The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-08-24
THE MINERS TALIsMAN.


The hour Of parting came. We were stand
ing by the seaside, and the last warm farewell
pressure of the hand had been given.
al will not expect yeu christmas my deal
boy; but remember the motto youare to carry
with you-neyer forget Mother, Home and
Heaven And thus we parted.
A few months after, end I stood beneath
tie roof of one of California's most noted
gambling palaces. There, in piles, Thousand
upon thousands were before me, and it seemed
as though l could win q fortune without q
struggle The dealer winning or losing, pre-
sented the same calm exterior, while those
who were stalking their all upon the cards be
trayed their intensity of feelings by looks and
actions. As I gazed upon the gold before me
the dealer came and collected, listening
to the cry of triumph ore the curse of despair
as the excited betters won or lost; heard the
hum of strange voices around me. the soft
music floating through the room; saw the wild
and exciting revelry-everything calculated
to please the taste or excite the mind was
there-I began to partake of the general feel
ing; and almost inyeluutarily, my hand sought
for the little gold ! had remaining, and as
was about to take it from my pocket and place
it upon the card, those magic words-the gift
Of a mothers love-hashed upon my memory
and a mysterious power / could not resist led
me from the temptation.
Again-Gar up in the Sierra Nevadas. where
the storm-king reigns, l had sought for The
Offering ore. Months of toll and hardship
had been endured; the race had been dug. the
dam built, the river was turned from its bed
but we found no gold to reward our labor
The summer was gone- and winter was coming
on apace. No money, no claim, no shelter!-
Disappointment and despair were in every
heart, bat we were too proud to show it. 1t
was resolved to have a drunken spree" and
leave the river. Ere long. the fun, as it "
called, grew fast and furious. Songs toasts
and sentiments ruled the day. and it was with
a halfvacant attention that I watched their
proceedings.
Christmas would soon come, and 1 was just
learning the first great lesson of my life. Up
to this time they had not noticed my absence
from the circle they had formed; ere long,
they sought and found me, and without eere-
mony I was carried to them. The hot, steam
ing liquor was poured from the camp-kettle
into a tin cup, and handed to me. "Drinki'
they exclaimed: adri3k 10 our past and future
hopesi" They did not think it wrong. and no
eve that truly loved could see me. They were
Jolly and iovial-dIowning care with drink.
I pleaded former habits, urged many, very
many reasons against joining them. Lau .!ter
and jeers we've the onlya nswers. They seize1
me. enc holding my head and another my
hands, while a third attempted to empty the
liquor into my mouth. / was about to give
MP. There could not be much harm IN drink
ing, else they would not urge 1T upon me so
strongly. Isigni6ed my acceptance. They
at once released me, and all filed up, ready
for a toast, a seng or q story.
mnst give one or the other. / stood there,
the yesngest of the band. I was the pet Of
the sa1p, and for the first time was going
to Join them in their revelry. Wild and tu-
multuous shouting went forth from that band
of brave and warm hearted fellows: they never
thought of what the end might be. They
had conquered. It was a frolic, only afrolie,
and I was going to give them q toast. Stand
ing before them, with esp In hand, thinking
of what should say, my mind travelled back
to the pairing. The veil was lifted FROM sa-
cred remembranees. Again, in memory, 1
knelt before my mother, heard her prayer, and
remembered that this was one of the tempta-
tons she had prayed I might resist.
But none would see me. No eye was upon
me that, in after years, would cause me to
blush when I met it. No! / was in the
mountains, down in a deep canon, and it was
only to satisfy those with whom l had toiled it
would never occur again, and they would think
me silly if failed tocomply with my agreement.
I was about to propose our future success,
when the magic words came to my heart. and
from my heart to my lips. almost involuntarily.
"Mother, Home, and Heaven!" If it was
unexpected to me, it was still more so to them.
Every cup was set to the ground, and an
honest, manly tear was to be seen in many a =,
eye, as they gazed upon me. / was saved
rescued-and they D0ed mel before, they only
liked me.
How gratefully is the name of MOTHER asso-
ciated with our earliest recollections She
has guided, counselled, and prayed for U.S.
Time. distance, or circumstances can never
blot the love she bears for her child from her
heart.
HoME is ever present In our mind, endear-
ed by a thousand tender associations; and one
of our most ardent wishes is to be permitted
once more to cross the old familiar threshold.
and greet the loved ones, face to face; to take
blythe hand the friends and companions of our
youth; to meet them with a clear and open
brow, conscious that no stain dims the escutch-
con of our honor.
HEAvEN-the resting plscei To it we can
look for the reunion, if denied to us on earth.
IT'S there may a loved one has found a vel
come; It's there many a prayer has been enter
aimed for the voluntary exile; tisthere alldesire
ito enter, when feeling they are approaching
the portal, of the tomb.
Aye! they are magic words-the three
sweetest of our language, carrying with them
q thought, a feeling, a sympathy, that the
worlds sopbistry can never destroy. None
can resist the influence they breathe. Wheth-
err hi yh or low rich or poor, honored or degra-
ded, the exile will, at times, think of Mother
and home-perhaps of a departed Mother
and from thence his thoughts lead to the tu-
ture, and Heaven presents itself as the place
of reunion.
ma II don't see as anything is the matter
With thi. plum pudding" said a fellow at a
Thanksgiving dinner. "Wet, who said there
was 2 growled out his neighbor.
"Why," said the first, 81 concluded there
was, you all seemed to be rnnning it down"