The Elk Mountain pilot., 1918-03-21
CHAPTER 1.
oein0 1as

crotch between two snow peaks II hAd
kindled q vast caldron from which rose
q mist Of Jewels, earnet and turquoise.
topa1 and amethyst and OPAL all
swimming In . sea of molten gold The
glow Of it still chung to the face Of the
broad Yukon. els e flush does TO the
soft, wrinkled cheek Of a girl just
roused from deep sleep.
Except for 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 a little dis
lance held a magazine still open in
her lap.
Gordon Elliot had taken the boat at
P1erre'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 70 vivid that he had
found an isolated corner Of the deck
where he could scribble them in a note
book while st1ll fresh
But he had not been TOO busy to see
that the girl In the wicker chair was
A. much OF an outsider as he was
Plainly this was her FIRST TIP In Cor
don was q stranger in the Yukon coun-
Try. one not likely to be overwelcome
when II became known what his mis-
s1on was.
From where he was leaning against
~ N1v
nne. chiseied profile shading into q
mass Of crisp. black hair. but some
quality in the detachment Of her per-
sonality stimulated gently his imagina-
don He wondered who she could be.
A short. thickset man who had ridden
down on the stage with Elliot to
P1erre's Portage drfted along the deck
toward him. He wore the careless
gaTb Of 4 mining man in . country
which looks frst to comfort
Bound for Kusiakr' 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 day.
except Selfndge and his wife: they've
been out Guess you can tell that from
hearing her tAlk-the little woman in
red with the snappy black eyes Shes
spdllin' over with talk about the styles
In New York and the cabarets and the
new shown. That pot-bellied little fel-
low in the checked suit is Selfridge.
he II Colby Mncdonald's man Friday"
Elliot took in with q quickened in
terest the group bound for Kuxiak. 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
ishness that often regulates social ac-
Hvties. 1t 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 souriy. Those women
over there have elected themselves
Society with a capital 8. 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"
IT. Our civilization II built on the
group system" suggested Elliot.
Maybe so," grumbled the miner.
but hate to see Alaska come to 1t.
Ne, 1 saw this country flrst in ninety.
seven-packed an outfit in over the
pass. Every man stood on his own
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.
tincial stuff then. A man had to have
the CUTS to stand the gan"
II suppose II was Q wild country
Mr.. Strong"
The little miners eyes cleaned
BEST country in the world. We didn't
stand for anything that wasn't on the
level. 1t was a poor mans country
wages fifteen dollars a day and plenty
Of work. Everybody had a chance
Anybody could stake a claim and
gamble on his luck. Now the big cor.
porations have slipped In and grabbed
the best. 1t amt prospector's propo-
sition any more. Instead Of faro banks
we've got savings banks. The wide
open dance hall has quit business in
favor of moving pictures. And. AZ
said before. we've got Society"
"AIl frontier countries have to come
b It."
"Hmpi In the days I'm telling you
about that crowd there couldn't a
hustled meat to nll their bellies three
meals. Parasites. that's what they
are. They're living of that bunch Of
roughnecks down there and folks like
'em."