i've gotten good at stretching the truth out of shape

Summary: Goldie and Scrooge meet for the very first time.

Word count: 5426

Warnings: None

1896-1897; Dawson

When Goldie first arrived in Dawson, it was a quiet little town.

Hard to even call it a town, really, when there were just two or three buildings and a bunch of tents filled with anxious men hoping this was a good spot to find gold.

She’d saved up enough money in her travels that once the opportunity came up, Goldie O’Gilt found herself the owner of her very own saloon. She’d had to lie and con and do some unspeakable things to get there, but the important part was that it happened. Occasionally having to interact with Soapy Slick was probably the worst part of her whole adventure, so she rolled with the punches and focused on what she had: moderate cooking skills, plenty of booze, and a couple of tables with chairs to match.

It didn’t take a genius to realize Dawson was about to blow up! ...hopefully just figuratively. A lot of those miners carried dynamite with them, so she couldn’t be too sure.

Only a few months went by before the population of Dawson multiplied so significantly that Goldie suddenly had a fully furnished establishment and several employees of her very own. Regular customers piled up at the saloon entrance every night and she put on show after show, sewed outfit after outfit, cooked meal after meal, and collected more gold and coins than she ever thought she’d have in her life. She had the joy of hard-earned money, plus a bonus every now and then from a sourdough with fewer brain than hands. She’d adopted a rule that made her feel better every time she felt unfamiliar hands on her ass - if you wanna pick a pocket, you’ve gotta get close.

She also found that running a business wasn’t so hard. There were some dancers who just wanted to find themselves a husband, and Goldie didn’t judge them for that - she was a realist. And there were some miners in town who clearly felt they were too good for her dirty little dancehall - like that angry Scottish fellow who skulked by every few weeks to get supplies from the store nearby. But overall, money was flowing and customers were showing and Glittering Goldie’s name made heads turn and eyes light up in excitement.

...most eyes. That aforementioned angry Scottish guy had caught her attention a few times since everyone in town seemed to hate his guts, which made him kind of more interesting than the other men around. She wouldn’t waste her time on him if he didn’t have money to spend (or lose…), but he was always an absent thought in the back of her head when he stomped through.

Soapy liked to talk to her about the men in town. He came by when the saloon wasn’t busy and just sat at the bar - chatting with Goldie as if they were old friends. She hated his guts and would rather see him choke than spend another moment of her life pretending to be friendly with the man, but he co-owned several businesses in town - her saloon excluded, but only because she’d recently paid off her loan - and had a good relationship with the redcoats. When it came to Soapy Slick, Dawson residents had two options: be friends with him, or be destroyed by him. Sometimes both. But Goldie had spent enough time with him to not make the same mistake twice.

“Ya seen that McDuck guy?” Soapy asked her one day, gulping down way too much wine for the morning hour he was harassing her.

“That the grumpy one with the whiskers?”

“I guess,” he answered with a shrug. “Whispers around town say he’s feelin’ pretty confident that he’ll be striking gold soon.”

Goldie scoffed and continued cleaning glasses and mugs. “Aren’t all the sourdoughs out here confident? Why else would they bother going out at all?”

Soapy laughed and took another swig. “Desperation, I’d bet. Or maybe they just figure the girls up here are easier to snag!”

Her eyes could’ve rolled into the back of her head. Instead, they stayed focused on her hands and her rag making circular motions on a particular spot of dirt that was agitating her. Why wasn’t it coming out? “So why’re you tellin’ me, Slick? Would this guy striking rich mean trouble for you?”

“Nah, he’s nothin’ to me,” Soapy said as he leaned onto his elbow. “But he just keeps to himself so much, it’s impossible to figure out where he’s diggin’!” The hog put down the bottle of wine and turned in his stool to lean his other elbow on the bar counter too. “I don’t care how stubborn or foolish he is, McDuck’s still a man. If he strikes it rich, he’s gonna come in here to brag about it.”

Goldie raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“And I think he’d be a perfect target for one of your little party tricks.”

