The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-12-09
The aaea Daily Eagle aa1ednesda zorng eeember 900

mere IN. the east On, used to Ike II
all well enough-oaee. That was before
/ got out in the open. Why, man alive
you can't breathe here. feel as if I'd
like to push the buildings apart. widen
things out bit, and not be humping
elbows with ho:de of bank clerks, and
merchants, and money grubhers I'm
money grubber, yes, one of the nest OF
them, or the worst, but I'm not a grub
Der in q city. The moment a fellow gets
TO work here he turn around suddenly
and finds the hand Of his neighbor in his
pocket; when you're out tfere'-he pointed
out of my west window man can't get
close enough to put his hand into your
pocket without you knowing it. OF course,
some times when the days go hard have
a laundering to get back to comforts. but
no sooner am l here than 1 eat my heart
out with longing for the rugged west
Then he went away, and ! was half
sorry. half glad at his going. 1 knew
what he felt. although l dom believe he
thought l did.
THAT was more than Z year ago ! had
no idea what had become of him, and
there was no enc to give me news. But
yesterday / received a letter from him,
and this letter 1 want you to hear. It's
written in pencil on two small leaves torn
from a pocket notebook.
Nanderpool drew from his pocket the
letter with its address in pencil bent
closer towards the light and read:
g In Camp, waiting for it to stop raining.
18th August. 1906
Dear Van: Take your map of Alaska
a, r5-ffl tn0I-
the Cinema river, a tributary from the
east OF the Tanana, which is itself
southern tributary of the Yukon. about
500 miles from its mouth. About 10 miles
up the Cinema the South Fork comes in,
and l am at present sitting in front OF
my fire about % miles up the S. Fork.
My destination is tributary of the Good
paster tributary from here of the Tanana
on the east. about 100 miles away. 1
am alone. and if my grub holds out. am
confident (0 Of finding the proverbial
pot of gold at my journeys end Any
how, as I am carrying over 65 pounds on
my back the trip will be strenuous enough
to suit even our respected President, con-
sidering that the damned moss in this
country holds out to the tops OF the noun
tains. 1t has been raining here for three
days while have been lying under 6xs
piece of canvas wishing l had enough
hashish in me TO imagine l was in Gods
country. You have the best profession
one can follow except the army in war
time. in my humble opinion, and as 1
have at divers times in this western coun-
try tried my hand at mining, cutting
cordwood. working in a saw mill. l. S.
Govt carpenter, fixing boilers, fireman
on Il river boat, deckhand on the same
on a river boat, deckhanG on the same.
driving logs, cooking in a log camp hold
ing down squatte-'s right. surveying
mining claims in 3. Columbia, export
ing mining properties, and passing coal
in an ocean boat q have however, never
played the piano in dance hall, prob
ably, because l don't know how, | think
| am qualified in way to judge. This
except hunter and trapper. which puts
a fellow on the bum forever as regards
civiliza ton. When / make the big clean
up viii you let me buy partnership in
your firm? 1t would be all right TO go to
my Office once day, look wise for a
while. then pull my freight, better than
sitting here killing gnats with one hand
while I try to write with the other.
= '22nd August-It hos been raining off
and on since the 18th. which has made
my progress very slow. Unless it clears
UP pretty soon will not have enough grub
to get to my river. unless the moose or
caribou are thicker than they are in this
place.
Sept 6-Grub played out and could
not get TO my river so built raft and
came down 100 miles down here (Chena
City,. Expect to start for the river in
a day or two by the Tanana river, to stay
up and prospect and trap till spring. Drop
me a line. As ever yours, --.
. Address me Fairbanks. Alaska
That's all Vanderpool said, as he ran
his eyes once more again over the small
ragged sheets before thrusting them back
into his pocket. You people We're talk
ing about letters. that's why ! read it
And the most interesting part of this
story is that it is mainly true.-New York
Post.
Last year if the average were made
every man. woman and child in the Unit
ed states received sixty-one letters. thir-
ty-one newspapers or periodicals. and
fourteen packages; and every sixth per-
son registered a letter.
Daily Eagle, Delivered, 1oc per Week.