THE KLONDYKE JUGGINS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXII, Issue XVII, 29 April 1899, Page 578

THE KLONDYKE JUGGINS.

(By Tristam Monck.) ‘Waal. I g-uess from the looks of him hr's a “Dunipster.” Billy! name your poison!' •Whisky, as usual; you’ve hit right, .large, when you say he's a “Dump*1 like greensters,' remarked .large, approx i ugly. ‘Oh. he's werdant! Yer know his name, ov course.' •You’ve got me there. Billy.’ ’Thomas Derniont. A broken-down swell! A regular green’uu, and no kid!' Billy proceeded to swallow the whisky, andl winked ponderously. •Grand.’ murmured Jarge ecstatically. ‘Does hr know anyone in Klondike?'

‘Not a musk rat.' ‘Ah. good, very good.' murmured .large, meditatively. ‘Well, have another whisky on the strength of it. To keep out the cold. like. Billy.' Billy grinned and nodded his head aequiescingly. •It's thundering cold to-night,' said .large ‘About as cold as our claim, eh. Billy?' He gazed meditatively up at the smoke-grimed ceiling, stroking his chin slowly with thumb and forefinger the while. •Our claim's ice!' replied Billy oracularly. As he. too, became absorbed in the contemplation of the ceiling rafters; then he added: ‘The new chum 'as a bit too.’ They drank their whisky in silence. Then. pulling their bearskin caps well over their ears, and turning up their collars, the select twain sallied forth into the invigorating air of an Ala.skan autumn night. ‘Billy.’ said Jarge, cheerfully, as they Trudged along through the freshlyfallen snow in the direction of the speaker's cabin. ‘Billy, d’yer think the •‘Dumpster" would be keen on making a profitable investment?’ ‘Ah!’ Billy grinned, thumped his shoulders vigorously with his hands to restore animation, and then remarked: ‘I guess we ought to let him have our paying claim, at a sacrifice, eh?' •large laughed: then clapping his friend on the back, he said: ‘Billy, you're a trump, and above the sordid greed of gold.’ ‘I always was that way.' he said demurely. ‘And I always like to help a new chum.*

‘Specially when he don’t know anybody!* sniggered Jarge. A remark which was greeted with much laughter and nudgings on both sides. Their mirth continued unabated till they reached .large’s cabin. ’There they parted company. Jarge to enter his cabin, whilst Billy journeyed to the hovel, where the ‘Klondike Juggins' had fixed his abode. Billy had a plan in his head; therefore it was with ulterior motive other than that of curiosity which induced him to peep through the window of the •Juggins'' home before he entered the same. Thomas Dermont was seated at a rude wooden table, and by the dim light of a lamp before him was writing. Beside him lay a cabinet jx>rtrait of a lovely girl, in the first blush of womanhood, which the inmate of rhe cabin raised to his lips while Billy looked, then continued to write, an c\rr-deepeni ng smile playing about his handsome features. Billy decided that as Dermont was alone the moment to enter was opportune. Accordingly, hr lifted the latch and walked into the cabin. Dermont rose hastily to his feet, and sweeping his writing materials away, asked curtly: ‘Well, what do you want?' *1 hev come to pay you a visit, friendly like, so yer needn't finger yer gun as if yer'd like ter drill daylight inter me. I'll tell yer straight I don’t want ter rob or shoot yer. Ef I had. the winder would hev been mighty hands to do so.' The logic of the statement being forcible, Dermont was obliged to admit the same, and accordingly grasped the horny hand extended towards him in greeting. •You’ve come ter make yer fortune, < h. stranger?' queried Billy, approaching his |M*rson as closely to the fire as possible without singeing the same. •Yes; I must make my fortune in some way or other here, otherwise my God, what will become of me?’