Her eyes widened for a brief, almost unnoticeable moment before Goldie returned her gaze to the glass. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Ah, ah!” Soapy wiggled his pointer finger and smirked. “You don’t gotta worry about me sayin’ anything, girlie. Any sucker who falls for a stunt like drugged coffee deserves to lose some dignity.”

Goldie inhaled deeply and still didn’t look up at him.

“Plus I love knowing my influence on the community at large. Makes me feel like I could be mayor of this dump someday.”

Another deep breath. She closed her eyes and then looked back up. “I’ve heard about how he is in fights, Slick. If I manage to knock him out, you’ve gotta get someone to drag him out of here before he wakes up ‘n kills me.”

“Peh!” Soapy laughed again and Goldie tried not to look too annoyed. “No one worth their salt comes back here after Glitterin’ Goldie robs ‘em! They’re too embarrassed to admit what happened.”

“You won’t even consider that I just charmed them out of their gold and they left on their own, hm?” Goldie mumbled with a hum, moving onto another glass.

“Not for a second.” He stood up and brushed nonexistent dirt off his coat. “Just keep this all in mind in case that boy ever pokes his head in here. I know he’s got somethin’ goin’ on at his special secret claim and if I can’t follow him there, we’ll just have to crush his spirit instead.”

Goldie watched the frustrating man make his way out her door and let out a deep breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. She could never find even a modicum of comfort while talking to him, but at least she knew he’d let her keep any gold she got off of that McDuck guy.

---

It was only two weeks before she and the miner Soapy warned her about made eye contact for the first time.

She’d yelled at him as he walked around town plenty of times before - occasionally he’d yell back, but normally he just ignored her and continued on his way. She wasn’t desperate for customers like she was just a few months earlier, so there was a lot less reason to harass him. This time, though, she didn’t say anything to him, but he still stopped and turned and stared directly at her saloon...right where she was standing.

Goldie blinked a few times in surprise and stood up straighter - not even sure why, it was like a reflex. Their eyes locked for a few moments and then she looked away, feeling unsure of herself. Was it because of Soapy’s plan or was this guy just so intense she felt weird under his gaze? She glanced back up at him and saw he was still staring.

“...comin’ in to get some grub?” Goldie asked with a thumb pointing behind her.

McDuck exhaled loudly through his nostrils and shook his head. “You let Soapy Slick conduct business in here?”

She frowned. Of course their first real conversation would be about him. “He owns half the town, sourdough. Not like I can stop him.”

“He’s a crook.”

Goldie rolled her eyes. This was making her feel less bad about potentially robbing him in the future. “Yeah, well, y’know what they say about enemies.”

He stared at her for a few seconds before taking a step closer, which surprised Goldie more than it should’ve. “What?”

“...what?”

“What do they say about enemies?”

Goldie took note of his accent and snapped her fingers in realization. “Right. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Y’know...keep an eye on whoever wants to hurt you. I’m sure you say something similar back in the homeland, hm?”

He seemed to be very deep in thought, considering everything Goldie just said, before nodding shyly. “...yes, somethin’ like that.”

As he walked away, Goldie felt herself wondering what was going on in that cute little head of his. He was so dirty (not just dirty - he wasn’t wearing shoes and his feet looked bloody) and grumpy and clearly self-righteous if he thought he would try to criticize her association with Soapy. It wasn’t like she was the only person in town stuck with an annoying hog demanding free drinks...and she had to do what she could to keep her saloon open and away from police interference.

She realized she’d been watching him the whole time he was walking away and blushed the slightest bit before turning back towards her saloon. There was work to do before the lunch rush and she didn’t need a distraction.

As she turned, Goldie caught the sight of Soapy Slick looking in her direction from down the street. She didn’t wave or acknowledge him at all, but she recognized the smug look on his face. He probably thought she was sizing up her future victim.

She walked through her doors and sighed. Maybe she was.

---

The night Scrooge McDuck finally stepped into the Blackjack Saloon was one of the most memorable nights of Goldie O’Gilt’s life.

