The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1902-10-16
The Girl From Gold Gulch.
How She outwitted Arrogant British Matron'
-BY w. w. RELBATS----
-HE excursion season was at

liner Senator, WAS Clo"uee'
There were tourist parties
from all over the country; gold-seekers
of all sorts and conditions on their way
to the ice fields; Nome Government OIL
cials on their regular rounds OF lnspec-
ton: companies of school teachers
eager 10 crowd the trip into their snort
vacation: the inevitable bridal couples
and several family parties, but the gin
from Gold Gulch was travelling aione'
The first day out was so rough that
oil the women kept quietly out or slSht
all but the girl from Gold Gulch, VINO
confded to the captain that tie motion
of the ship was not unlike that or
bucking horse, and that she father
liked it. So, crushing her cap down
over her eyes, and buttoning her rag
Ian close up to her chin, she strobe res
oluteIy up on deck to find herself mon
arch Of all she surveyed.
By the end OF the day she had accept
ed every possible courtesy from every
man on board, and was beginning TO
think she saw her way clear to a pleas
ant passage But when, the next day,
the other women, white-faced and mis-
erable, began to straggle upward, the
wild rose color and the ability of this
girl to walk the decks in slippery
weather, became to them personal af-
front, for seasickness is not conducive
to the practice of Christian charity. So
every day thereafter the little group
that formed itself into an exclusive
for'ard circle, made common cause in
discussing the impropriety Of this
young girls travelling without chap
erou.
Miss Mamie NlcGinnis, of Gold
Gulch, never joined that group. Not
that she knew, or would have cared
if she had, that she was the target for
their criticism. She always found her.
self the centre of another group Oh the
opposite deck, where she held full
sway, OF promenaded the decks with
some equally good sailor till the others
had gone below; following always her
own sweet will. and never suspecting
she had not the benediction of the
elect. 1t was Mrs. Whitewall-Warde
who was the most Mortified by Miss
McGinnis's escapades. She. with her
three ford, raw-boned daughters, had
come to America first to visit her son.
Algie, on his cattle ranch, and now
with Algie himself. more forid and
raw-boned than all four Of the others
put together, she was making flying
trip to Alaska to see her youngest son.
Winston.
One evening even as they caucuscd
on the probability Of her being an ac-
tress or chorus girl on her way to join
her troupe. two figures swaycd into
the arc Of light emitted from the cabin.
The wind-blown hair OF the girl. and
the frills about her shoulders left no
doubt as to her identity. for her gowns
were also a subject OF disappToval
among the elect. but the tall black
figure behind her was lost in the
shadow. Adozen pairs OF eyes strained
eagerly to see who it might he. their
owners conjecturing and commenting
IN what new freak of indiscretion she
was up to. Then, as if in answer to
he curious gaze riveted upon them.
:he figures turned and came to q stand
still under the light.
The mans cigar had evidently gone
,ut, for with a gay little laugh the girl
,ook his proffered match. reached oat
ner arm. and steadied herself against
bis ready shoulder as if he had been a
mast. Then there was sudden swish
Of frills, the gleam of a shoe buckle
and something D1ore-and the girl had |
struck the match, man-fashion. on the |
sole Of her boot, and was holding the
tiny fame to his cigar.
At. this the Englishwoman turned |
with Mortified countenance to point |
moral to Algie, who had not seemed to
aisapprove Of this terrible girls con.
duct sufficiently, but Algie had slipped
his leash and was not at her elbow.
The next flare of the match showed AL
gie's florid face bending over the laugh
Ing eyes of the girl, and Algic's big
hand closing over the pink fingers that
held the match.
Hoping no one but herself had seen
this fashlight picture, Mrs. Warde. |
with characteristic arrogance. turned
the topic Of discussion. and dominated
the conversation so skilifully that no
one had chance to refer to the sub
feet uppermost in every mind until she
felt it safe to withdraw. Then. cluck-
ing up her raw-bonea brood, she fed
into the bosom Of her family, there to
call down curses On the curly head of
this terrible girl who was trying to en-
tangle poor Algie in her meshes.
The captain. of course, was taken
into Mrs. Whitewall-Warde's conf
dence, and threatened with being re-
ported to the company if he did not put
the girl in irons to save poor Algie, or
stop the ship and put her off, and the
clouds Of disapproval from the rest of
the elect gathered so thickly that the
. very air seemed charged with explo-
I. slVes. Even the girl at last began to
realize that she was not entirely popu-
lar with this faction; she had not
taken much notice of the women here
tofore, and their disapproving glances
had escaped her. When the full force
Of their attitude struck her she turned
abruptly to Algie with: SIS your moth
er worried about something's"
Jaw, she's bit chafed about some.
thin she saw last night. you know" he
explained, looking somewhat brow
beaten himself.
"And your sisters, too," she contin-
ued, cheerfully, they look as if they
had been pulling out somebody's hair.
Do they get that way often?"
"Oh, those girls are waxy," he blurt-
ed, relieved at being able to give vent
to his feelings; they're always waxy."
ssWhat lovely lot they must be-" re-
marked the girl. staring at them delib-