itable real estate business in Seattle.
j, Oregon, was having a boom and
sands of acres of homestead land were
x opened. This appealed to me. I got
mestead relinquishment on the desert,
with $3,500 in my pocket, moved into
ittle cabin on my homestead, three miles
, the nearest store. It was a fourteen-by-
ity-foot shack. I sold my diamonds and
silver from the Yukon days and furn-
j the cabin with the money I got from
sale. Immediately there was a rush of
yrs to my door.

married Floyd Warner, a handsome
) who stood six feet two. We were
ried in 1914 and lived on the homestead
| he went into the service of World
ip.

loyd was younger than I was, and
sus. He was ready to fight when any-
called me “Klondike Kate.” But we
d each other and were truly happy.
en he went to war we sold our cattle
our homestead and I went to manage
ospital at Pineville, Oregon.

knew nothing about nursing, but never
a patient. Then I went into the restau-
+ business. I had never cooked more
a a kettle of hot cakes, so that was
entirely new adventure for me. I opened
sold four restaurants—selling each one
| profit.

TrieED MANY OCCUPATIONS

\fter mother died, I wanted to travel
in. With the Armistice, Floyd and I
ided to go our separate ways. I kept a
e home in Bend, Oregon, but whenever
ad enough money I was off for a few
nths’ travel. When my money ran low
go home and work to earn some more—
_ could be off again.

Vhen I was fifty-three, I presumed that
vould settle down for the rest of my
s like any middle-aged woman. But no.
venture was still stalking my trail. I
nd life, love, fame and romance starting
over again.

[The Alaska-Yukon Sourdoughs held a
nion in 1931 in Portland. The long ban-
t tables were glittery with golden ban-
s, and almost a thousand men and women
re seated. We were celebrating the thirty-
h anniversary of the Gold Rush.

‘Most of us were broke thirty-five years
.” the toastmaster began. “There are a
of things we want to remember in our
rs in the Klondike. And there are a lot
things we want to forget.

‘Some of us came here today in our own
vate railroad cars. Some of us are as
ke as though we had never struck gold
Dawson. But all of us remember one
son whom we are going to honour
ight.

‘She was the girl who danced in the old
voy in Dawson. The Queen of ’em all.
e girl with the flaming hair and twink-
x feet. And we threw our gold dust at
feet for just one of her smiles.

“We used to dream about her in our
ely cabins on the frozen creeks. We had
- pictures pinned up in our cabin walls.

FTEENTH EDITION

We toasted her at the bars in Dawson’s
dance halls. Boys, I present the “Sweet-
heart of the Sourdoughs—Klondike Kate!”

Tears were in my eyes when I stood up.
Many of these men were Klondike Kings,
some were bent-backed, broken men. They
began singing Let Me Call You Sweetheart.

BACK TO THE YUKON AGAIN

Johnny Matson, the Norwegian miner,
who used to watch me in the dance hall at
Dawson, saw a write-up of that reunion in
the Alaska Weekly. Johnny had remained
with his gold claim on Matson Creek, oper-
ating a string of small placer claims 160
miles from Dawson. He had been out of the
Yukon only once in thirty-five years. He
read the item about my official designation
as “Sweetheart of the Sourdoughs” at the
Portland reunion. So he wrote me a letter.
“T have always been in love with you,
Katie, all these years. I never had the
courage to tell you before. I have heard that
life has not been too good to you. You have

Adventure and romance were not over for me,

even though youth was gone. Hollywood made a

motion picture of my part of the story, and I

found myself, a white-haired matron of sixty:

three, photographed, banqueted, and interviewed.
It all seemed like a dream.

had lots of hardships. I would like to take
care of you. I would like to have the right
to take care of you as my wife.”

Johnny came down from Dawson and we
met in Canada.

“But, Johnny, I’m old now,” I said.

“Yoo look yust the same to me as yoo
did years ago, the most beautiful woman a
man ever saw,” he replied. I could never
laugh at his accent after that. So we were

PATRICIA

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