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Show 159 "By the way-" he slapped me on the back again-"there will be three of us in our partnership." "Three?" "You don't object, do you?" "Of course not," I replied quickly. "Any friend of yours-" "A friend of mine will be coming in from the Outside. On one of the riverboats. Any day now. We have worked together for years." It was all right with me. I was just anxious to strike out for Nome and more gold. That is, after I had spent some time at the tailor's. My pants came almost up to my knees. Two days later Beans and I went down to the waterfront to watch the steamer Northern Maid leave-with Tip and Caribou and ray bags of gold! Two days, and Tip hardly recognized me. It was because of ray new tan corduroy suit, I suppose. And my stiff white shirt and bow tie and tweed cap. And a gold watch fob, big as my thumb, hanging from ray watch chain. "Those new clothes," Tip stammered, "they make you taller than Caribou." She began to cry. "It isn't the clothes," Caribou said, hugging the breath out of me. "He's taller. And he is fifteen years old." I did not like this show of emotion in front of my new nartner, so I pushed them aboard the steamer, fast. I had never said goodbye to anyone I cared about in my whole life. Not Ma. |