Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1918-03-16


and they passed with u mutual $50
long"
What do you think of that, old
girlT Bin observed presently. "A
real, honest-to-gooduess railroad going
10y within "A hundred miles of ouv
shack. Three years. It'u he there be-
fore we know it, Wen have neigh
boris to burn"
"A hundred miles!" Hazel laughed.
rs that your idea of = neighborly dis
tance?'
whats a hundred miles?" ne de-
Tended 1.-TWO days ride. that's all.
And the kind Of people that come to
settle in a country like this don't stick
in sight of the cars. They're like
me-need lots of elbow room. Theren
be hardy souls looking for location
up where we are before very long.
Youn see"
They passed other crews of men.
surveyors with transts chainmen.
stake drivers, AK gangs widening the
path through the timber Most of
them looked at Hazel in frank sur
prise, and stared long after she passed
by. And when an open bottom beside
a noisy little creek showed the scat
tered tents of the survey camp. Hazel
said:
Lets not stop. Bill"
He looked back over his shoulder
with a compromising smile.
Getting shy? Make you uncom-
Portable to have all these boys look ut
YOU little persona" he bantercd. "All
right, we won't stop. But all these
fellows probably haven't seen white
woman for months. You can't blame
them for admiring. You do look good
to other men besides me, you know"
SO they rode through the camp with
but a nod to the aproned cook, who
thrust out his head, and a gray-haIred
man with glasses, who bumped over
a drafting board under an awning
Their noon fire they at "A spring
five miles beyond
At length they Jared into Hazelton.
which is the hub Of vast area over
which men pursue gold and furs.
Some hundred odd souls were gath
cred there. where the stern-wheei
steamers that ply the turgid Skeena
reach the head of navigation. A land
recording Office and n mining recorder
IIazelton boosted as proof Of its
civic Importance. The mining recorder,
who combined in himself many capaci-
ties besides his governmental function,
undertook to put through Bits land
deal He knew Bill Wagstaff
"Wise man" he nodded, over the de
Scription ar some more nh these boys
that have blazed trails through this
country would do the same thing,
they'd be better of A chunk Of land
anywhere in this country is good
bet now. Well have rails here from
the coast in year. Better freeze
onto a couple uh lots here In Hazel
ton. while they're low. BE plumb to
the skies in ten years. Natural place
for a city BIN. It's astonishin how
the settlers IS comm"
There was ocular evidence Of this
last, for they had followed in a road
wen rutted from loaded wagons. Bnt
Bill invested in no real estate not
withstandinc The positive assurance
that Hazclton was on the ragged edge
OF It boom.
Maybe, maybe" he admitted. But
I've got other fish to fry. That one
piece up by Pine river will do me for
while"
Here where folk talked only Of GOLD
and pelts and railroads and settlement
and the coming boom that would make
them all rich, Bill WaRstaff added two
more ponies to his pack train. These
he loaded down with food, staples only,
flour, sugar, beans, salt. tea and cof-
fee, and a sack OF dried fruit. Also
he bestowed upon Niger further
burden Of six dozen steel traps.
And in the cool OF midsummer
morning. before Hazelton had rubbed
the sleep out Of its collective eyes and
taken up the days work Of discussing
It's future greatness, Roaring Bill and
Ills VIZ va IFA AAlF i4ip0AAlth titN bf'A
their heads and turned their faces
north
They bore ont upon wagon road.
For a brief distance only did this en-
dure, then dwindled to path. A turn
in this hid sight Of the clustered log
houses and tents and the two steam
ers that lag up against the bank. The
river ltseif Gas -o0n lost ~ the far
stretches Of forest. once more they
rode alone in the wilderness. For the
first time Hazel felt quick shrinking
from the North. an awe Of It's huge,
silent spaces which could so easily
engulf thousands sEch os they and still
remain a land untgmed.