Butte record. (Bidwell, Butte County, Cal.) 1853-1858, 1857-07-11

toms night came, Dut Ienu "du ho'
been seen, and yet they could not have
passed him without seeing him, so on
again they went, till the growing dark.
ness compelled them to stop. They
had passed much good campingground
it was good where they then W ERE, bul
Tenn was missing.
'There was deep wailing in that
camp that night. The stranger lady
in her great agony, would wander
among the tents and wagons, like one,
half bewildercd, and at times vehement
ly exclaimng: s'twas he! | know
twas him, and oh, that look he gave
me!' Again, as if her mind were up
on the missing Tenn, when all else Wa:
still in the camp, save the low voice O.
her attendant; once more her cry rang
out upon the night-'Wau he mere'
GENE again q And as her voice dled
away along the valley there came back
an echo from the darkness, clear, dis
tinct, ghoul like, as if from the very
caverns of the night-'HeW merer conn
ogainn
'AlI were startled, strong man trem
bled, from that moment the stranger
wife was a maniac
Sad and sorrowful did that compa
ny leave their camping ground the mex
morning. All felt as though a grea1
calamity had befallen them, and ye
they hardly new why.
Search was made for the missing
Tenn, word was passed and the cir
cumstances related to the trains both
in front and rear ; but-he nerer cam'
again!
i a weary, cheerless, day after day
journey from the Humboldt towards
the Sierras of California, and the COM
pany had reached the luxuriaht mea-
dows of Honey Lake Valley, and had
encamped in full view of, and but a
short d stance from. the northeastern
shore of the lake on the willow-frlnged
banks of Susan river.
1t was now night again, but all had
not retired, and among them the ma
MAC wife, now passive and mild in her
madness, sat in the tent door looking
at the stars, and as usual, repeating
oft and again her constantly reiterated
ejaculation and question-'My hus-
band! aciH he nerer come again q
When suddenly springing to her feet,
she bounded wildly from the tent, and
utteriog, as a prolonged shriek--'He's
come! yes, he's comc again" she disap-
pealed in the darkness, in the direc
ton of the lake.
Search was made for her all that
night and the following day; but to no
purpose, for-she nerer eame again i,
They trac d her footsteps through the
til then, untrodden grasses, to the
shore of the lake, and there they placed
a head board, but as they never knew
her name, they marked 1T thus:
HER LAST FOOT PRINTS
Bu, why, l asked, should you feel SO
much interest in this memento, or the
circumstances connected with its cree
ton there
Because, slid he sin me you see
the hunter of the plains. But more
than this, she Of whose footprints it
makes reeord--dd see me once again !!
| did stand before her tent door; as
had often done before; but until then,
unnoticed, for tried again to love
her--l did pity her, but my love for
her, until too late, lnevcr came again.
For as she bounded with cut stretched
arms towards me, | eluded her en-
brace, yet led her in her Fight. till the
waters of the lake barred my further
progress, when turning suddenly to
one side, l heard a splash, plunge,
a half chokrd shrek, quickly l turned
and would have saved her, but c'er |
could arrive to rescue her, thrice |
saw her rise and sink-she did not
rise, again!
sFor three cherries weeks and lone
ly, l fingered around the lake, waiting
and watching for her rising-but she
never rose agalRo
now asked the stranger, the hun
ter of the plains, il he could tell me,
what was really then, the fate of Tenn,
to which be repried-'It is enough for
me to know, hell never come again y