The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-06-04
MISS FITz ON A JOURNEY.

Dawson in 1898. It had been made
practically impossible for an American
doctor to 60 into practice in the Klon-
dixie. Nothing daunted, the American
woman physician began work as a
trained nurse in one of the rude hos
pitfalls. 1t was the time of typhoid,
and capable nurses were in demand.
The lady's sphere Of influence grew
wider and wider, she watched her op-
portunities and. made investments wise
~ till now, after only five years, she
Is ready to retire with money enough
to support her the rest of her life.
A refined young woman, widow.
walked over Chilkoot pass in the sum-
mer of 1898. She remained in Dawson
year, but did not strike it rich. She
learned however, q useful trade there,
one she hardly expected ever to &C
Quire-namely, laundry work. On re-
ceipt of the news of the gold discov-
cries at Cape Nome she went down the
Yukon with the "sooners'' and got
there. She did not wait for some man
to give her bushel or two of gold dust.
ed rich reward. American men, thank
fate, try to be clean wherever they are.
and if they cannot be clean they keep
as clean as they can. Well, this widow,
who never dreamed she would take in
washing for living, finds herself lay
ing up a neat competency.
Among the most notable of all is Miss
Frances e. FitZ, who came "outside'
last winter for the first time in three
years. Miss Fitz, stenographer, went
to the farthest northwest, taking her
typewriter along. She landed at Nome.
but went hundred miles beyond to
Council City, new mining camp. The
plucky young woman was alone, but
fortune favors the brave, especially if
the brave one is that rare creature. a
brave woman.
At once in Council she was made
clerk to the government recorder. The
typewriter did it. She had gumption.
had Miss Fitz. She recorded mining
claims, drew up contracts and bills of
sale and copied documents of all kinds,
besides attending to great amount Of
correspondence. Her pay was exceed
ingly good, to say the least. An intel
igent typewriter girl, with her own
machine. who understands business
forms cannot be picked up at call in
mining camp. With her first savings
Miss Fitz had built a warm, snug win
ter log cabin and prepared to stay there
till she found fortune A cellar under
the floor of an Alaska log cabin serves
as an ice chest in summer and G store
room for food in winter. Such cellars
are opened by trapdoor in the cabin
floor. Miss F'itZ dug her own cellar.
She bought mining claims; she be-
came a notary public; she purchased
partnership in the Council City News,
the first paper in the mining camp.
Meantime she continued being a ste
nographer and typist for any who
wanted her services. With all these
irons in the fire and with head to
look after them all, this typical Amer
lean girl accumulated property rapidly
and took care of it too.
Then at length, early last winter, the
longing for her old home and friends
overcame her, and she journeyed to
Nome in sled drawn by Eskimo dogs
Muffied in furs, strapped upon the sled
a driver running alongside to whoop up
the dogs, she began the journey, but
blizzard overlook them On the coast
and the whole outfit nearly perisheL.
However, a girl like that is not to be
either drowned or frozen, and Miss
Fitz reached Nome in safety and en-
barked for the States. But the fasci-
nation of the dazzling arctic zone is
over her, and she will return to Coun-
Gil City MARCIA CAMPBELL.