Cheyenne record., 1918-04-11
CHAPTER !.

CHAPTER l. J :
-
Going "ln!s +.
The midnight sun had set, but in q
crotch between two snow peaks 1t had
kindled vast caldron from which rose
. mist Of Jewels, garnet and turquoise,
eopaS and amethyst and opal, all
swimming In a sea Of molten gold. The
glow Of It still clung to the face Of the
broad Yukon. as flush does to the
soft, wrinkled cheek Of q girl Just
reused from deep sleep.
Except for a faint murkiness in the
air 1t 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
tance held a magazine still open in
her lap. -.
Gordon Elliot had taken the boat at
Pierre's Portage. hfty miles farther
down the river. He had come direct
from the creeks. and his Impressions
Of the motley pioneer life at the gold
diggings were so vivid that he had
sound an isolated corner Of the deck
where he could scribble them in a note
book while still fresh.
But he had not been too busy to see
that the girl In the wicker chair was
~ much Of an outsider as he was.
Plainly this was her first trip in. Cor
don was a stranger in the Yukon coun-
Try. one not likely to be overwelcome
when 1t became known what his mis-
Aon was.
From where he was leaning against
the deckhouse Elliot could see only a
dne, chiseled profile shading into a
mass Of crisp, black hair. but some
sonality stimulated gently his imagina-
ton. He wondered who she could be.
A short. thickset man who had ridden
down on the stage with Elliot to
Pierre's Portage drifted along the deck
toward him. He wore the careless
Earb Of a mining man In a country
which looks first to comfort.
Bound for Kusiak" 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
Fed with the snappy black eyes. She's
pillin' over with talk about the styles
% New York and the cabarets and the
new shows. That pot-bellied little fel-
enY In the checked suit Is Selfridge.
He 10 Colby Macdonald's man Friday"
Elliot took In with a Quickened in
terest the group bound for Kusiak. He
had noticed that they m0nopollzed 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 a capital s. They put on
al the airs the Four Hundred do In
New York. And who are they any
how?-wives to a bunch Of grating
politicians mostly"
"That's the way Of the world, isn't
IT. Our civilization is built on the
group system" suggested Elliot.
Maybe So" grumbled the miner.
"But hate to see Alaska come to 1t.
Ne, saw this country first in ninety
seyen-packed an outfit in over the
BASS. Every man stood on his own
hind legs then. He got there II he
was strong he begged down
on the trail good and plenty If he was
weak. We didn't have any Of the ar
iflcial STUFF then. A man had to have
the CUTS to stand the gaff."
q suppose 1t was a wild country,
Or. Strong"
The little miners eyes cleaned.
Rest country in the world. We didn't
and for anything that wasn't on the
Dsvel. It was poor mans country
Wogss fifteen dollars day and plenty
g work. Everybody had a chance.
Anybody could stake a claim and
Rmble ON his luck. Now the big cor
Dpeat1ons have slipped in and grabbed
y best. II amt prospector's propo-
A1oo any more. Instead Of faro banks
Wo've got savings banks. The wide
epen dance hall has quit business In
eavur Of moving pictures. And. -
eaid befoee. we've got Society,""
IAN frontier countries have to come
- ~
sHmpi In the days I'm telling you
eDout that crowd there couldn't ~
kaeeIed neat to mn their bellies tAree
nsalA RnzaAtsa that's what thsy