AN ALASKA ROMANCE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1671, 5 March 1890, Page 3

AN ALASKA ROMANCE.

The crowd of passengers in the Union Depot the other evening (says a writer in the " Chicago Times ") were interested in a stalwart young man wearing the garb peculiar to mining districts, and his Esquimaux wife and two-year-old baby. The woman was clothed in ordinary female attire, but her. dark skin, sharp, black eyes, broken speech, and appearance generally proclaimed her nativity, while the baby that nestled in her arms and playfully pulled its papa's long beard clearly showed its mixed blood.

The miner submitted to an interview as gracefully as a politician. His wife proved to have quite a romantic history, and his marriage to be a very interesting romance. "My name," said he, "is Jame* Steed. I live in Alaska, and I am en route to my parents' home in Dallas county, Missouri, with my wife and baby for a visit. My wife is an Esquimaux, about 22 years of age. I bought her three yean ago, while I was in the Forty-Mile River placer gold district. She belongs to the tribe that makeß its headquarters at Fort Recovery. 1800 miles above the mouth of the Yukon.

'In the first place, I hired her as a servant to assist me in exploring the placer gold diggings of the Lawrence river, a small stream about 100 miles up the Forty-Mile River, paying her husband lOdols. for her services three months. 'When I arrived at Forty-Mile three years ago, and staked my claim, I heard wonderful stories of Lawrence River, but no camps bad bean established there, and the -bars above the mouth had been prospected. I determined to go and see for myself. The journey had been made jn a canoe, and I gave out word that I desired to employ a native to pole the boat and take care of my camping outfit. I confess that I was surprised the next day when a stalwart native led a woman into my hut and offered her as the servant I desired. I consulted with other miners, and from them I learnt that the native females were the only ones that could be trusted, as they were diligent, strong, faithful, and> honest, while the males were exactly the reverse, and liable to murder their sleeping employers if there is the least chance to get away with the body. I learned that the woman was the wife of the man who brought her to me. The woman seemed anxious to be employed, and I concluded a bargain with her husband.

'The next morning she appeared at my claim with a small bundle of clothing in her hand. She set about and had my boat fitted up ready for the trip at noon, and we pulled out soon afterwards. She poled the boat swiftly, while I sat on the stern musing over the degraded condition of the Alaska females. When the time came for stopping, she drew the boat to the shore, made it fast, and drew a canvas over the part designed as the sleeping apartment. She could not understand a word that I said, bat by signs I instructed her to prepare supper. When I sat down to eat I invited her to join me. She seemed surprised and blushed like, a girl, but accepted my invitation. I was a little surprised when I found that my invitation meant to her that I should treat her as a wife and not as a servant, and that was the cause of her confusion.

' I found her assistance invaluable. She taught me how to wash a pan of gold, ana her native geological knowledge, enabled her to tell the gold value of any district we struck at a glance. 'She learned a few words of English, and we got on together amazingly well. The day before we returned home I noticed that she was down-hearted about something, and I inquired the cause. Her eyes were full of tears as she turned her honest looking face toward me and said— 'l don't want to go back to my husband again. He will beat me. He don't treat me like you do.' She finally informed me that her husband would sell her for ever for 50 dols., and proposed if I would buy her she would work the gold out of my claim after working hoars. I agreed to her proposition. Her eyes brightened up, and from that hour to this she has been the happiest woman in Alaska. I found her husband on a big spree, and he really sold the woman for 20dols. and a pair of boots. The money proved to be his ruin. He filled up with Alaska Fur Company whisky, and was drowned in the Yukon a day or two afterwards.

'Now that the woman was mine, I provided her with clothes like American women. It cost her a considerable effort to learn to wear them, bat she did. I did not, of course, work her in the mines, but treated her like an American wife. Several other miners secured .native wives, and the women formed a very select circle, greatly envied by the women of their tribe. ' 1 had big luck at mining, and determined to take my wife and baby back to the States to see my parents. When we came out we stopped at Sitka, and were married in regular style. This was our first chance, and j/.jggkon it is all regular under the cirjgtfljMtances. •;TRf think my wife is nice. I love her dearly, and did you ever see a finer 1 baby than that one in her arms ?*