The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-08-24


century ago-something, but not
wholly like it! Nevada did not have
womens compensation. an eight
hour law. or many other things
that Alaska is, or is about to be,
blessed with. but it did have lot of
liars People who lived east Of the
Mississippi used to say that nobody
who had been to Nevada knew how to
tell the truth, and probably people
who have not been to Alaska will
soon be saying the Something about
people who have. Those who have
may be divided into two classes-the
realists and the romancers, and they
nearly all tell lies.
The realists are the ones who come
here and take offense at the wetness
of A1aska's rain, especially If they
| have leaky raincoats, and go, away
again, full of disappointment, declar-
| ing before all the world that Alaska
is the worst place on earth.
The romancers may again be divid-
ed The worst are the ones who have
good waterproofs and have had no
great occasion to use them, but have
had their heads stuffed with romantic
nonsense about dance halls, big strikes
| and terrible Swedes, outlaws, wolves,
bears, husky dogs, nlukluks, and
many other things the mention of
| which starts peoples eyes a-popping.
The other kind Of romancer is the
| one who has livedSa long time in the
| territory and has had adventures and
enjoyed them, and who really loves
i Ala ska.
| Very often, too, people who have
/ been realists while they, have lived
here become romancers as soon as
/ they get away, and grow so enthusiast
tic about Alaska that they come back
i and turn into rea1ists again. You
meet them on the boats coming north
Efrom Seattle, and they do a lot to
make the trip enjoyable If the wealth
er is bad. They have shot the Five
/ Finger rapids in leaky canoes. They
have wrestled with Kodiak bears and
beaten them. They are. indeed most
remarkable men, and they are not
i bashfuL They convey to you the inn
preston that PEOPLE are not so hardy
nowadays as they used to beat the
i beginning of this century; and they
i conclude that there is no place in the
Il world like Alaska for those who are
i strenuous enough to stand 1t. Plainly.
while they are there, you are in the
presence of heroes. You feel like q
/ contemplate worm beside them, and
you realize as never before how weak
| and soft you are. When the journey
\ is over you stink away from them
|. for fear they should tell their big
strong friends about you and get you
i mixed up in some frightful Alaskan
brawl-such as occurs in the movies.
or in the mind of Mr.. Rex Beach.
i After few weeks of trepidiation
4 you begin to wonder why everything
is so tame and civilized, and then per-
haps you drop into the Arctic Lunch,
i and when the waiter brings you your
4 .ahm and you look him in the eyes
and discover that he is no less per-
son than the hero who SO thrilled
4 you on your voyage northwards.
with his wIitish apron and dishwa-
4 er-soaked hands he looks no more
terrible than yourself; and he leans
over the counter for confidential
4 chat, telling you that this amt no
country for a white man, no sir, he
should, say not, and that as soon as
he's got the fare made he's going be-
& low again, that he doesn't see why
4 anybody ever comes up here at ALL
and that the fact is you can't believe
s half of what people tell you about
81 Alaska.
There is not much romance about
winter in the North. 1t Is toe
dreary and too monotonously cold. es-
pecially if mans living by him
81 self as did once from September
4 till May. Al pine-covered mountain
rose UP behind my cabin, while a wide
| frozen river lay in front, the ice
sometimes swapping and. shuddering
as the water rose or fell, and some
! times deadly still; and When dark
ness closed down in the afternoon
there was little to do but keep The
i fire blazing and try to forget the
North and the solitude. The few
books I had were a blessing and never
seemed more inspired than then, but
!, even they failed to satisfy human
needs, and hours slipped away ii
silent meditation. while the fire biazed
and the ice on the river outside
creaked and broke. Sometimes g
shrieking wind drowned every other
noise and sometimes there was nc
wind at all and even the river was
& still, while all day and all night the
) snow fell softly with gentle rustlins
sound. slighter even than a whisper
or a breath. Then at night the owls
f1oated hither, hooting, as though II
: | trouble, and the coyotes barke6
lsjoylessly, wanting something, they
llnew not what and above all was The
iong-drawn howl of the wolf, a heart
, / rending sound for a lonely man tt
| hear for it seemed like threat
j warning him that all living creatures
were his enemies. But as that wilG
howl rose again and again 1t otter
seemed to grow more companionable
: 1t seemed as though even the wolf it.
self were wandering through the win
try darkness, looking for companions
and finding nome its cry of distress
| was like word of sympathy coming
i I out of the night
, Owls and coyotes ano wolves
Y strange companions for man! There
81 was not much of pleasure or romance
Z in them till summer had come rount
again and the experience of listening
: to them had become a mere memory
tucked away with store of queer
: memories of other kinds.
+ H Summer here in the North May b.
the loveliest, freshest thing in ths
: world or it may be ,one of the most IF
ritating Along the coast there is al
amazing tenderness and sweetness
l about an Alaskan summer, but in thu
: interior, in spite of. the long day
, | and the glowing nights and the exub
Grant vegetation, the great buckle
berries and blueberries - twice tn
, size of the Southern ones, the dazzling