The suburban citizen., 1902-10-11


from all over the country; goldseekers
of all sorts and conditions on their way
to the ice fields; Nome Government Off
cials on their regular rounds Of inspec-
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
confded to the captain that the motion
Of the ship was not unlike that of a
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 Il pleas
ant passage. But when, tie next day,
the other women, white-faced and mis-
cradle. began to staggle 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 seaslckness 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 improprlety of this
young girls travelling without a chap
erou.
Miss Mamie McGinnis 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 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 benediction of the
elect 1t was Mrs. Whitcwall-W
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 1orid and
raw-boned than all four Of the others
put together she was making a 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 Of light emitted from the cabin
The wind-blown hair Of the girl, and
the frlls about her shoulders left no
doubt as to her identity, for her gowns
were also a subject of dsapproval
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 conjecturing and commenting
on what new freak of indlscretion she
was up TO. Then, as If in answer to
the curious gaze riveted upon them,
the figures turned and came to a stand
still under the light
The mans cigar had evidently gone
out, 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
mast. Then there was a sudden swish
Of frills, the CLEAN of a shoe buckle
and something more-and the girl had
struck the match, man-fashion, on the
sole of her boot, and was holding the
tiny flame to his cigar.
At this the Englishwoman turned
with Mortified countenance to point a
moral to Algie, who had not seemed TO
disapprove 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 fiorid face bending over the laugh
Ing eyes Of the girl, and Algie's big
hand closing over the pink fingers that
held the match.
Hoping no one but herself had seen
'hip H"ehlIShl picture, MFS. w arue,
with characteristic arrogance, turned
the topic of discussion. and dominated
the conversation so skillfully that no
one had chance to refer to the sub
Ject 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
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 il he did not put
the girl In irons TO save poor Algle, or
stop the ship and put her off, and the
clouds Of disapproval from the rest of
the elect gathered so thlckly that the
very air seemed charged with explo-
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 dlsapprovlng glnnces
had escaped her. When the full force