September's Dream by Ruth Ryan Langan Read Free Book Online

"They’re not swimming. Passengers have to float their belongings across the shallows and walk over the mud flats, until they get to shore. Until somebody in Skagway gets around to building a wharf, it’s the only way."
    She boarded the barge for the short trip to the mud flats. All passengers’ eyes were riveted on their future. Skagway. The gateway to the gold fields.
    Drawing closer, she scanned the tents and crude cabins along the shore. Was this all there was to the town? Makeshift dwellings that couldn’t possibly withstand the winter? How would she survive this harsh land with nothing but her wits? With nothing to barter for food and lodging and gear? Worse, how could she find her father now, with no picture left of him to show people? Her fists clenched at her sides.
    It didn’t matter. She would describe him. People would remember him. She would find him. They would be reunited. That was all that mattered. That was what she would cling to.
    As she scrambled up the banks of the river, September’s gaze scanned the bleak town of Skagway. Ringed by mountains, the town was flat, with makeshift structures everywhere. All of the timber had been cut for construction. Besides the few wooden dwellings, there were tents and even wagons, with bits of canvas hung for privacy. There were no roads, only tracks carved into the dirt by horses’ hooves and wagon wheels. With each step, dirt rose up to choke the lungs and sting the eyes. The wind keened down the hills and clawed through the tents, leaving everything in its wake stiff with cold. This wasn’t a town; it was a nightmare.
    September turned at the sound of a wagon approaching.
    "September."
    She looked up to see Nell and Will seated beside a thin young man in his early twenties. He had fine blond hair, which grew below his collar, and a droopy mustache.
    "Jack, this is the friend I told you about. September, this is my Jack."
    September heard the note of pride in Nell’s voice. Avoiding Nell’s eyes, she forced herself to smile weakly up at the young man.
    "You have a fine wife and son."
    He smiled, and she recognized the curve of his lips, so like his little boy’s. "I’m glad Nell’s made a friend. Our cabin’s up beyond the White Pass Trail. If you get up that way, you’re always welcome."
    "Thank you."
    He flicked the reins. As the wagon began rolling, Nell turned in the seat and called, "For heaven’s sake, September, put on your coat before you freeze to death."
    September turned away, ashamed. But in that instant, Nell glimpsed the pain in her eyes. Turning to her husband, she said in hushed tones, "I think my friend got stung, Jack."
    He glanced over his son’s head. "Her coat?"
    She nodded.
    "That’s why I warned you and Will to stay below deck with our things as much as possible. This town’s loaded with thieves. There’re a lot of good people. But it’s the bad ones mostly that seem to prosper."
    She touched her husband’s sleeve. "Can we go back for a minute? I’d like to give her my shawl."
    "We’ve got a lot of miles to cover, Nell."
    Her soft voice trembled. "I owe her, Jack. She went out of her way to help me when nobody else even cared."
    He shrugged. "You win."
    Expertly turning the team, they rolled alongside the lone figure.
    "September, I’d like you to have this," Nell called, dropping her shawl into her friend’s arms.
    September looked up in Surprise. "Oh, Nell."
    Tears threatened, and September buried her face in the warm shawl and swallowed the lump in her throat.
    The wagon stopped. Seeing her distress, Nell jumped down and wrapped her arms around the quaking figure.
    "Was it that rich man?" Nell asked.
    September nodded, then burst into tears. Between sobs, she hissed, "Deke Kenyon. He stole my money, and my mother’s gold locket. He took my coat and blanket." Her voice quivered. "And he tried to . . ." The words caught in her throat.
    In the terrible silence that followed, Nell felt her heart constrict.
    "He forced