The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-01-28

aboard the Senator en- route from Nome
to the Pacific Northwest did a load lift
from her heart and feeling of safety
and security steal over her, for she
dreaded a slip at the last minute which
might render under her toiling and
suffering in vain. 5.t-
The fortune won SO pluckily and with
such sacrifice is estimated at some
thing less than a million. Mrs. Ries-
deselle herself is reticent about the
figures, but she admits that her share
of gold mine located on the Eldora-
do river. 60 miles from Nome, and
owned by herself and two male part
ners, will keep her in comfort, even
luxury, all the rest Of her days. AL
ready part OF 1t is being devoted to her
own education. and later on some of it
will be used to build and operate
sanatorium in the Connecticut hills.
Mrs. Riesdelle has just returned from
her exile in the arctic and is resting a
few days on her farm. which lies be-
tween Hoperville and Griswold, In Con-
necticut. When visited she was busily
engaged in getting her wardrobe in
order for winter at school in Missouri.
Herr Klondike belongings were streWn
carelessly about Queer fur garments
hung on chairs and doors and the floor
was strewn with unmounted dog skins
from her Eskimo dogs, she explained,
which she could not bear to have fall
into hands. so had the animals killed
and their hides dressed to bring back
with her.
But the woman herself? Who would
believe that this fragile looking crea-
ture had gone through seven winters of
peril, had pressed on where men were
forced to turn back and had come home
the owner OF paying gold mine?
Hardships have left indelible trace on
her face. however. Her features show
lines which should not appear on a
women no older than Marie Riedeselle.
The clear gray blue eyes have depth
and seriousness which comes from haH-
ing looked more than once upon great
peril and the possibility Of death.
1T was in 1897, during the great rush
to the gold fields of Alaska, that went
prospecting said Mrs. Riedeslle, IT
had lived and worked in New York
long enough to find out that happiness
and the contentment and enjoyment
that come from following ones own
bent are possible only with a sub
stantial income I wanted to study
and had to put In my days working.
Seeing nothing better ahead of me, !
decided to give up the struggle here
and make a desperate plunge which
might land me in wealth or be my end.
"A couple Of years, or three at the
outside, were all I counted on in order
to locate rich claim, but each sum-
mer that I planned to return to the
United States brought some new prob
lem, and so years slid by, keeping me a
prisoner in the icy country. 1t was
hard, harder than can make you un-
derstand." she added with sfludder,
and If it had not been for the pro-
lection of the West Indian doctor, who
was ALWAYS just at my shoulder to
help me through all difficulties -
"Who was the West, Indian doctor?'
"The spirit of the little doctor really
won my fortune for me-, she replied.
HE has been my friend since child
hood, and even after his death his
guardianship has not deserted me.
owed him my life when very young, for
I had developed incipient consumption,
and but for him the disease would
have brouhgt me to an early death.
The little doctor put me through a
course OF hygiene which developed my
chess and slight physique and my limbs
became strong and my flesh firm. He
Id ba
so quiet, timid and docile, but ready to
spring up and come to my aid at the
first call. Before his death he told me
that dead or alive he would be my
constant companion and guardian all
had to do to evoke his help would be
to call his name. ! have done it ever
SO many times since then, and always
with the result that the spirit has re-
sponded instantly and brought me
safely out of danger.
''That sounds like the remark of a
spiritualist, doesn't it?' she asked. But
am not a believer in the powers of
mediums and communication with dis
embodied spirits, though my doctor is
as real to me as any living friend. I
know that he Is ever at my shoulder,
very quiet and invisible to all but me,
and that he is ever ready to do my bid
ding.
when I was journeying over the
Chilkoot Pass he did me a great SER
vice. 1t was my pleasure. to travel
alone, except for an occasional falling
in with a party might meet along the
route. On this day I had come upon
me, and a. man whose sled was hauled
by a horse suggested that I give my
dogs a rest and hitch my sleigh behind
him for a few miles. We did cover the
ice pass quickly easily, but sudden
| ly the runner of my companions sleigh
sank deep in the slush. The horse
could not pull it out, and so the whole
| party halted to assist him in freeing
the sled. For more than an hour they
pulled and tuggetd unavailingly, and
then I realized that unless something
was done quickly I would have to
| spend the night in the ice--not an