He barged into the saloon around nine in the evening, looking somewhere between pissed and smug and nervous. Goldie was on stage at the time - didn’t get a chance to confront him right away - but she caught his stare while she was performing and decided she was about to put on the best show of her life.

Something about that man made her want to impress him. She couldn’t place her finger on it, but it did piss her off a little to think about.

She glanced at him several times during her last two songs and noticed he hadn’t taken his eyes off her for even a moment. It was flattering and gave her an odd chill down her spine. His eyes were a fascinating shade of blue and she was proud that he kept staring. She was Glittering Goldie, after all, and what man could resist her beauty and charm? She hit her last note for the night and thought about Soapy’s plan.

It was only a few minutes later that Goldie sauntered over to the bar where the Scotsman was sitting and gulping down what seemed to be...lemonade. Not a drinker, alright; she should’ve figured as much. She took the seat next to him and noticed his face immediately turn pink at the sight of her.

“Hey there, handsome.”

He sputtered over his mug for a moment and shook his head. “...it’s Scrooge.”

“Hm?”

“Scrooge McDuck!” he turned to her and near-shouted - he couldn’t stand how loud the rest of her patrons were. “Not handsome or sourdough or lemonhead or miner! Scrooge!”

Goldie blinked at him - feeling similar to how she did when he caught her off guard the first time - and then settled against her hand, leaning onto the counter. “Alright, Scroogey. Based on your chipper attitude, I’m guessing something good happened today.”

He looked confused and Goldie realized he probably struggled with sarcasm. Maybe it was the language barrier...though they spoke English in Scotland, too. It was just very different from the English spoken in Canada. But his accent wasn’t that thick - it distantly reminded her of her parents’. “Let me try again...how’re you paying for your drinks tonight?”

“Ah,” Scrooge smiled nervously and reached down into his pocket. “You don’t have to worry about that, ma’am. I’m good for it.”

“Ma’am…” Goldie repeated, offended. “It’s Goldie. And I’ll need to see some proof of that, considering you’ve avoided my saloon like the plague up until now.”

Scrooge frowned and seemed to grab something in his pocket, holding it tighter. He pointed to the sign behind the counter that read Goldie O’Gilt: Proprietor. “This is the only saloon I’ve seen that’s run by a, um...a lady.”

She saw his attempt to change the subject and decided to play along for the moment. “Does that bother you?”

“No,” he answered quickly, taking another sip of his drink. “I just didnae know it was allowed.”

Goldie let out a short laugh and leaned back, gripping the counter so she wouldn’t fall off her chair. “Oh, it’s not. But I don’t let the law stop me from doing what I want. I’d never get anything done!”

Scrooge seemed to consider that and nodded slowly. He squeezed the item in his pocket again and finally pulled it out, dumping the biggest gold nugget Goldie had ever seen onto her counter.

She hoped her mouth wasn’t watering, but holy hell.

“What…”

“I’d say this’ll be more than enough to cover a drink or two,” Scrooge said with a smirk, clearly very proud of himself.

Goldie reached her hand out to grab it, but Scrooge took it back before she could even make contact. She’d never seen so much gold in her life and she didn’t want to stop seeing it. She brought her attention back to the miner and leaned into his personal space, putting a hand on his chest.

He was blushing like mad and she was excited to know she made him sweat. “Wh-what are ye-...”

“How long are you planning on staying tonight, Scrooge McDuck?” Goldie said with a wolfish smile. “I’d love to sit and chat when there’s less of a crowd.”

“Well, I-I, um…” He looked impossibly nervous, like she just asked him the most personal question he’d ever heard.

Goldie leaned forward a bit more, her beak hovering just an inch away from his. She took note of a few nasty whoops and comments coming from other patrons - of course they were watching her; there were always eyes on Glittering Goldie - and didn’t get any closer than that. “Stay a while and talk to me. No charge for your drinks?”