The yuung man paced up and down nervously. Billy was visibly touched. •D’yer kuow anything about prospectin’ ?’ ‘Not an atom!’ replied Dermont incautiously. There was a pause, then Billy seemed to be struck by a sudden impulse. •J like yer, stranger,’ he cried suddenly, 'yer’ve got grit, and when a young fellow like yer has got grit Billy Scales is his pal. Now, I’ve made my pile, but am continuing a little longer, for amusement like. Now, I’ll tell yer what —I’ll prospect a claim fer yer gratis—l'll be straight.’ Derniont stopping dead in his nervous walk, said questioningly: ‘Are you in earnest, Mr Scales?’ •Chucks! I’m Billy, stop the Mister; no one’s Mister in Klondike,’ replied Billy cheerily. ‘Am lin earnest, Dum ahem, Tom —you bet, Billy never says what he don’t mean.’ ‘Yon must think me awfully ungrateful not to have thanked you before, Mr ’ ‘Billy,’ corrected he of the cognomen. ‘But it seemed to me so utterly incomprehensible that you should offer t<> help a total stranger like myself— ’ ‘Chucks! Maybe T want ter do yer a good turn because I’d hev given the world fer a pal when I came ter Klondike two months ago. P’raps it is because T ain’t got nothin’ particular to do. that I does it ter while away the time.’ remarked Billy modestly. ’No. no; you can’t put it on any other footing than generosity,’ cried Derniont impulsively. ‘ ’Pon my honour. you’re a friend in need.’ ‘Chucks, man.’ replied Billy shyly. •Waal, that’s settled; yer’d better eome and see me at my claim to-morrow — “Si-ales' Luck Dead,” its called here, and I’ll put you on a likely bit o’ land. And. stranger. I’ll give you a tip that’s gold. Don’t make any friends in Klondike, they’re a rough lot.’ Dermont gratefully accepted the tip. and Billy, as was natural, beamed at his companion. ‘Waal, so long, stranger. See yer tomorrow. and I’ll put yer on a sure thing to make yer pile sufficient to marry that purty girl!’ he cried, pointing to the photo. Dermont blushed like a maiden. ‘Chucks!’ eried Billy, encouragingly. ‘What's there to be ashamed of; I guess yer’ a lucky dog; T only wish I lt.-id the chance of such a toothsome morsel. Night.’ Billy nodded amicably, passed out of the hut, and elosing the door leant against the wall of the ‘Juggins’ ’ cabin, shaking with silent hysterical mirth. Billy mentally made a note in bis mind that Dermont was the biggest idiot he had ever known.

Dermont verbally remarked to the air that Billy was the best fellow he had ever met. and sitting down, wrote to that effect to his fiancee, Violet Vanstruth.

The morning dawned, clear, frosty, and sunny. So Dermont, full of hope, left his cabin and inquired the way to •Scales' Duck Dead’ of the first miner he met.

‘Scales’ Duck Dead.’ echoed the man with a peculiar smile, ‘straight ahead, pa rd. a matter of a mile.’ In due time Dermont arrived at the mine, to see Billy energetically fuming a small furnace, whilst .large, seated on the ground, was calmly picking nuggets out of the frozen walls of the pit with a jemmy. Dermont’s eyes gleamed hungrily as he veiled out a greeting to Billy. The worthy addressed looked up. and then said in surprise: 'Why. it's Tommy. Morning, parti, •large, this is the new chum I was telling yer about, the one we are going ter help ter prospect.’ ‘Glad ter know yer,’ replied .large, affably. ‘I shall be glad ter help yer in any way. Powerfid cold this morning.’

‘Bitter.’ replied Dermont. ‘lt’s awfully good of you. really, to help a poor fellow like myself, who has made ducks and drakes of his eash. I only hope I shall be able to do you a good turn some day.’

‘Disten to him.’ said Jarge. modest ly. ‘Go on. pard. we don’t want a good turn. Give a new chum a leg ■ ip when he comes, that’s all I want in return.’ Dermont was thunderstruck at the disinterested generosity displayed by the miner. ‘I only hope my claim mav prove ns litckv as votirs is.’ lie remarked. ‘I don’t call this mine up to much.’

remarked Jarge. ‘l’d sell it for a hundred dollars.’ Dermont’s eyes sparkled. T‘ll give you a hundred dollars for it,’ he cried excitedly. ‘No! Would yer?’ exclaimed Billy. ’Don't yer wish yer may get it’?’ Dermont’s face fell. 'Come, pard,’ said Jarge, as if an idea had just struck him. ‘I was joking when I said that, Billy. But this ain’t the only rich claim in Klondike. Wot’d yer say ter give this claim ter the lad fer a hundred and fifty dollars? He’s only got one pair of hands. We’ve got two.’ Billy thought a while, then replied: ‘AU right, pard. I’m agreeable.’

