with a view to our
new occupation, and there were dozens of new blue and brown denim
jumpers and overalls, bandana handkerchiefs, woollen socks and shirts
for Pa, as well as short, warm dresses and stout aprons for me.

"To enumerate all would take too long. Enough to say that in our anxiety
to get to work at the real object of our coming, we rushed the
adjustment of affairs in our camp through with all speed, and two days
after landing at Nome, Pa and I started out to do some mining on our own
hook upon our first gold claim."

Here the woman paused to take breath, and picking up her knitting to
inspect it for a moment, seemed somewhat reluctant to proceed.

"Was the claim far from town?" some one asked, in order to bring her
back to her narrative, and at the same time not to appear too anxious.

"Oh, no," she said, brightening considerably. "Leroy is always such a
good and thoughtful fellow, and he had selected this cabin for us near
the west end of town, close to the cemetery, on the tundra. It was only
a short walk for us, he said, and the ground must, undoubtedly, be rich,
as much gold had been taken out of the beach-diggings next the tundra
where our claim was located.

[Illustration: "_Dressed in his fresh miner's rig_"]

"It was reported that the beach contained from one to three pay streaks
before a depth of three feet was reached; that nuggets worth as much
as twenty dollars were found in the beach-diggings, and the tundra was
good pay dirt from the 'grass roots down'.

"Well, my husband and I started for the claim, as I said--we started
Snake River bridge, Pa paying his ten cents toll, while I went across
free as was the custom that summer, and we trudged down the road on the
sandspit to the cemetery. Dressed in his fresh miner's rig, (that was an
accidental pun) taken so lately from our big packing boxes, Pa marched
with all the dignity a man of his height and thinness can assume, with a
gold pan under one arm, and a shiny pick and shovel upon his shoulder. I
followed close behind."

At this stage of the story Mrs. Morrison cast a quick glance at the door
of the adjoining room where her husband was writing. Then opening a
table drawer close at hand, she took out two kodak views and handed them
to her listeners.

"He must not know where I keep these pictures or he would burn them as
sure as fate; I have dubbed them 'before and after'."

They examined the views she handed them. A stout, resolute loo