Gilpin observer., 1918-04-11
CHAPTER !.

CHAPTER !.
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0olnp Tn.S
The midnight sun had set, but In a
crotch between two snow peaks 1t had
kindled a vast caldron from which rose
q mist Of Jewels, garnet and turquoise,
topas and amethyst and opal, all
swimming in sea Of molten gold. The
glow Of It still clung to the face Of the
broad Yukon, as a flush does to the
soft, wrinkled cheek of q girl Just
reused from deep sleep.
Except for faint murkiness in the
air It was still day. There was light
enough for the four men playing pi-
nochle ON the upper deck, though the
women Of their party. gossiping In
chairs grouped near at hand, had at
last put aside their embroidery. The
girl who sat by herself at little dis
lance held a magazine still open in
her hap.
Gordon Elliot had taken the boat at
Plerre's Portage. fifty miles farther
down the river. He had come direct
from the creeks, and his Impressions
of the motley pioneer life at the gold
digg1ngs were 80 vivid that he had
sound an isolated corner Of the deck
whore he could scribble them in note
book while stfl fresh.
But he had not been too busy to see
tAat die gixi In the wicker chair was
- much Of an outsider as he was
Plainly this was her first trip in. Cor
0on was stranger in the Yukon coun-
~. one not likely to be overwelcome
when II became known what his mis-
a0 was.
From where he was leaning against
The deckhouse Elliot could see only a
dne. chiseled profile shading into q
mass Of crisp. black hair, but some
quality In the detachment Of her per-
sonality stimulated gently his imagina-
uon. he wondered who she could be-
A short, thickset man who had ridden
down on the stage with Elliot to
P1erre's Portage drifted along the deck
toward him. he wore the careless
garb OF a mining man In a country
which looks irst to comfort.
Bound for Kusiakf" he asked, BY
way Of opening conversation.
YES" answered Gordon.
The miner nodded toward the group
under the awning. "That bunch lives
at Kusiak. They've got on at different
places the last two or three days
except Selfridge and his wife; they've
been out. Guess you can tell that from
hearing her talk-the little woman In
rcd with the spdppy black eyes. Shes
ap1llin' over with talk about the styles
ln New York and the cabarets and the
new shows. That pot-bellied little fel-
eDw In the checked suit is Selfridge.
He - Colby Macdonald's man Friday"
Elliot took In with a Quickened In
terest the group bound for Kusiak. He
had noticed that they monopolized as
q matter Of course the best places on
the deck and in the dining room. They
were civil enough to outsiders, but
their manner had the unconscious self
lShness that often regulates social ac-
dvities. It excluded from their gay.
ety everybody that did not belong to
the proper set.
"That sort Of thing gets my goat" the
miner went on sourly. "Those women
over there have elected themselves
society with capital s. They put on
all the airs the Four Hundred do in
New York. And who are they any.
how7-wives to a bunch Of grating
politicians mostly"
'Thats the way Of the world, isn't
m lo h.xlI A.
roup system" suggested Elliot.
Maybe So" grumbled the miner
"But hate to see Alaska come to t.
Ne. ! saw this country first in ninety.
seveu-packed an outfit In over the
pass. Every man stood on his OWL
hind legs then. He got there II he
was strong-mebbe; he begged down
on the trail good and plenty II he was
weak. We didn't have any Of the ar
uncial stuff then. A man had to have
the CUTS to stand the gan"
4 suppose It was a wild country
f. Strong"
The little miners eyes cleaned
BEST country in the world. We didn'
band for anything that wasn't on tn,
ovea. 1t was q poor mans country
Wogss fifteen dollars a day and plent,
e work. Everybody had q chance
ANYBODY could stake a claim ant
0nmble on his luck. Now the big cor
Qeeadoos have slipped in and grabbet
p best. II amt prospector's propo
oe1no any more. Instead Of faro bank
we've got savings banks. The wide
epsn dance hall has quit business /,
oAvcr Of moving pictures. And, a
oaid before. we've got Society,"
~AQ frontier countries have to com,
- 4"
sHmpi In the days I'm telling 70,
eb0ut that crowd there couldn't =
h0stled meat TO MI their bellies tire
Deah. Paraatss. that's what tie,