The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1858-12-30
The Miners TaIisma N.

The hour Of parting came. We were
standing by the sea.side, and the last warm
farewell pressure Of the hand had been civ.
II will not expect you Christmas, my dear
dear boy butremember the mottoyou are to
carry with you--never forget "Mother,
Home and Heaven !" and thus We parted.
A few months after. andl stood beneath
the roof Of one Of California's most noted
gambling palaces. There, ia piles, thou.
sands upon thousands were before me, and
it seemed as though | could win fortune
without Struggle. The dealer, winning
or losing, presented the same calm exterior.
while those who wele stalking their oil upon
the cards, betrayed their intensity of feeling
by looks and actions. AS gazed upon the
| gold before me, the dealer, calm and collect
ed listening to the cry of triumph or the
+curse of despair; as the excited revelry-ev.
erything calculated to please the taste or
excite the mind was there-l began to par.
take of the general feeling; and, almos,
inyohntarily, my hand sought for the light
gold had remaining, and as | was about to
take it from my pocket and place it upon the
cards, those magic words-the gift of mo.
ther's love-fashsd upon my memory, and
a nySterious power could not resist led me
from the temptation. ,,-. ,~ggg BIB -...-
Again--far up in the Sierra Nevada,
where the storm.king reigns-i had sought
for the glitteting ore. Months of toll and
hardship hid been endured the race had
been dug, the dam built, the river was turn
ed from its bed but we found no gold to
reward our labor. The summer was gone
and winter was coming on apace. No mo.
ney, no claim, no shelter Disappointment
and despair were in every heart, but we were
too proud TO show il. 1t was resolved tc
have a drunken SPREE" and leave the river
Ere long, the fun, as ii was called, grew fas
and furious. Songs, toasts, and sentiments
ruled the day, and it was with half vacan
attention that watched their proceedings.
Christmas would soon come, and wal
just learning the first great lesson Of mi
life. Up to this time they had not noticed
my absence from the circle they had formed
but ere long they sought and found me, ant
without ceremony I was carried to them
The hot, steaming liqaor was poured from
the camp kettle into q tin cup and hande'
to me. "Drnk - they exclaimed "drinl
, to CDR past and future hopes" They di'
not think ii wrong, and no eye that trul!
j loved could see me. They were jolly an
IjoVial--drowning care with drink.
!, pleaded former habits, urged many
' very many reasons against joining them
Laughter and jeers were the only answer
! They seized me, one holding my head ant
!. mother my hands, while a third sttempte
! Ito empty the liquor into my mouth. ] wa
( about to give up. There could not be muc
, harm in drinking, else they would not urg
! me 60 strongly. signiRed my acceptance
They ut once released me, ami all filled nE
I ready for toast, a song. or story.
I'll must give one or the other. ] stoo
there, the youngest Of the band. / was th
n pet Of the camp, and for the first time I wa
} going to join them in their reyelry. VIII
}. and tnmultuous Dshoutings went forth frol
al that band of brave and warm hearted fellow
!. lthey never thought Of what end mig
t.fbe.i They had conquered. twas l froli
ri Only 1 frofic, end I was going to give The
u i toast. Standing before them With cop
III hand. thinkihS of whst | should ssy.
mind travelled sack the parting, Z