His eyes lit up at the mention of no charge and he nodded, though Goldie noticed him nervously gulp as she backed away and continued to smile. She couldn’t help herself, he was such an easy mark and the prize was too good to resist. Even if Soapy hadn't pointed her towards him, Goldie would have locked onto that nugget from a mile away. She blew him a kiss as she left her seat and headed back towards the stage - she had to make sure the other girls were getting ready.

Scrooge mumbled in embarrassment and focused on his drink. Goldie briefly wondered if he had any kind of experience with women.

---

He was still there, sitting in the exact same seat, four hours later when things had quieted down. The girls who worked extra jobs after dancing found men to spend their night with and the rest of the guys were either too drunk to leave or they’d already started back to their tents and cabins and wherever else they rested their heads.

Besides a few stragglers, that left Goldie and Scrooge pretty much alone. And he looked nervous as hell.

Goldie motioned for him to follow her to a little booth off in the corner. He complied hesitantly, not quite sure if he was making the right decision. She leaned on her hands and tilted her head to the side to make sure she looked cute. He didn’t seem like the type to offer compliments, but it was always fun to make a man blush.

“Nice of you to stay for me, Scroogey.”

He shrugged. “Cannae say no to free drinks.”

She leaned forward, making sure her breasts were on top of the table to emphasize her cleavage bulging from the top of her dress. “Oh? That’s the only reason?”

Scrooge’s face turned redder and his gaze immediately tore away from her chest and up to her face. “Yes! Well...no, I mean…” He scratched the top of his left hand. “...you’re a very nice singer.”

Goldie raised an eyebrow, not expecting that. “That’s why they pay me the big bucks.”

He looked at her in confusion and she let out a short laugh and shook her head. “Nothing. Thank you. I appreciate you choosing to spend your gold in my saloon instead of one of the others.”

“The others arenae as...nice,” Scrooge muttered as he looked around. “I figure if I’m celebratin’, I should go somewhere worth spendin’ money at.”

She smiled genuinely and moved her hands up to play with her hair. He was very matter-of-fact and a lot less grumpy than she’d thought he'd be. Perhaps he was just in a particularly good mood. Because of his newly found gold? Or because of her company? Perhaps a little of both.

They chatted for about thirty minutes - just random, friendly chatter about the town and her shows and his mining - when the saloon door opened and a small group of men walked in.

Goldie shrugged at Scrooge and then stood up to greet the new guests. “Sorry, boys, we’re cl...oh.”

Soapy Slick and two of his closest confidantes stood in the doorway looking smug and douchey. Goldie put on her fakest smile and adjusted her dress to cover her cleavage a little better.

“Soapy. How can I help you?”

“You can get that feathered little ass of yours behind the counter and pour us all some beers,” he answered with a leer.

Out of the corner of her eye, Goldie noticed Scrooge grip the table in front of him and she quickly swiped some hair out of her face and laughed. “Always the charmer, aren’t you? Take a seat and I’ll be right there.”

As the pigs headed to the bar, Goldie quickly shuffled back over to where Scrooge was sitting. “Just wait a min-”

“Are you alright?” Scrooge interrupted, looking deadly serious. “Do you...need help?”

Once again, Goldie was caught off guard by his words and just stared for a few seconds before shaking her head. “I’m fine, he’s just being his regular disgusting self. I’ll be right back.”

Scrooge nodded and Goldie made her way over to the bar, fully aware that Soapy had watched their little conversation and he looked very happy to see that Scrooge was present. As Goldie started putting the beers together, Soapy glanced between the two ducks that had his attention.

“Looks like McDuck over there is aching to get in that dress of yours, O’Gilt,” he said with a laugh. He elbowed one of his associates and added an obnoxious, “Nothing wrong with my sloppy seconds, hm?”

Goldie pretended not to hear that and plopped a mug in front of each man. “Enjoy.”

Before she could walk away, Soapy grabbed her wrist, tugging her closer to him. Goldie’s eye twitched and she felt a desperate need to shove him off, but chose to look him in the eyes instead.

