Romancing the Klondike

by Donadlson-Yarmey, Joan;

  “It’s so wonderful of you to have it here in your store,” Paul said. “I know the miners are sure going to appreciate your effort.”

  Emma hummed as they walked to their cabin. “Tomorrow is Christmas and Donald is going to be here,” she said gaily, doing a little dance.

  Pearl grinned at her cousin. She hoped tomorrow turned out as wonderful as they expected.

  They climbed into bed tired but ready for the party the next day and woke Christmas morning in anticipation. The day looked like it would be clear and mild. After breakfast, they did each other’s hair.

  Pearl tied Emma’s corset as tight as she could and still let Emma breathe. They both donned their gowns. Emma’s was a deep blue dress with a matching jacket that came to her waist. It had leg o’mutton sleeves and the collar was wide and reached her shoulders.

  Pearl put on a white chemisette which gave the appearance of a blouse but actually only covered her front and neckline. Her burgundy skirt hung to her ankles and the matching jacket, which she wore over the chemisette, followed her figure outline and ended at her hips.

  After dressing, Pearl handed Emma an envelope. “Merry Christmas.”

  Emma opened the envelope and pulled out a drawing of the silhouettes of a man and woman hugging. In the background was a cabin and trees.

  “Oh, it’s beautiful,” Emma exclaimed.

  “That’s you and Donald when we were leaving his and Sam’s cabin.”

  “I love it.” She hugged Pearl. “Thank you. And I have something for you.”

  Emma handed Pearl a small box. Pearl opened it and found a gold chain with a capital P hanging from it.

  “Where did you get this?” Pearl asked. There was no store around here that carried jewelry.

  “I actually brought it from home. I saw it in the jewelry shop before we left and I thought of you. I was going to give it to you if I left, and when I decided to stay I figured it would make a nice Christmas gift.”

  “You do plan ahead.” Pearl hung the necklace around her neck and looked in the mirror. It went perfectly with her outfit.

  Joseph had a bonfire going outside and one roaring in the stove when Pearl and Emma arrived. His eyes lit up when he saw them, and Pearl’s heart fluttered.

  “Merry Christmas,” Pearl said, as she handed him an envelope the same size as the one she’d given Emma. She watched his expression as he pulled out the drawing inside.

  “My warehouse,” he whispered.

  “Yes, I drew it just after it was built,” Pearl said, shyly. “I thought you might like it.”

  “I do. I do.” Joseph looked around the room. “I need a place to display it.” He went over to one of the shelves. He propped the thick paper against a tin of baking soda, then stepped back and peered at it. “That will have to do until I can make a frame for it.”

  Knowing he wanted to frame it pleased Pearl very much.

  “And I have something for you,” Joseph said.

  “You do?” She hadn’t been expecting anything in return.

  “Yes.” Joseph reached behind the counter and brought out a transparent sphere. He handed it to her.

  Pearl held it in her hand. It was made of glass with a decorated metal base. Inside was some sort of liquid and a miniature tower. She wasn’t sure what to make of it.

  “Turn it upside down and shake it.”

  Pearl looked at him and when he nodded she did as told. Some white particles churned around in the liquid.

  “Now set it up right on the counter.”

  Pearl stopped shaking it and put it on the counter. She and Emma gasped as it looked like snow was falling on the tower inside the glass.

  Pearl stared at it mesmerized. “What is it?”

  “According to the Frenchman who traded it for some supplies, it’s called a snowdome. Inside is a model of the Eiffel Tower in France.”

  “I’ve never seen one. Where did he get it?” The snow had settled and Pearl shook it again.

  “He brought it over from France. I guess they’ve been very popular in Europe for half a century.”

  Pearl couldn’t get enough of the snow effect inside the small glass globe. “I can see why people would like this,” she grinned, as she shook it again.

  Knowing that Joseph had given her a Christmas gift had her shaking with excitement. Men didn’t give women presents unless they cared for them. The snowdome had to mean that Joseph had feelings for her.

