Now, a few days into their new situation, Hiram stretched out on his cot and yawned. “I’m gonna take a nap.”
Shep nodded. “Guess I will too.”
Closing his eyes, Hiram thought of his miserable life. He might as well still be in prison. He was limited on what he could and couldn’t do because of his job and the place where he lived. It wasn’t what he wanted, but for the moment, it seemed about all he could arrange.
On the positive side, he and Shep had made two hundred dollars in picking pockets. They would be out walking around on their trash pickups and just bump into a person here or there. After all, the people attending were shoulder to shoulder in some areas. Hiram had always had a touch, even as a big man, for sneaking a man’s wallet out. It was harder with women, but they seldom carried much with them and usually Hiram let them be. Women were always trouble.They looked over their shoulders in fear of big men like Hiram and Shep. They were the first to move away if they felt at all that a man was taking liberties with their space. No doubt Addie was the same way. Hiram couldn’t imagine her being very congenial to any man given the way she’d acted in Dawson City after Isaac left.
That boy had been nothing but trouble, and Hiram had to straighten him out more than once. But he had to give the boy credit. He never told Addie about Hiram’s beatings. That gave Hiram a bit of admiration for the young man ... but not much. He knew what the men of the Yukon were looking for in his little sister. And when it suited Hiram and made it worth his trouble, he was willing to give her over to them. For a price.
Sam Moerman had paid quite well for the privilege of having Addie for his own. Hiram never knew for sure what all he made her do at the Gold Palace, but after a while, Sam married her, surprising him and Shep. Why would a man bother to marry when he owned the woman?
Oh well. It was Sam’s choice.
From now on, it would be Hiram’s choice, and he didn’t intend to waste any time taking advantage of the people and events going on around him.
4
Addie had never seen so many people in one place. There had certainly been plenty of souls in Skagway and Dyea, preparing to climb the Chilkoot Trail, but so many more roamed the grounds of the AYP, as folks working there had come to call it.
Keeping track of the Camera Girls was proving to be more and more difficult, but from the number of photographs being developed and people coming into the shop for said photographs, Addie figured the girls were doing their job. Still, she did her part to work the crowds and to promote the Brownie camera and family photographs.
Noticing Esther with a couple of young men, Addie joined them to see what was going on. “How are you doing with photography, Esther?” she asked upon reaching the trio. It was easy to see that Esther was promoting only herself to these two men.
“Another pretty girl,” one of the men declared. “Aren’t we the lucky ones today?”
“Sure are,” the other young man replied. He stepped closer toward Addie, but she sidestepped his maneuvers.
“Esther, you should have a full camera by now. Have you taken these gentlemen’s picture?”
“They didn’t want a photograph taken.”
The one who had moved toward Addie stepped closer again. “We’re more interested in the beautiful women taking the photographs.”
Addie nodded. “Nevertheless, taking photographs and selling cameras is what Esther is getting paid for. Come, Esther, there are plenty of folks who do want their photograph taken.”
The blond-haired young woman looked none too happy at Addie’s outstretched hand. She moved past them all in a huff, and Addie in turn bid the gentlemen good day. Catching up with Esther, she could see she was more than a little angry.
“I’m sorry you think it unfair of me to interfere, but you are getting paid to do a job. If you would like to turn in your things and resign the position, that can be arranged.”
“I don’t want to quit,” Esther snapped. “I need this job.”
“Then I suggest youdothe job.”
Esther stopped and turned to face Addie. “You don’t know what it’s like to struggle to pay bills.”
“You know nothing about me, Esther, and right now, I don’t have the time to enlighten you. Now, there’s a family over there pausing to look at the map of the expo. Why don’t you offer to take their picture and make them a memory keeper?”
Esther gave a huff and stomped over to the young family. Addie hoped her attitude changed before she actually said anything to them.
Addie continued to make the rounds, searching the growing crowds to find her girls. It was her birthday, but she refusedto celebrate it, and Pearl and Otis knew better than to bring it up. After all, the last time she had celebrated her birthday, a man was killed. She tried not to think about it, however. It was just a birthday—her twenty-sixth. Nothing special at all.
A mass of people pressed in and passed her to reach their destinations. It was said that the fair was averaging thirty thousand people every day. It was amazing to watch. Almost more fascinating than the exhibits themselves, which Addie was taking in on her days off.
Finding herself outside the display on the gold rush, Addie listened as a man explained to the growing crowd that each visitor headed north to the Yukon had to take survival goods with them. She remembered that well enough. Remembered, too, that her father had argued with one of the officials, insisting that Addie was a child and certainly didn’t eat like they did. Her father was adamant that they didn’t need to take as much food for her as they were taking for themselves. The man finally grew tired of arguing with her father and pointed out that he and his older boys were larger than the average man, and they’d be glad to have Addie’s extra poundage of food. But he finally gave in and let them go without Addie having as much food stocks as the others.
“Folks headed to the Yukon were anxious to get there ’fore the gold was gone,” the lecturer told the crowd. “But you had to transport these goods, and it wasn’t easy. Many of the people there hired Eskimos.”
Without thinking, Addie piped up. “They weren’t Eskimos. They were Tlingits.”
