Part 2 (1/2)
”No, I didn't say that, Randy But we ought to consider theto the letter we'll have to spend at least two years in the gold fields”
”I'll spend ten if I can make money”
”Uncle said in that other letter that no one seemed to care to stay in the upper portion of Alaska more than two or three years at a time”
”Well, I'm in for the trip, heart and soul Hurrah for the--what's the name of that creek?--Klondike! Hurrah for the Klondike! I wonder if it's on the map”
Randy rushed over to the little shelf which contained all the school-books the faraphy, much the worse for wear There was no separate map of Alaska, but there was one of North America, and this he scanned with interest
”Here's the Yukon and here's the Porcupine and the Pelly rivers, but I don't see any Klondike,” he said seriously ”I wonder where it can be”
”You can't expect to find a little creek on a ,” said Earl ”Why, the Yukon is between two and three thousandCircle Cityto where the Yukon touched the 144 of longitude, ”and if that's so, this new gold field can't be so very far off, although in such a great territory a few hundred miles this way or that are hardly counted”
”But you'll go, won't you, Earl?” pleaded Randy, as he restored the geography to the shelf ”We'll never make more than our pork and beans out here in the woods”
Earl picked up a sht out his pocket-knife He always had to go to whittling when he wanted to do so ”If we accepted Uncle Foster's invitation to co back,” he remarked, after a moment of silence
”We shouldn't want to turn back as soon as that”
”And we couldn't turn back after we once got into Alaska There is no such thing as travelling back and forth between the months of October and May The rivers freeze up, and everything is snow and ice”
”Well, we'd have plenty of provisions--Uncle would be sure to see to that We've got to vacate here, you ain Earl was silent He had sharpened up one end of the stick, and now he turned to the other ”I wonder where we could telegraph from best,”
he said at last
Randy's eyes lit up instantly, and he caught his big brother by the shoulder ”Good for you, Earl; I knew you would say yes!” he cried
”Why, we can telegraph from Spruceville, can't we?”
”We can if they'll trust us for the telegra to let such a chance slide by The thing of it is,” Randy added, sobering down suddenly, ”how are we to get to Boston to get the money Uncle intends to send on?”
”We'll have to sell off our things here They'll bring in soht of that”
For two hours the boys talked otten Then a telegram was prepared which ran as follows:--
”Will sell out and coreed that Earl should send the e from Spruceville, a town four miles beyond Basco This was a sevenwalked the distance many times previously He procured a bite to eat, and with the letter from his uncle in his pocket he started off He intended to show the letter to the telegraph operator in case the es to be paid at the other end
At Basco, Earlas Tom Roland, the brother of the lumberman who intended to buy the timber land from Caleb Norcross Roland was a man whom nobody liked, and Earl passed hih it was evident from Roland's manner that the latter desired to stop for a talk With Tom Roland was a fellow named Guardley, a ne'er-do-well, who had been up before the squire onThe reader will do well to remember both Tom Roland and Guardley, for they are destined to play a most important part in the chapters which follow
The middle of the afternoon had passed before Earl struck the outskirts of Spruceville and made his way to the little railroad station where was located the telegraph office His errand was soon explained to the youngforth the slip of paper Randy had written out, and his uncle's letter
To his consternation both wereHe remembered here he had placed thehly His search was useless The one