee steamer p. NJ. Meare had eight
miners on board Who brought out a
| total of $460,00o. Others had $4,000 to
| $4,000 apiece, and some refused to
| give their figures. The steamer Port
| land brought down $l,000,00o. one man
| got SelG from a pan of dirt, and two
miners cleaned up $4,000 in single
| days woik'
AS the reader paused one might have
| heard Il pin drop, SO intense was the
| silence for fully a minute. Then q
/ dozen voices broke out In cNclamations
CT Amusement and disbelief and in the
turmoil nothing intelligible could be
\ distinguished.
lhere was one listener however
who said nothing, hut after the rest
had Gained down 4 hit he secured u
| copy OF the paper and 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 deNouled the article he had
hoard ut the store, and in another col
unln he found an interview With one
of the pioneers of Dawson City. giving
fun details as to the proper outfit and
1 Its cost.
1t WAS midnight when the stalwart
4 young farmer sought his couch, anG
for the filst time in his healthy life
! sleep refused to come to him, for he ha6
made UP his mind to leave the village
where the greater part of his you'll
had been spent and seek his fortune ii
this distant land, where stout hear
aud strong hands seemed able to force
nature to relax her icy grip on her gol
! den stores.
Tom SCOTS life had been an un
eventftil one. lie was the only son o
q sea captain aud unit, the death of hi
mother they lived on cape Cod. Thel
an uncle took hin ON his farm at Mer
rivale and his father continued his ROY
ing life a few Years ago however
obe6 Rider a native of Merrivale. wh'
bad sailed with Toms father us mate
returned to tire Village with a stor,
which made q great sensation at tn
time. 1t was 10 The effect that Cap
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ers -
Tom was a lad of IS al the time. bu
few eve Witnesses would ever forge
the scene wren he hurled the lie at tn
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nose was diSfsured for life In the en-
counter .1ll who vowed vengeance fn
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far r'l.'y na5tl, west vas the nrob,a1, -
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rhe 6 Te% sfve1a z, na es before ana ma
no 9'i,,'t'iss ~ M 'l.a'Itiis iSl'sc'il3.
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