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OUNG
<LONDJKE.
> Stories of a Gold Seeker. ¢
Issued Sane - Monthty—By Subscription $1.25 per year. Entered as Second Class Matter at the New York, N. Y., Post Office.
Entered according to Act of Car Congress in the 4 ear 1838, in the offic
fice of the Librarian of Congress, Washington,
. by Frank Tousey, 29 West 26th Street, New Yo:
No. 1.
New York, March 16, 1898.
Price 5 Cents.
YOUNG KLONDIKE:
?
OFF FOR THE LAND OF GOLD.
BY AN OLD MINER.
CHAPTER I.
‘GO TO THE KLONDIKE FOR GOLD.”
‘EVERYBODY is going to the Klondike. I wish I
was going, too.”’ ~
«Pshaw! What could a fellow like you do in a
country like that? They say it’s cold enough to freeze
the ears off a brass monkey.”’
« That’s all right, Dick Luckey, I shouldn’t care a
cent about the cold if I could only get the gold. If I
had a name like yours I’d go blame quick.”
«?*Tain’t any better than your own, Ned Golden.”
«‘ What, what ! Luckey, the miner. What do you
say ??”
“ Yes, but Golden, the gold- -hunter ! What do you
say ?”
- “That we'd make a famous “team. Golden &
Luckey !”’
“No; Luckey & Golden.”
« Shouldn’ t care a rap whether I was the head of
the firm or the tail, so long as we got the dust.” |
« By gracious, Ned, if I had to go to the Klondike,
I don’t know any fellow in New. York I’d rather have
for a partner than you.’
«Same here,, Dick.”
«You get there every time.”
“Whatever you undertake usually goes.”
“« Well, I’ve got to be going, or the boss will be in
my wool when I get back. So long, Ned.. There’s
about aS much chance of our going to the Klondike, as
there is of our going to the moon.’
The boys parted, Ned Golden going up Broadway
and Dick Luckey going down.
Neither. had any serious intention of going to the
Alaska gold fields, the fame of which is now in every-
body’s mouth, but then just beginning to be talked
about in the papers and on the street.
Yet these two boys were singularly well calewated
for just such a venture, if they had but known it.
Ned Golden was a tall, stalwart young fellow of
eighteen, big in frame, broad shoulders, with muscles
of iron and perfect health. One had only to look at
his high forehead and large gray eyes to see that un-
less fate or circumstances turned him from his natural
course, the boy was bound to make his mark in the
world.
Moreover, Ned was an orphan without kith or kin;
and had never had any one to look out for him since
his old grandaunt, who brought him up, went the way’
of all flesh, now four years ago.
Dick Luckey was only a half orphan, but as he did
not know where his father was, it amounted to the
-]| same thing as being a whole one.
Dick’s mother died when he was quite a lad, and his
father clapped the boy into a country poor-house and
left for parts unknown.
Dick ran away from the poor-house when he was
under ten, and came to New York, since, which time
he had always supported himself, and instead of wast-
ing his everings had spent them in study, doing his
best. to improve his mind.
Result: Dick was now a little gentleman and avery
well educated fellow. So much for not wasting one’s
time; there are few boys who have had less opportun-
ities than Dick.
Dick was just the age of his chum, Ned Golden, but
his direct opposite in appearance, being -short and
slim, and as dark as Ned was fair.
Circumstances had thrown these two boys together
now for some years, but neither of them dreamed how
closely they were to be associated in the future, or
that the chance conversation held on Broadway that
autumn afternoon would come to have a deeper mean-
ing.