Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-06-03
CHAPTER ~.
How Journey Ended at Hope


1T was owing TO geographical con-
d ditions that Cortez had been estab-
Il ished as the point of entry to the
interior of Alaska. 1t was because
of them that she had grown and flour
ished. with her sawmills, her ginmiIls,
her docks and her dives. But at the
time when this story opens Alaska had
developed TO a point where All over
land outlet By winter and a circuitous
inlet by way of Bering sea and the
crooked Yukon in summer were no
longer sufficient. There was need Of a
permanent route by means of which
men and freight might come and go
through all the year. The famous
North Pass and Yukon railway. far to
the eastward. afforded transportation
TO Dawson City and the Canadian ter
ritOry and had proved itself such
financial success that builders began
% look for a EarbOr more to the west
ward, from which they could tap the
great heart of Alaska Thus it was
herself selected as the terminus of
new line. Other railway propositions
followed. tlimsy promotion schemes
for the most part. but among them two
that had more than paper and hot
air behind them. One of these was
backed by the copper trust, which had
made heavy mining investments 200
miles inland. the other by Curtis Cor
don. a promoter who claimed New
York as his birthplace and the world
as his residence
Gordon had been one of the first 10
caters in the Kyak coal fields, and he
had also purchased a copper prospect
a few miles down the bay from Cortez.
where he had started a town which he
called Hope. There were some who
shook their heads and smiled know
ingly when they spoke of that pros
pect. but no one denied that it was fast
assuming the outward semblance of a
mine under Gordon's direction. He
had erected fine substantial wharf,
together with buildings, bunk houses,
cottages and spacious residence for
himself, and daily the piles of debris
beneath the tunnel entries to his work
ings grew. He paid high wages, he
spent money lavishly, and he had a
magnificent and compelling way with
him that dazzled and delighted the
good people of Cortez When he be-
gan work on 4 railroad which was de-
signed TO reach far into the interior
his action was taken as proof positive
OF his financial standing. and his crit
les were put down as pessimists who
had some personal grudge against him.
1t was up to the raw, new village of
Hope, with its odor Of fresh cut fir
and undried paint, that the freight
steamer, with Natalie Gerard and the
Irish prince aboard, came gingerly
one evening.
Even before the ship had tied ND he
had identified the tall. impressive man
on the dock as the genius and founder
OF Hope and the dark haired. we'll
formed woman beside him as NstaIie's
mother. 1t was not until they were
close at hand that the daughter made
her presence known; then. unable to
restrain herself longer. she shrieked
her greeting down over the rail Mrs
Gerard started. then stared upward as
If at an apparition. She stretched out
a cropping hand TO Gordon, who stood
as If frozen in his tracks.
O'Neil remained in the BACKGROUND
like an uncomfortable bridegroom. con
scious meanwhile of the searching ard
hostile regard Of Curtis Gordon. But
at last his protegee managed to gasn
out in a more or less coherent man
nor the main facts of the shipwreck
and her rescue, whereupon Gordon's
attitude abruptly altered
"My Cod be CALCULATED. You were
not on the NebraskaT
Yes, yes, yes" cried Natalie. The
lifebcats went off and left me all alone
in the dark-with the shin sinking,
Mr.. O'Neil saved me. He took me IN
and jumped just IS the ship sank. and
We were all night IL the freezing wa.