  She stopped playing with the gift when they heard the jingle of bells from dog teams trotting up to the building. The first revellers had arrived. There were voices and laughter as people greeted each other. The teams were unhitched and allowed to rest. Joseph opened the door and Ethel Berry and Isabel Drury entered. They each carried a box.

  “We brought some cakes,” Ethel said. “Where do we put them?”

  “Over on the table beside the plum pudding for dessert.” Pearl pointed to the far wall.

  “You made plum pudding?” Isabel looked surprised as she set her box down. “Where did you get the ingredients?”

  “I guess I should have said, ‘Set them beside the reasonable imitation of a plum pudding’,” Pearl answered with a smile. “We’re calling it Yukon Pudding.”

  “Are Donald and Sam coming?” Emma asked.

  “We passed them walking just a ways back,” Ethel said. “They must have gotten up early. Lucky for us we hired Paul and his friend to come and get us.”

  Emma went to look out the door while the other women finished setting the cakes on the table. They put the boxes underneath.

  “We also brought our extra plates and cutlery.” Ethel held them up. “They’re not fancy but they’re passable in case some of the men forget theirs.”

  Pearl now understood why Joseph kept telling her not to worry. Things would work out.

  More miners arrived on foot and by dog teams. Joseph was everywhere, greeting guests, giving directions for dog sleds, putting more wood on the fires, visiting. His face was alight with merriment and he seemed like a man who had just realized his dream. And he had, Pearl thought. He was building a town of his own, and some of these people would be the residents.

  Sam and Donald walked in and Emma rushed over to them. Her face mirrored Joseph’s in her thrill but for a different reason. Pearl sure hoped Donald loved Emma. It would be heartbreaking if he had deceived her. Pearl hugged Sam and Donald and wished them Merry Christmas.

  Soon the warehouse overflowed with people milling around inside, and others gathered outside around the fire. They talked and laughed and extended Christmas greetings, everyone in a holiday mood. Joseph had set several bottles of liquor on the counter. The first drink was free and then it was half price for the rest.

  The few women were dressed in their best outfits and there was the odd white shirt on a man, but most of them wore the uniform of their mining life—shirts or sweaters made of heavy woven or knitted wools and trousers held up by suspenders. Some wore vests and most wore hats or caps. Many of the men had moustaches and several had full beards. Pearl judged their ages to be from the early twenties to the late sixties.

  Skookum Jim and Tagish Charley arrived dressed in decorated buckskin pants and shirts. They walked through the crowd straight and tall as they accepted greetings given with admiration. After all, along with George Carmack, they were responsible for all the activity in the area.

  When the NWMP officers arrived, the brass buttons on their scarlet tunics and the yellow stripes on their trousers added a bit of colour.

  Pearl mingled with the visitors. She saw that Gregory Drury and George and Kate’s seven-year-old daughter Graphie Gracie, being the only children, had gravitated towards each other. Gregory had produced a pocketknife and they were discussing its merits. Gregory looked so grown up in his little suit and his hair slicked back. Graphie Gracie was lovely in her bead-decorated deerskin dress.

  Pearl wondered what it was like to have children. Did Joseph want kids? What would hers and Joseph’s children
look like?

  Everyone mingled and visited in groups moving from one to the other. At three-thirty Pearl, Emma, Ethel, and Isabel rehydrated the potatoes and boiled the cornmeal on the stove, Joseph, Sam and Donald lit the lamps and candles. This lent a festive air to the room. The men brought out the platters of cold moose meat, cheese, egg halves, and fish from the storage room and placed them on the table.

  Most of the miners had brought their own plates and cutlery. Some were store-bought; others had been crudely fashioned from tin cans. Everyone worked their way along the table helping themselves, then stood around eating and talking some more. Pearl and Emma saw many people dig into their plum pudding imitation. They watched the reaction on their faces. Either they were desperate for a Christmas tradition or they actually enjoyed it because no one threw it away.

