"A public sledge was about to leave for Dyea in a few days, and Hal engaged seats for himself and me. He paid the tavern-keeper to keep the dogs until he returned.
"I had refrained from asking Hal about my future while there was any doubt of our getting to the Coast, but this seemed to be the best time to speak of it.
""What you going to do with me?" I asked.
""We"ll skip right down to Juneau, and see if there are any letters there. It all depends," he replied.
"In a few days more we reached Dyea, where Hal secured some trustworthy men into whose charge he could commit the mining work. Then we took the boat and started for Juneau.
"After a rough voyage of more than ten days, we docked at the wretched little city, and went to the post-office for our mail.
"Three letters awaited me--but every one of them were from chums to whom I had sent cards from Seattle. My mail had been forwarded to me from Seattle to Juneau, but there was no word from my parents.
"As Hal and I stood reading our letters, the postmaster--a shrivelled-up, little old man, peered at me over the rim of his spectacles, and called out:
""Be you the one thet jist got some old letters from the East?"
""Yes, sir," I returned, going over to the counter.
""Waal, heah"s one thet c.u.m a long time ago, an" I meant to send it back, but somehow fergot it. I c.u.m across it yistiddy, and made up my mind to do somethin" with it sure, so heah ye aire."
"With relief I recognized my father"s writing, but the letter was dated two months previous.
"I opened the letter and read it through with intense emotion. First, I learned that my Mother had died after a brief illness. Next, my Father had lost his fine saw-mill by fire. Third, my oldest sister had married, and the home was broken up, Father having gone to live with her in New York.
"I wondered where I would go if I went home. There was no Mother waiting, no home, and my Father was in a strange city with his son-in-law.
"I turned and handed the letter to Hal. He read and comprehended.
""Guess it"s Alaska for ye, Kid. Want to go back with me?"
"Did I?--well, I just guess I did, and I fairly jumped at the hand that was held out to me.
""Glad myself, Kid, to have you. I sure would have missed you tol"able ef I saw you sailin" away from me, headed for Seattle."
""Hal, will the bosses think it is all right now?" I asked.
""Sure thing, when they read this letter, Kid. And, say, I never told anyone this, but seein" thet I am to be your "dopted father, now, I may as well tell yeh--I am to have a tenth-share in the claim up there, and, as my "dopted son, you come in fer a part of mine--see?"
""Hal, do you mean you will take me under your wing?" I cried, all forgetful of the goldmine.
"This pleased the old guide so much that he laughed as he retorted, "I knew I wasn"t wrong on the stuff you"re made of. That was a lucky day when my horse stumbled, eh?" and he slapped me kindly on the back.
"Well, we went back to Dyea, and waited for a caravan to start on the trail. We joined the very first one out, and Hal earned our pa.s.sage and keep all the way, as guide.
"We found the camp in excellent condition, and the new miners we had chosen in place of the villainous Indians proved to be all that could be desired.
"Some machinery was purchased by Hal at Dyea, and as soon as it was delivered at our camp, all hands set to work.
"I stayed at that camp with Hal for three years before we sold out our interests and took a vacation. The bosses had only remained until the gold was panning out well, then they sent for experts to come and value the entire mine.
"Hal had filed some property claims for himself and me adjoining the Dwight mine, and after the experts had rendered their verdict on the property we were able to sell them at a big price.
"Hal and I decided to go to Seattle for a while, and then travel a bit; if we found the life too lazy we could easily get back to Alaska.
"We put in a year of pleasure-seeking together, but the life and climate was too mild for the old guide who had always been accustomed to work and cold, and one night I found him breathing hard, and he complained of pains in his chest. In a week he had pa.s.sed away, leaving me with all of his wealth to add to my own.
"I had written father, and sent him some money several times during the year, and now I wrote to tell him I was coming home.
"Needless to say, we were overjoyed to see each other again, and then I told him I was going to take him on a little trip.
"We went straight to our old home town, and to his surprise I took him to the old homestead where I was born, telling him that I had repurchased it from the folks who had bought it from him. He trembled with happiness as we entered the door and found all of the familiar old furniture there, too. Above all, there stood his maiden-sister, in the dining-room door, smiling a welcome!
"I explained how I had found Aunt Delia, and made her promise to keep house for him, and how we had collected the old furniture that the village-folks bought when mother died. I was always thankful that my money enabled me to make his last days happy."
CHAPTER XIV
THE B. B. & B. B. MAGAZINE
By the fifteenth of October the Blue Birds and Bobolinks were deep in the work of constructing a magazine. Uncle Ben sent out the two young men he had spoken of, and they showed the children what to do and how to do it.
The Oakdale Paper Mills pa.s.sed a vote to supply the paper for one year, and the B. B. & B. B. Company had agreed to give the mills advertising credit for the donation.
The two important letters which had caused such consternation in the Bobolink nest were all printed on beautiful grey paper in blue ink, and the envelopes all addressed and packed in boxes ready to be used.
All the stories, articles and lessons had been given to Uncle Ben before the tenth of the month and he had sent back the linotype by the thirteenth as he promised he would. Then work began in real earnest.
The Bobolink Boys had to make a galley proof of the printing, and the Blue Birds had to read it (or at least their mothers did) and construct the dummy. This last work was great fun.
Every evening fathers and mothers visited the Publishing House and the Winter Nest and a.s.sisted where they could, or watched progress when they were not needed; after every meeting it became the custom for one or the other of the fathers to treat the publishing company and guests to refreshments. This, Don thought, was reward enough for every aching back or arm. To keep the children from tiring of the treats, the fathers planned each morning, while going into the city, just what new kind of a surprise to furnish that night.
The interest shown at first had not abated--possibly due to the fact that so much fun was always to be had from unexpected sources--and the two men from the city said it was a marvel that children could produce such splendid work.
"Goodness! those Bobolinks ought to! they spent heaps and heaps of time fooling with those machines to learn how to work "em!" said Dot Starr, overhearing what the men said.
"And just see how the fathers help!" added Norma.
"I guess the magazine wouldn"t be much of a paper if the Blue Birds hadn"t done their part so well," said May.
"And the Blue Birds" mothers!" reminded Ruth.
The Blue Birds were sitting on the steps of the piazza waiting for Mrs.
Talmage and Aunt Selina to join them, when Dot told them of the "city-man"s" commendation of the work.