Dermont was thunderstruck by his good fortune, hardly believing his senses till he had paid the money and received the receipt. In hot haste he repaired to the mine, leaving Billy and Jarge behind, laughing till they neared the borders of dissolution. Dermont worked industriously till sunset, by which time he had man. aged to find two diminutive nugget:, so small that one of them managed to get lost in his pocket. This was a damper. He was surprised at his ill luck. So was Billy—intensely so. The next day he struck marl, then for a fortnight he sampled chalk, gravel, clay slate, and lastly struck roek. For fifteen days he had not seen a- gleam of gold. He was in despair. but if he had not found gold he. had found two friends—Jim and Toney Smart —who acquainted him with the lives of Billy and Jarge. ‘Curse my luck,’ he growled. ‘Rock —gold is never found in rock,’ he cried bitterly. Then in a sudden excess of passion he raised his pick high in the air and brought it down with all his might on the projecting rock. It splintered into a dozen fragments, revealing to his amazement a dull mass of yellow. Gold at last! Gold in quantities! Dermont had struck a lead. He was almost, delirious as he filled his pockets with the precious metal. By the end of the day Klondike was agog with the news/ The sarcastic euphonium, ‘Scales’ Duck Dead’ was rechristened as ‘Dermont’s Find.’ Last to hear of Dermont’s Find were Jarge and Billy. They had been out of the township for three weeks. Billy swore.

As for Jarge. his language was forcible and unparliamentary as he proceeded to smash the contents of his cabin.

There was a council of war that night at the residence of .large. It soothed both their ruffled feelings, and both were comparatively hapeful as they parted. ‘Cheer up, Billy,’ said Jarge genially ‘He ain’t got any chums.’ ‘Ah. that’s a blessing,’ replied Billy with an ugly grin. ‘He’s acted up to inv tip of pal making, bless him.’ Neither of them slept a wink that night. It was about ten o’clock -the next morning when Billy and Jarge sauntered up to the mine. Dermont was before them, being engaged at the moment of their arrival in the task of grubbing up nuggets. ‘Morning. Tommy.’ cried Billy cheerily. ‘Hear that a. fortnight ago you struck gold: how much have yer grubbed?’

‘Eighteen hundred pounds.’ grinned Dermont, in the elation of his soul. ‘l’ve got three claims now. and this is the worst.’

•Three?’ said .large, fingering his revolver. ‘Book here. Tommy, what will von take for the claim?’

‘A hundred thousand pounds.' replied Dermont promptly. ‘Now. look here, young ehap.’ eried Billy as he and Jarge covered him with their revolvers, ‘Ye’ll take ten thousand down in nuggets!’ 'I shan’t,’ cried Dermont resolutely, placing’ the nuggets in his pocket. •Then I'll shoot you. Take your choice—force or cash.’ The Juggins trembled. 'l'll have the cash.' he faltered: ‘I guess that's best.’ A few minutes later ‘Dermont’s Find’ changed hands, as did ten thou sand pounds: and the Juggins shuffled off. smiling strangely. For a whole week the two worked like galley slaves, and found about five pounds’ worth of gold. Then it began to dawn on Jarge aud Billy that the famous lead had given

out, aud they, the salters, had been salted themselves. White with fury, the pair strode into the township and into the bar. There they were greeted by the landlord, crying: ‘Hullo, you two! Wheer hev yer been this last week?’ ‘Grubbin’ gold.’ was the sullen rejoinder. ’Ah, what luck Juggins Dermont and the two Smarts have had!’ ‘Hev they?’ said Billy, almost bursting with passion. ‘Wot hev thev made?’ ’Ten million pounds odd—not dollars, mind—to divide among the three of them.’ ’Where is the scoundrel?’ shrieked Billy wildly. ‘Where is the scoundrel that as dumped us of everv stiver?’ ‘What scoundrel?’ ‘That swindler, Dermont,’ yelled Bdly m a frenzy. ‘He’s took ten thousand pounds from us fer his claim, as ain't got a cent’s worth o’ ——’ ‘Oh, Dermont!’ exclaimed the landlord. ‘He and the two Smarts and the gold left, for England, via the White lass. Six days ago. By the way. 1 ommy left his love to you two, and gave us a regular bust up.’ .large drank fourteen whiskys, then reek-d into the open air; but Billy had