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the unexpected-第1章

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THE UNEXPECTED







IT is a simple matter to see the obvious; to do the expected。  The 

tendency of the individual life is to be static rather than 

dynamic; and this tendency is made into a propulsion by 

civilization; where the obvious only is seen; and the unexpected 

rarely happens。  When the unexpected does happen; however; and when 

it is of sufficiently grave import; the unfit perish。  They do not 

see what is not obvious; are unable to do the unexpected; are 

incapable of adjusting their well…grooved lives to other and 

strange grooves。  In short; when they come to the end of their own 

groove; they die。



On the other hand; there are those that make toward survival; the 

fit individuals who escape from the rule of the obvious and the 

expected and adjust their lives to no matter what strange grooves 

they may stray into; or into which they may be forced。  Such an 

individual was Edith Whittlesey。  She was born in a rural district 

of England; where life proceeds by rule of thumb and the unexpected 

is so very unexpected that when it happens it is looked upon as an 

immorality。  She went into service early; and while yet a young 

woman; by rule…of…thumb progression; she became a lady's maid。



The effect of civilization is to impose human law upon environment 

until it becomes machine…like in its regularity。  The objectionable 

is eliminated; the inevitable is foreseen。  One is not even made 

wet by the rain nor cold by the frost; while death; instead of 

stalking about grewsome and accidental; becomes a prearranged 

pageant; moving along a well…oiled groove to the family vault; 

where the hinges are kept from rusting and the dust from the air is 

swept continually away。



Such was the environment of Edith Whittlesey。  Nothing happened。  

It could scarcely be called a happening; when; at the age of 

twenty…five; she accompanied her mistress on a bit of travel to the 

United States。  The groove merely changed its direction。  It was 

still the same groove and well oiled。  It was a groove that bridged 

the Atlantic with uneventfulness; so that the ship was not a ship 

in the midst of the sea; but a capacious; many…corridored hotel 

that moved swiftly and placidly; crushing the waves into submission 

with its colossal bulk until the sea was a mill…pond; monotonous 

with quietude。  And at the other side the groove continued on over 

the land … a well…disposed; respectable groove that supplied hotels 

at every stopping…place; and hotels on wheels between the stopping…

places。



In Chicago; while her mistress saw one side of social life; Edith 

Whittlesey saw another side; and when she left her lady's service 

and became Edith Nelson; she betrayed; perhaps faintly; her ability 

to grapple with the unexpected and to master it。  Hans Nelson; 

immigrant; Swede by birth and carpenter by occupation; had in him 

that Teutonic unrest that drives the race ever westward on its 

great adventure。  He was a large…muscled; stolid sort of a man; in 

whom little imagination was coupled with immense initiative; and 

who possessed; withal; loyalty and affection as sturdy as his own 

strength。



〃When I have worked hard and saved me some money; I will go to 

Colorado;〃 he had told Edith on the day after their wedding。  A 

year later they were in Colorado; where Hans Nelson saw his first 

mining and caught the mining…fever himself。  His prospecting led 

him through the Dakotas; Idaho; and eastern Oregon; and on into the 

mountains of British Columbia。  In camp and on trail; Edith Nelson 

was always with him; sharing his luck; his hardship; and his toil。  

The short step of the house…reared woman she exchanged for the long 

stride of the mountaineer。  She learned to look upon danger clear…

eyed and with understanding; losing forever that panic fear which 

is bred of ignorance and which afflicts the city…reared; making 

them as silly as silly horses; so that they await fate in frozen 

horror instead of grappling with it; or stampede in blind self…

destroying terror which clutters the way with their crushed 

carcasses。



Edith Nelson met the unexpected at every turn of the trail; and she 

trained her vision so that she saw in the landscape; not the 

obvious; but the concealed。  She; who had never cooked in her life; 

