The Trinity journal., 1856-07-26
Our Old Cabin.


Being one day within a short distance of
the diggings | had worked in the years 80
and 81, it was but natural impulse for me
to wish again to visit the old stamping
ground"
AS | neared the claims many reminiscent
ccs of old times and old familiar faces crowd
ed before me- Each bluff point of rocks,
rearing its ragged profile above the river,
looked like former friend, The giant pines
which the axe of the miner had spared, seem
ed to sigh mournful welcome to their old
friend. The rugged mountains that had
greeted me every morning with their sum
mits, either gildcd by the sun or shrouded
by the storm-mist, looked still the same as
of yore but the river had changed its hue
the forest had been thinncd of its beauties,
and many tree that had sheltered me from
the burning sun had been ruthlessly cut
down. Out upon the Nandal who, for the
sake of few pieces of firewood, would cut
down shade tree who for laziness to
walk few steps farther, would deprive him
self of its grateful shade Does he re-
member that what he destroys in few min
uteS has been the work of ages ? Does he
think that nature can accomplish her work
in a week, or a month Goa little farther
up the mountain, brother miner, for your
firewood, and spare the shade tree on the
sunscOTched fiat.
Our old cabin had been built on large
and beautiful fiat, but the miner had made
sad inroads upon it, and the Cinnamon had
completed its destruction. The ground once
covered with grass and towering shrubs was
now an unsightly heap of stones.
All that remained Of my old cabin was
the blackened chimney and few haIf-burn-
ed logs. | sat down among the ruins, and
the former inmates Of its walls seemed to
rise before me. Again the song and Joke
rc-cchoed from its roof tree again the laugh
Of the joyous heart rang upon my ear--for
we were all happy then, far from the con
vcntiOnalities of the fashionable world
The diggngs were good, and the whole world
seemed to us to he full of JOY
-Four men, including myself, had lived for
two years inside those Old walls, all of us
young men. What has been our fate in
life since we separated? Charley NJ.
the pride of our cabin, the happy, the gay,
with heart overlowing with love to his
fellow man--his had been the hardest fate
of ALL When he had left his home, far a
way in the old Keystone State, he was be
trothed to beautiful and accomplished
girl who had promised to wait for his re
turn, and the hard-carned gold of the Ser-
ras was to make their home beautiful in
some nook of the Susquehanna, and as Char
ley often Iaughingy remarked "whcro the
will remind me Of the Sierra Ne
vadas, and the river-that noble riyer-wilI
bring before mo the Yuba and our old cab
in on its bank" But alas such castles of
happiness are like dreams.
Alas that dreams are only dreams
That fancy caunOt give,
y lasting beauty to those forms
Which scarce moment live"
Many joke was pcrpctrated at his cx-
pense, many q sly alIuson to his lady-oyc,
but he bore them all with good nature, say
ing that 8" a man who would have such a
beauty for wife, could make allowances for
our envy"
One morning a letter from home was put .
in his hands. Eagerly tearing it open, he
read We saw something affected him pow
erfuIly. lie volunteered no explanation, .
but from that time no laugh lit up that soul /
speaking face. His eye lost its briIiancy
and now he is poor drunkard and sot,
with consumption preying upon him and .
bringing him to an early grave. Poor Char .
ley That letter blasted the hopes Of years .
1t was an announcement of the marriage Of .
his betrothcd with some favored one
When man has no end in yiew-nothing
to accomplishing is like a log drifting with
the current, and liable to strike the rocks
with every swell Of the waves. So it was
with Charley M; he struck the rock of
and his moral integrity and
sef-respect disappeared and to him can be
applied that most melancholy and expressive
term he has seen better days."-S1erra
DemOcrat