“Don’t forget what I told you,” Soapy whispered menacingly.

She ripped her arm out of his grasp and didn’t bother acknowledging his words, simply walking back over to Scrooge and not looking back.

Scrooge was standing up and staring at her, hands balled into fists. She crossed her arms over her chest and stuck out her hip. “You’re very high-strung, aren’t you?”

He sat down, looking grumpier than before. “It looked like he was tryin’ to hurt you.”

Goldie focused on her breathing for a few moments as she felt Soapy’s eyes on her back. She was planning to drug this miner no matter what, but somehow having a watchful eye on her made it worse than usual. “I appreciate the chivalry, but I’m fine. Now are you planning to stay the night or can I make you some coffee for the road?”

“The night?” Scrooge glanced towards the staircase. “Is this a hotel, too?”

Goldie almost laughed, but opted for a big smile instead. “No, it’s not. Nevermind. I’ll go get you some coffee - it’s on the house.”

He nodded and tapped his fingers against the table. He was clearly confused by the number of free drinks he was getting from this woman - trying to decide whether he should be flattered or suspicious or a little bit of both.

She was pretty. Prettier than any woman he’d ever seen in his entire life. And that scared him quite a lot. His father always spoke highly of his mother’s appearance, but he also said to be wary of women whose looks could sink ships.

Could Goldie’s looks sink ships? He didn’t think so. But the combination of her looks and her kindness was giving him butterflies. Besides his sisters and the occasional neighbor girl, he’d never spent this much time with a woman near his age. Was any of this flirting? It seemed like it, but he didn’t know what for. She was probably just interested in him because of his gold nugget. The other miners around town had talked about her and some of the other saloon girls in Dawson being “gold diggers” in a very different way than their own...but he didn’t really know what to make of it.

“Here you go.”

Scrooge’s thoughts were cut off by a steaming mug placed in front of him - the smell was almost intoxicating. He hadn’t had coffee that wasn’t thick as mud in months and he felt his mouth practically water in excitement.

Goldie didn’t even get another word out before he’d taken a huge gulp. She had a small smile on her face as she watched him drink the coffee like he’d never had it before - and she was a little impressed that he didn’t seem to burn his tongue. Maybe sleeping in a freezing tent on the Yukon Trail left him unable to feel temperatures anymore.

“It’s been nice meeting you, sourdough,” Goldie mumbled. The last thing Scrooge saw as he lost consciousness was Soapy and his friends getting up from their chairs and Goldie’s smile turning into a deep frown.

---

This wasn’t her first time knocking out some miner and taking all his gold. Often she’d let them get drunk and handsy first, let them feel like the man of the hour and then convince them they’d spent all their gold on a night of fun. But Scrooge didn’t order any booze and he never tried to grab her so she used her next best option.

Watching Soapy and his friends drag the poor sucker out of her saloon, however, was new. She didn’t feel great about it. Even with the giant gold nugget in her hands - a nugget that made her feel like she could buy the entire town and fight the Queen of England - she still didn’t feel quite as whole as she wanted to. She needed to distract herself with a plan.

First, she figured she should break up the giant nugget so she had smaller pieces to work with. Easier to bribe people with smaller pieces and of course she wouldn’t want anyone to know exactly how much she had. Plus, she had no way of knowing who McDuck might’ve shown his nugget to before her. If anyone recognized it, surely they’d accuse her of theft and she didn’t have time to deal with that.

Goldie dragged herself and her heavy dress up to her room on the second floor. She and a few of the other girls lived in the saloon, but they were all either asleep or pretending to be asleep, so she changed into something light, took off her makeup, and got ready for another day.

Though she was faster than some of the girls, it still took her a good thirty minutes to get everything off and get ready to go to sleep. Looking fabulous was a tiring job, but at least it paid the bills.

Only dressed in her slip - makeup and jewelry gone - Goldie walked towards her bed to finally get some shut-eye after a long day with a lot more Soapy interaction than she wanted...when she heard the familiar sound of her saloon doors slamming open.

