the woods. Do you suppose any but a fool would buy them? Tacoma is not going to grow much more, but Seattle probably will. / am going to Seattle."
A smile crept over my face, I suppose, for the lady turned to me to get my opinion.
" Of one thing I can assure you," I said, evasively, "you will find this same beautiful view of the Sound at Seattle—it is everywhere here—and your husband will find the woods around Seattle laid out in town-lots."
Then she told me they were from Helena, Montana, which explained her ignorance of this country; they had only arrived on the last train from the mountains.
We went to the end of the uncompleted road and walked about in the woods while the car ran off a little way to a mill on a side track. IIow very new and unfinished it all is! But I must be careful about putting it down in my book as being unfinished, or by the time it gets to the reader the public will not be able to recognize it. And when people are trying to do so much, and are rather proud of succeeding so well, one must not lessen the wind in their sails by so much as a pin's prick.
The Ryan smelter is in this neighborhood, and the railroad will run to it shortly. It is said to be the largest on the Pacific Coast, and cost nearly half a million, being built by a syndicate in St. Paul. It will smelt gold, silver, lead, and copper ores; and its capacity will be five hundred and sixty tons daily, employing one thousand men. It is expected to smelt Alaskan ores, silver ores from South America brought as ballast in vessels, and ores from the mines of the Okanogan country east of the Cascades, as soon as transportation for them can be obtained.
But to return to street and suburban railways: the system is only about one year old, and yet here is another twelve-mile road to American Lake just opened (it runs to Steilacoom now, and is going on to Nisqually City, more than half-way to Olympia). This is the popular resort for pleasure-seekers. The drive to it, over the level prairie carpeted with a short fine grass and wild flowers, is a charming one. The lake itself is only about three miles long and of irregular width, with some pretty wooded islands in it. A steam-launch, sail- and row-boats have