learned to make bread without the mediation of hops; yeast; or 

baking…powder; and to bake bread; top and bottom; in a frying…pan 

before an open fire。  And when the last cup of flour was gone and 

the last rind of bacon; she was able to rise to the occasion; and 

of moccasins and the softer…tanned bits of leather in the outfit to 

make a grub…stake substitute that somehow held a man's soul in his 

body and enabled him to stagger on。  She learned to pack a horse as 

well as a man; … a task to break the heart and the pride of any 

city…dweller; and she knew how to throw the hitch best suited for 

any particular kind of pack。  Also; she could build a fire of wet 

wood in a downpour of rain and not lose her temper。  In short; in 

all its guises she mastered the unexpected。  But the Great 

Unexpected was yet to come into her life and put its test upon her。



The gold…seeking tide was flooding northward into Alaska; and it 

was inevitable that Hans Nelson and his wife should he caught up by 

the stream and swept toward the Klondike。  The fall of 1897 found 

them at Dyea; but without the money to carry an outfit across 

Chilcoot Pass and float it down to Dawson。  So Hans Nelson worked 

at his trade that winter and helped rear the mushroom outfitting…

town of Skaguay。



He was on the edge of things; and throughout the winter he heard 

all Alaska calling to him。  Latuya Bay called loudest; so that the 

summer of 1898 found him and his wife threading the mazes of the 

broken coast…line in seventy…foot Siwash canoes。  With them were 

Indians; also three other men。  The Indians landed them and their 

supplies in a lonely bight of land a hundred miles or so beyond 

Latuya Bay; and returned to Skaguay; but the three other men 

remained; for they were members of the organized party。  Each had 

put an equal share of capital into the outfitting; and the profits 

were to he divided equally。  In that Edith Nelson undertook to cook 

for the outfit; a man's share was to be her portion。



First; spruce trees were cut down and a three…room cabin 

constructed。  To keep this cabin was Edith Nelson's task。  The task 

of the men was to search for gold; which they did; and to find 

gold; which they likewise did。  It was not a startling find; merely 

a low…pay placer where long hours of severe toil earned each man 

between fifteen and twenty dollars a day。  The brief Alaskan summer 

protracted itself beyond its usual length; and they took advantage 

of the opportunity; delaying their return to Skaguay to the last 

moment。  And then it was too late。  Arrangements had been made to 

accompany the several dozen local Indians on their fall trading 

trip down the coast。  The Siwashes had waited on the white people 

until the eleventh hour; and then departed。  There was no course 

left the party but to wait for chance transportation。  In the 

meantime the claim was cleaned up and firewood stocked in。



The Indian summer had dreamed on and on; and then; suddenly; with 

the sharpness of bugles; winter came。  It came in a single night; 

and the miners awoke to howling wind; driving snow; and freezing 

water。  Storm followed storm; and between the storms there was the 

silence; broken only by the boom of the surf on the desolate shore; 

where the salt spray rimmed the beach with frozen white。



All went well in the cabin。  Their gold…dust had weighed up 

something like eight thousand dollars; and they could not but be 

contented。  The men made snowshoes; hunted fresh meat for the 

larder; and in the long evenings played endless games of whist and 

pedro。  Now that the mining had ceased; Edith Nelson turned over 

the fire…building and the dish…washing to the men; while she darned 

their socks and mended their clothes。



There was no grumbling; no bickering; nor petty quarrelling in the 

little cabin; and they often congratulated one another on the 

general happiness of the party。  Hans Nelson was stolid and easy…

going; while Edith had long before won his unbounded admiration by 

her capacity for getting on with people。  Harkey; a long; lank 

Texan; was unusually friendly for one with a saturnine disposition; 

and; as long as his theory that gold grew was not challenged; was 

quite companionable。  The fourth member of the party; Michael 

Dennin; contributed his Irish wit to the gayety of the cabin。  He 

was a large; powerful man; prone to sudden rushes of anger over 

little things; and of unfailing good…humor under the stress and 

strain of big things。  The fifth and last member; Dutchy; was the 

willing butt of the party。  He even went
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