Wednesday, December 8, 1993 -- North Shore News - 83

the Yukon
admitted
te hokum

tbs WHAT. CANADIAN . poet
i claimed to have been shot at
‘while writing one of his
; most famous baliads?

Robert Servicé was a bank teller

to prepare a reading for a church
concert.
‘It was a rowdy Klondike Satur-
day night when he thought of the
line: “SA bunch of the boys were
whooping it up. »
After returning to his apartment
above the bank . office, Service
in -his autobiography,.
“Ploughman of the Moon,’ he
crept downstairs to the quiet of
his teller’s cage and commenced
work. A sleeping guard awoke and
assumed the midnight author was
' a burglar.
. “Fortunately, he was a poor
“shot .or-‘The Shooting of Dan
‘McGrew’ might never, have. been
i written,” wrote “Service. “With
‘the sensation of.a bullet whizzing
“past my head, and a detonation
Yinging in my ears; the baliad was
“achieved. aa
More ‘than 50 years later, Ser-
vice finally admitted the story was
- pure hokum. ‘
Service emigrated to Canada
‘from Scotland in 1894 with $15 in
his pocket and visions of becom-
‘ing 4 cowboy. . vaoF
“He tramped about and took all
» manner.‘of add jobs, before he
began a career in banking which
‘d him to the Yukon.
“His first book of verse, ‘Songs
of;a’ Sourdough,’? was an ac-
cidental success. :
Service had intended to print a
‘slim volume of his: poems as a
“Souvenir. for: his friends, and his
father’ forwarded the material 'to‘a |
* publisher..of hymn books in New
York.for printing.
The “book sold ° itself when -
pressmen. -were discovered laughing
md reciting Service’s verse, in-
cluding ‘the classic ‘Cremation of
Sam McGee.”
“The. book: sold over two million
-conies and ‘made: Service one: of
‘the: best-known. . and weaithiest . . :
writers in Canada. A wite assortment
: D 1908, Service was transferred ; :
“to. Dawson City where he, settle
‘insa.rustic:cabin, which is now a . ; of MHL © ama FL™
museum,’ He. wrote his first novel 7 :
here, ‘The Trail of 98.”
Whea "it. was finished; che. siyles and mare
decided’ to’ deliver it pers onally to « o
his publistrer in New York. with or without heads.

Service returned to the Klondike

and wrote another collection of Sears reg. $90-17¢.

“verse, ““Khymes of a Rolling
’ Stone.” In the autumn if 1912, he
took ‘the Jast steamboat out of Each...67.50-127.58
Dawson, and never returned. Selection may vary by store
His life remained action-pack- _ Team Shop
ed,
As a reporter, he covered the
Balkan War, and during World
War, One he served as an am-
bulance’ driver. and as an in-
telligence officer for the Canadian Sale ends
Aimy. Sun. Dec. 19, 1993
' His collection of war poetry,
“Rhymes of a ‘Red Cross Man,”
headed the non-fiction best-seller
list in 1917 and 1918,
Dispelling rumors of his death,
“Service published at feast 10
books, while living comfortably in

Monte Carlo and Brittany, co . . ote
In. 1958, Canadian ‘television Now- along ‘vith your Sears Card, Sears sccops VISA, MasterCard, American [xpress and Discover

broadcaster Patrick Watson and IE fA
journalist . Pierre “Berton inter- SEA RS

viewed the 84-year-old self- . ky; .

F > te at pec mor o from Sears
proclaimed ‘“‘rhymer’’ at his villa wpe > efi
overlooking the Mediterranean.
“Say, wouldn’t it. be a sensation _ : vo ;
if |} croaked in the middle of this Saars Canada Inc. Satislaction guaranteed or money retunded. “Reg” and “Was" refer to Sears Canada Inc. prices, ,
rigw'}tt Vv wi a There's o Soars store near you ... shop today at Capilano Mall 985-7722: Monday thru Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Sunday 11:00 a.m, - $:00 p.m.

interview? } asked Ser ice ith . . ) Surrey 588-0811: Monday thru Saturday open 9:30 a.m. - 9:00 ¢.m.; Sunday 11:00 a.m, - 5:98 p.m.

twinkle in his eye. . ; Burnaby 435-3211: Lonuay thre: Saturday 9:30 a.m. .m.; Sunday 11:00 a.m, - 8:00 p.m,

The Bard of the Yukon died a : Ricimmand 278-5542: Monday thru Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.; Sunday 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
few nionths later, leaving a legacy A Langley 533-4093: Monday thru Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.; Sunday 11:00 a.m, - 5:00 pun.

few is onths Tat of myth. & a legacy Coquitlam 464-8600: Monday thru Saturday 9:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Sunday 1 00 am. - 5:00 p.m.

For information about the éteritage
Project, call i-800-567- 1867.