Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1902-11-05
~ HE excursion season was at
1 Its height, and the Alaska

of all sorts and conditions on their way
to the ice fields; Nome Government OIL
Gals on their regular rounds OF 1nsPec-
ton; companies of school teachers
eager to crowd the trip into their short
vacation; the inevitable bridal couples
and several family parties, but the girl
from Gold Gulch was travelling alone.
The first day out was so rough that
all the women kept quietly out OF sight
all but the girl from Gold Gulch. who
confided to the captain that the motion
of the ship was not unlike that OF q
bucking horse, and that she rather
liked it. So, crushing her cap down
over her eyes, and buttoning her rag
Ian close, up to her chin, she strobe res
olutely 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 q pleas
ant passage. But when, the next day,
the other women, white-faced and mis-
cradle, 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 improperly Of this
young girls travelling without chap
eroE.
Miss Mamie McGinnis, of Gold
Gulch, never joined that group. Not
that she knew, or would Lave cared
If she had, that she was the target for
their. criticism. She always found her.
self the centre Of another group on the
opposite deck, where she held full
sway, or 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 bencdiction Of the
elect. 1t was Mrs. Whitewall-W Wardc
who was the most horrifled by Miss
McGinnis's escapades. She, with her
three forid, 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 caucused
on the probability Of her being an ac-
tress or chorus girl on her way to join
her troupe, two figures swayed into
the arc oflight 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 disapproral
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 be, their
owners conjeeturing and commenting
IN what new freak Of indlscretion she
was up to. Then, as If in answer to
he curious gaze rivcted upon them,
he figures turned and came to stand
,till under the light.
The mans cigar had evidently gone
,ut, for with a gay little laugh the girl
took his proffered match, reached out
her arm, and steadied herself against
his ready shoulder as if he had been q
mast. Then there was sudden swish
Of frills, the CLEAN Of shoe buckle
and something more-and the girl had
struck the match, n,an-fashion. on the
sole Of her boot, and was holding the
hry fame to his cigar.
At this the Englishwoman turned
with Mortified countenance to point q
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.
gfe's forid face bending over the laugh
Ing eyes Of the girl, and AlSe'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 skillfully that no
one had chance to refer to the sub
iect uppermost in every mind until she
felt 1t safe to withdraw Then, cluck-
Ing up her raw-boned brood, she fed
into the bosom Of her family, there to
cali 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
denee,. and threatened with being re-
ported 70 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 disagproval from the rest of
the elect gathered so thickly that the
very air seemed charged with explo-
sives. 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 disappearing glances
had escaped her. When the full force
of their attitude struck her she turned
abruptly to Algie with: "Is your moth.
er worried about something's
"Aw, 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"
"Ob, those girls are waxy," he blurt
ed, relieved at being able to give vent
to his feelings; they're always waxy.'
"What a lovely lot they must be-" re-
marked the girl, staring at them dellb
erately, and letting them see they were
being discussed by their brother and
horqo1P StvTbor Jo,,t eoo,, t.z