Her eyes widened and she ran out her door towards the balcony, happy she always had a gun strapped to her thigh in case of a robbery like this.

Instead, she looked down to see Scrooge McDuck - the man Soapy claimed he’d take care of for her - covered in snow and dirt and looking angrier than she’d ever seen. His cheeks were red and his hat was bunched up in his fist and for the first time in many years, Goldie felt genuinely afraid. Especially when he turned and saw her.

“GOLDIE!”

She didn’t make any noise, simply rushed back towards her room and prayed that none of the other girls planned to get up. She shut her door and shoved a chair under the knob in the hopes that it’d slow him down, then quickly grabbed one of her overnight bags and started packing important things into it. The gold nugget, some old photos and letters, some clothes…

Her bedroom door opened roughly with the sound of her favorite chair splintering under the pressure. Goldie didn’t even turn to look, instead closing her bag and hoping she had enough time to jump out the window before he caught her.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to his level, his angry breath in her face as he seemed to take a moment to let his brain catch up with his body.

Goldie tried to get out of his grasp, but he was much stronger than he looked and the more she tugged, the tighter his grip got. It was making her nervous, especially considering her state of dress and the way he’d been staring at her earlier.

“Give. Me. My. Gold,” Scrooge seethed quietly, holding out his free hand and wiggling his fingers.

She stared up at his face and found herself feeling a tiny, temporary amount of guilt before looking away and going back to her cold hearted normalcy. “I don’t know what you’re talking ab-”

“My gold nugget!” Scrooge repeated, louder than before. “I know you’re a lying crook, just like Soapy, I know you took it from me, and I want it back! Now! Before I tear down this whole stupid saloon and leave you homeless!”

Goldie closed her eyes on an inhale and exhaled angrily in the miner’s face. She couldn’t stand being spoken to that way, but he wasn’t leaving her with a lot of options. It wasn’t like Scrooge McDuck would go around ruining her reputation, he’d just leave and never come back and she’d continue living her life as always.

“...fine, just let go of me already,” Goldie grumbled, tugging on her arm again. She was surprised when Scrooge released his grip and let her pull away - he still stood there angrily, huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf, but her fear of being assaulted by this man seemed to melt away. She reached into her bag and pulled out the nugget, holding it up between them. It felt desperately cold in her palm and she wondered why it didn’t feel like that before.

Scrooge snatched it away from her and scowled. “I cannae believe you thought you’d get away with this!” he hissed at her, stuffing the nugget back into his pocket. “Did you expect me to just let you have my gold and move on? Do you think I’m a complete idiot?!”

Goldie hissed right back. “That’s what every other miner does! It’s not my fault you think you’re better than the rest of us!”

“Every other…” Scrooge sputtered, looking baffled. “So you do this to unsuspectin’ hard workers all the time, hm? Maybe I think I’m better than you because I am! You’re a liar and a thief and a cheat and you’ve clearly never had to work hard a day in your life! I got this gold,” he said, taking it out of his pocket again for emphasis, “by workin’ hard and workin’ smart and I won’t let some deadwood trollop take that away from me!”

She gaped at him, anger flaring in her eyes, and roughly poked him in the chest. “You don’t know me, you-! You rube! Just because I’m not out there in the dirt every day doesn’t mean I don’t know hard work! You’ve never-”

“Oh, sure,” Scrooge interrupted with an eye roll. “You used Soapy and his stupid cappers to make yourself look like a damsel just so I’d act like some kind of pathetic knight in shinin’ armor! That’s not hard work, that’s just stupid!”

“Why you immature, aggravating-”

He interrupted her once again, shoving the gold back into his pocket for the last time of the night. “You couldnae last a single day doing the work I’ve been breakin’ my back over for months! You’d be used up in less than an hour! So you should just stay here in your little saloon and be glad I don’t report you to one of those redcoats!” Scrooge turned towards her door, ignoring the sounds of doors opening down the hall.

