The Georgetown news., 1856-03-20

hlhlted IN the gold regionS where each man
struggled for himself, and Thought it waste.
OF time to help his tever~h fritnd Ia Il cup
OF cold water, "r lnaile him i mess of cruel.
to keep him from starving.
Mr.. Dana arrangement, were soon made.
He had some money OH hand. aud with it
he determined To cross the IsthmG-. in com
pany with bis townsneu, aS he thought he
could make enough in a weeks time, after
his arrival, to pay his passage.
They wrote to engage steerage births.
ard received answer that the steamer would
sail on such a day, and that they must he
promptly On the spot This news caused
the party to hurry their arrangements. aud
/ The day before they were to start. Mr.. Da-
! ma requested hi~ wife IT, accompany linn to
his lawyers.
I'm going LONG journey h, aid. and
may be gone longer than | anticipate.
shall leave vou the farm. to do with it as
i you please. II vou get tired Of carving il
! on sell II to the best advantage: ! shall
make money enough while gone to buy Il
larger one when | return. But ! hardly
think ! SHALL live on farm when get back
Well get one of the grand new house, in
! town, and live like Squire Bolton.
! HIS wife thought al the time thai there
might be Il failure in his scheme; but She
was hopeful. and would not say ANYTHING to
dash lis bright anticipations.
The day ot parting came, and with it
tears and mourniul looks: but ii was not un-
til Dana had lett the house. never perhaps
In return. that the young wife felt the lone
illness Ut her condition.
For Il week OF two she was low-1pirited
ard sad. hut a She received letters from
her husband in New York, written in a
lively vein. and bidding her to he Of GOOD
cheer. as he should certainly Iejoin her in
the course ot year. she became more COM
posed and reconciled to his absence.
We will not follow him in the crowded
steamship. nor across the Isthmus, where
Ii. narrowy y escaped drowning. while as
ceudng the river; nor will We tell Of his ar
rival at San Francisco, and departure for
The mines, where he worked in the bed of
the river, and was quite fortunate, until at
tackled with the fever and ague, which roas-
ted him out 1T one moment and froze him
the next
He would lie in his tent, and wish that
the gentle hands Of his wife could wipe the
moisture from his brow, or cover him with
blankets when shivering with cold. All Of
his adventures might be written out, and
perhaps Mr.. Dana some day will give the
world an account of his doings in the land
of gold. They Will in that case, possibly
serve rs q warning to other husbands, and
thus prevent many q heart from mourning
for the absent.
Mr.. Dana's fever got no better, and at
last the doctor told him he had better seek
a change Of climate, as he might shake him
self 10 death. Dana thought the same
thing; for it appeared to him, when the
chiils came on, that every bone in his body
would be wrenehed apart, and when the fa-
yer returned he would imagine himself to
re i'll an oven.
He considered the subject one dav, and
determined to start for home. A team was
to leave next day for Sacramento city, and
/ as soon as his resolution was formed, he en-
gagged a passage, sold off al his clothes, ex-
cepting enough to reach Vermont. and
found that he was the master Of a capital of
only five hundred dollars after working in
the mines very industriously for four months.
To be sure, his sickness had cost him q
large sum and his doctors bill was fright
ful to contemplate.
He started the next day for home. He
determined to live farmer and die one. if
the Lord spared his life. He had seen
enough OF the gold mines, and as he was 60
ing in the cart and jolted over the uneven
roads, he thought what ninny he had been,
to leave 8 comfortable home, and loving
wife, for the sake of trying to accumulate a
fortune.
The jolting Of G cart may have benefited
him, for the fever rapidly left, and by the
time he reached San Francisco, he felt like
a new man. He had mind to turn back
and tryit again but he thought OF his wife,
aud nature and love conquered. He went
Immediately to the Office of the steamship
company and secured passage home.
Ii was cold clustering day in the mid
die Of winter when Dana reached Windsor.
Hepulled his cap over his eyes to prevent
being recognized, and then started on foot
to his home. He had heard from his wife
but once since he had been absent, and he
hardly dared to hope that she was WE'LL
lie quiekened his pace, and came in sight
OF the house in which he had spent so many
happy hours. He glanced over his farm,
and saw-that everything appeared TO be
well cared for. The stone walls were in
good order, the barns looked neat and we'll
repaired, and just as he was thinking his
vile and brother had done remarkably well,
the train on which he had ridden from Bos-
ton whizzed past, directly across his farm.
lie groaned in anguish at the sight. His
beautiful meadow was ruined, he thought,
and it was all owing to his wild goose chase
after q fortune. His wife could not be ex-
Peeted to know how to attend to such
things, and he had no doubt but what the
railroad company had swindled her.
He approached the house and knocked
tlmldlv at the door. Ii was onened and