The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1917-02-01
AN UNIQUE HOLIDAY
VACATION
Miss Margaret keenan, Writes
Interestingly of a Winter
Trip in Alaska.

Miss Margaret Keenan,, sister o
Mrs. G. B. Mains, who often visited il
Emmett while engaged in teaching il
manner of trip she made in Alask;
during the holidays in a dog sled
Miss keenan, is teaching at Fairbank:
The following extracts are taken from
letter received by Mrs. Mains, dated
January 4:
| am back home after the most uni
que vacation | have ever had. True
to schedule, | closed up school Friday
December 22nd, chaperoned the High
School Christmas party until one
o'clock, then went home to get ready
to start early in the morning for
Nenana, the new Government railroad
town. l worked until about three,
went to bed and heard the clock strike
every thing but five, so l must have
slept about an hour, then up again
and busy. 1t seems to me l make
pretty close connections down the
course of life.
Long before daylight l heard
"Come gee there, Bob. Come gee.
Don't you circle that pole or you and
l will go to the mat. Come gee" and
l knew that the "Malamute Kid" the
famous dog musher of the North, was
out in front with his long sled and
thirteen malamutes. l was all ready
except the last outer wraps. These
you do not put on until the last mo-
ment on account of perspiring and
moisture is the dread of the trial
had on all my own wraps, fur coat,
fur leggings and cap, over these went
Malamute's big coon skin coat, then
was wrapped in sled robes of fur, and
a carbon foot warmer placed at my
feet.
The sled was sixteen feet long and
twenty-five inches wide. To my
amazement it went over the bumps
in the road like a worm. Upon in
quiry, l was told that it was made of
hickory and tied together with moose
hide thongs, thus giving it flexibility;
also that it cost $4,000.
They had all told me that the NAL
amute Kid would get me there, but |
must get ready in advance not to {
be shocked at his language. There
is a tradition to the effect that a dog 1
understands only one language-pro- 7
fame. l replied that l was hiring a
dog musher not courtier, so he
couldn't shock me; but as we started a
| was not so sure about that. He rip e
ped out can oath, followed it with
another in the next breath, and l be-
gan to wonder how l was going to n
ike that for two full days. A moment G
alter he uttered the first word of Il
another, then seemed to bite down u
and swallow the rest of it. From that n
moment on his language might have II
,een the court languarge of France. III
20 even an Alaskan dog musher knows IL
thing or two, even if it did take W
moment to realize what he was doing. II
forgave that for the sake of the L
ribute of the remainder of the four OF
lays l spent with him on the trail. Y
The Ohio Roadhouse, kept entirely ~
" men, sheltered US the first night. ., .,
t was,ssv funny place, and as every =.
ne had told me it was the best stop -
ing place on the trail, wondered -
hat the others were like. Being the
My lady in crowd of fourteen, of W,
purse l occupied the apartment de he
Ike. 1t consisted of space separat- mi
! from the main room by thin mus l
n. The muslin extended up about die
ght feet high, and outside that was co
lrlap about five feet high. l was so bu
eepy went to sleep with men, men, be
en- on three sides playing BLACK tel
lck", talking trails and mushing, and tri
le man complaining that some one WI
ID stepped on his socks and broken fan