“You don’t get to talk to me like that!” Goldie yelled after him, running into the hall to make sure he could hear her anger. She noticed the other girls staring at her from their doors and gave them all a collective glare before looking back towards Scrooge on the stairs. “You think you’re so noble, but you came here with the same ideas as every other man!”

Scrooge turned towards her from the bottom of the staircase and glared. “You’re not gonna play me for a sucker again! Just back off, Glittering Goldie. I hope I never see your thievin’ mug again!”

She watched him walk towards the door and Goldie felt her chest rise with the hottest indignation of her life. She refused to let him leave thinking he’d won - thinking he’d gotten the best of her. With a huff and a brief moment of hesitation, she turned around and rushed back into her room. She took off her slip and threw it into the bag from before. After a few seconds of standing there naked, staring at her bag, she grabbed her only pair of pants and slipped them on with a simple button-up and looked out the window.

He hadn’t gotten far.

Goldie stepped out of her room only to find two of the other Blackjack girls staring at her. She squeezed the strap of her bag tighter.

“Um...Goldie?”

“What?” she said a bit harsher than intended.

“...are you...gonna be gone for a while?” Snake-Hips asked, looking uncomfortable while Lulu walked up beside her.

Goldie ran a hand through her hair and scoffed. “Just for a few days. I need to show that sourdough that he can’t just say whatever he wants and get away with it!”

“So…” Lulu started.

“So you guys know your schedules! You can handle everything here for a few days by yourselves, I don’t need to be hands-on all the time.”

“Yes, of course, Goldie,” Lulu said, awkwardly rubbing her arm. “Good luck out there.”

“Don’t need it,” she muttered, rushing down the stairs and out the door in her attempt to catch up with Scrooge. Goldie glanced back at the saloon for a second, and knew she should consider that this was a stupid idea...but she wanted that nugget back. Letting him keep it was just letting him be right. And she wasn’t going to let some sourbellied old fogey call her a lazy whore and just go back to his comfy cabin in the woods to get rich.

She grabbed her lantern, flicked her eyes down to the ground, and caught familiar footprints headed towards Moosehide Mountain, then let out a long sigh and started to follow.

DEFINITIONS:
- sourdough: common term for gold diggers during the Gold Rush. a longtime resident of Alaska or the Yukon, though after the Klondike loosely applied to anyone who had lived through a far northern winter. stemmed from the use of sourdough as a leavening for bread, and perhaps, from the use of the alcohol from fermented sourdough for distilling hooch
- red coat, redcoat: canadian mounted policeman
- deadwood: unimportant, lazy
- cappers: accomplices in cons or rigged games of chance who lure the unsuspecting by posing as lucky gamblers

REAL HISTORY FACTS:
- all the Dawson origin facts! before the gold rush the town barely existed (for whites, I didn't find much about the native population of the area lol)
- women couldn't own businesses without a man in the picture, usually they'd inherit from their dead husband. in this case, Goldie and Soapy came to an...agreement. of sorts
- there's a decent amount of literature about saloon girls in the Klondike stealing from miners, but many saloon girls were poor and/or prostitutes so often the miners wouldn't say anything 'cause they felt bad for them. it was a complicated time
- women working in saloons were performers, bartenders, waitresses, seamstresses, chefs, choreographers, dancers, singers...they did a LOT of work. different work than mining, but it was not a forgiving schedule. the narrative Scrooge has about Goldie not knowing hard work is popular among men from that time but it's very much not true

DUCK FRANCHISE REFERENCES:
- Soapy Slick is from the comics, based off of real life conman Soapy Smith! He's a loanshark and hates Scrooge's guts
- Goldie drugs miner's coffees in the comics and then steals their gold, Scrooge is the last guy she tries that on
- Scrooge's goose egg-sized gold nugget is iconic for the comics
- Lulu and Snake-Hips are two of Goldie's saloon coworkers from the comics!
- From the DT17 book Solving Mysteries and Rewriting History!: "Dawson Days: She was the proprietor of the Blackjack Saloon, and I was an old sourdough making my way to the Klondike to find my fortune."