  “Now, all we have to do is remember our recipe for next year.” Pearl laughed.

  Two of the miners produced fiddles. Men cleared space, and as soon as the first notes were struck, Clarence and Ethel Berry and Henry and Isabel Drury stepped onto the dance floor. They waltzed to the music. Pearl so wanted to experience the obvious love that the men and women of each couple had for each other. Would she and Joseph have such a love?

  When that song ended, they stayed on for the next. Donald turned to Emma and held out his hand. They joined the other couples, along with George and Kate Carmack. Pearl looked expectantly over at Joseph. He was behind the counter serving drinks. Paul came up to her.

  “Would you care to dance?” he asked.

  She smiled at him and accepted.

  “How long have you been in the north, Paul?” Pearl asked, as they two-stepped around the room.

  “Three years. I came with my father and when he left I just stayed on.”

  “Did you two have claims?”

  “No,” Paul said. “Dad had made some money in the stock market and he decided we should take a trip together. A friend of his had been here for two years and had regaled dad with his stories. Dad decided we should come here.”

  “Why did you stay?”

  Paul shrugged. “I guess I liked the freedom. I got a job in a saloon in Fortymile plus worked in the sawmill there. Now I work for Joseph.”

  They danced two more dances before Paul bowed and thanked her and went to the bar for a drink. Pearl looked around the large room.

  The men far outnumbered the women. Those whose desire to dance overcame their shyness asked Ethel and Isabel to dance when their husbands wanted to sit out. Some men didn’t care if they had a partner. They got up and jigged around the room on their own. Even Gregory asked Gracie to dance. He was a bit over exuberant in his motions and they kept running into other dancers.

  Pearl saw that Donald and Emma danced every dance together. Why did everyone have a love except her? Again, she envied her cousin. If only Joseph would ask her to dance. If only he would tell her how he felt. She sighed. If only it was proper etiquette for her to tell him how she felt

  When the fiddlers stopped for a rest one man raised his hand for silence. “For those of you who don’t know, I am Conrad Hammer. I have written a poem for this occasion. It’s called Ode to Gold.” He paused as there was movement in the crowd. Henry raised Gregory onto his shoulders so he could see. Conrad cleared his throat.

  “Oh, Gold, you call to us

  Promising riches profound

  But we must dig deep to find you

  For you are hidden far underground.

  “Oh Gold, you sing to us

  Your voice sweet and beckoning

  Making us servants of our lust

  And ignorant of the reckoning.

  “Oh Gold, you play with us

  Showing yourself hither and yon

  Making us scramble to find a claim

  That you have been sprinkled upon.

  “Oh Gold, let go of us

  That we may live again our lives

  Break this hold you have on us

  So we may go home to our wives.”

  Pearl marvelled at the clarity of his voice as everyone clapped. He waved and blended back into the crowd. Another man stepped forward. Pearl listened open-mouthed as he recited Alfred Lord Tennyson’s The Charge of the Light Brigade from beginning to end. Many of these men in their raggedy clothes were cultured. She wondered what their reasons were for coming north.

  The fiddlers began again.

  “Would you like to dance,” a voice said behind her. She held her breath as she turned and smiled at Joseph.

  “Yes,” she said, softly.

  Her knees wobbled at the touch of his hand on hers. They danced the two-step at arm’s length since it was improper for two unmarried people to dance close, even in a room full of chaperones.

  But when the fiddlers played a waltz again, he drew her into his arms. She closed her eyes in total contentment. This was where she belonged—in the arms of the man she loved.

  “Thank you for your help to make this day,” Joseph said in her ear.

  Not the romantic line she been hoping to hear.

  “I’m glad you decided to do this for the community. I think it’s made everyone’s Christmas. I know it’s made mine, since this is the first Christmas I’ve been away from home.”

  “Yes, the first one is always the hardest.”

  They danced twice more, then Joseph had to attend to the bar. Gregory Drury came up to her, bowed, and asked her to dance. She smiled and accepted and they two-stepped to the music.

