Oroville daily Butte record., 1857-07-04
Oruuille Dailp Butte Returh.
SATURDAY MORNING, JULY 4th, 1857
HerLast Footprints

had passed much good camping-ground
it was good where they then were, but
Tenn was missing.
sThere 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 exclaiiplng :: 'twas he! | know
twas him, and oh, that look he gave
mer Again, as if her mind were up
on the missing Tenn, when all else was
still in the camp, save the low voice of
her attendant; once more her cry rang
out upon the night-'WM he nersr
GENE again?' And as her voice died
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-'HaW nerer conc
againn
'AlI were startled, strong m,n trem-
bled, from that moment the stranger
wife was a maniac
Sad and sorrowful did that compa-
ny leave their camping ground the next
morning. All felt as though great
calamity had befallen them, and yet
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 came
again!
"A weary, cherries, 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 distance from, the northeastern
shore of the lake on the willow-fringed
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! wiH he merer come 0gasn "
When suddenly springing to her feet,
she bounded wildly from the tent, and
uttering, as prolonged shriek-'He's
come qss, he's conc again" she disap-
poared in the darkness, in the dlrec-
tion of the lake.
Search was made for her all that
night and the following day; but to no
purpose, for-she merer came aga'm
They traced her footsteps through the
till 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 FOOTPRINTS
But why, [ asked, should yO~ feel so
much interest in this memento, or the
circumstances connected with Its erec'
ton there?
Because said he 'in me you sec
the hunter of the plains. But more
than this, she of whose footprints 1T
makes record--dM see me once dga'"
I did stand before her tent door, as
had often done before; but until then,
unnoticed. for tried again to love
ber--I did pity her, but my love tor
her, until too late, never came again,
For as she bounded with out stretched
arms towards me, l eluded her en-
brace vet led her in her fight, till the
waters of the lake barred my further
progress. when turning suddenly to
one Q side, I heard splash, plunge,
a balf choked shrek, quickly l turned
and would have saved her, but Ger |
could arrive to rescue her, thrice l
saw her rise and sink-she did not
rise, again!
cFor three eheerless weeks and lone-
w. fingered around the lake, waiting
and watching for her rising-but she
never rose again ?
[ now asked the stranger, the hun
ter of the plains, ii be could tell me,
what was really then, the fate of Tenn,
10 which be repried-'It is enough for
me 10 know, he'll never come again !
Why are kisses like the creation?