  Suddenly the music stopped. Everyone turned to the fiddlers. “Please excuse this delay but there is someone in the crowd who would like to make an announcement.”

  Pearl, along with the rest of the crowd, looked around expectantly. There was a buzz in the center of the floor. She put her hands to her mouth when she saw that Donald was down on one knee in front of Emma. Emma had a look of shock on her face.

  “Emma Owens, I have loved you since I first saw you four months ago in Fortymile. Until now I have not been in any position to make my intentions clear. I wanted to wait until I could offer you everything you desired in life. And now that I am able to do that, I am asking you to be my wife.”

  The room held its breath waiting for her answer.

  “Oh, yes,” Emma said, her face radiant. “Yes, I will.”

  Donald jumped up and swirled her around while the room erupted in cheers and clapping. Someone started chanting. “We want a wedding, we want a wedding.” And others joined in.

  Donald held up his hands and the room quieted. “If Emma is agreeable and we can find a minister here in the north who will perform the ceremony we will be married as quickly as possible.”

  Emma nodded. “Yes, as soon as we can.”

  Again there was cheering and then the celebrations continued. Pearl ran over to Emma and they embraced.

  “Oh, Pearl. I have never been so happy.”

  “And you deserve to be,” Pearl said. “Why did he take this long to ask you?”

  “He told me he wanted to find gold before proposing. He said he and Sam found it last week.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful.” Pearl hugged her cousin again.

  “Will you be my bridesmaid?”

  “Of, course. You didn’t even need to ask.”

  There were more recitations, some singing, and lots of dancing. Everything seemed so quaint and unusual to Pearl. She felt the spirit of companionship that shone in the faces of everyone present. It was as if the miners needed something to celebrate, needed to let off steam, needed to be in a social setting after being alone on their claims for many months.

  Pearl went over to talk with Kate Carmack. They’d been introduced when George, Kate, and Gracie brought the fish but only had a few moments to visit. However, it was long enough for Pearl to like the plump, soft-spoken woman. It had been a while since she had interviewed anyone for her articles, writing instead about prospecting, the building of a town, and her life in the moose pasture. She’d already learned that Skookum Jim and Tagi
sh Charley were Kate’s brother and her nephew. She wanted to know more about Kate’s life.

  “How long have you and George been married?” Pearl asked after explaining her purpose for being in the north.

  “Many years,” Kate said. “He was first married to my older sister but she died soon after their marriage. As is my people’s custom, I took her place.”

  “I don’t imagine Kate is your real name.”

  Kate laughed. “No. It’s Shaaw Tlaa.”

  “Shaaw Tlaa.” Pearl repeated.

  “Pretty close.”

  “Tell me about your life with George.”

  “George came here years ago, but he wasn’t interested in finding gold like the other men. He wanted to be an Indian and he embraced our life, even learning our language and moving into our village. We’ve wandered across the north, hunting, trading, and doing a little prospecting along the way.”

  “Can you describe for me what life as a native woman is like?”

  “We women know the plants and berries, which ones to eat, which ones are medicinal, and which ones are poisonous. When a man shoots a moose or deer, we cut and dry the meat for our winter food and prepare the skins for clothing. Many a time George and I would have starved if I hadn’t been able to snare a rabbit or squirrel for our meal.”

  “Sounds like you are kept busy.”

  Kate snorted. “If it wasn’t for us Indian women our men would not survive. And if it wasn’t for us Indian women acting as guides and interpreters and even marrying many of the white trappers, explorers, and traders who have been coming here over the years, they would not have survived either.

  They think they are the important ones, but without us to show them how to live off our land, they would quickly die. Just like this fall. While George, Jim, and Charley were digging their shafts I was taking in laundry to earn money to pay for our food.”

  Pearl smiled. Kate was no longer shy or soft spoken.

  “I understand your people had a fishing camp here at the mouth of the Klondike River.”

  “The Thron-diuck,” Kate said.

  “Pardon me?”