The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1869-07-22
LOVE IN A sAW-MILL.

in neat cottage close to the mill, and often
| and the engineer James Alton by name,
We're invited by our employer to attend the
evening worship held in his house.
One evening, just As we We're taking leave
of his family, we heard the sound of carriage
wheels, Immediately followed by knock at
the outer door.
"Minna is coming! Minnie is comingr'
exclaimed Mrs Smith, rushing past us into
the entry. Her husband followed with a
light
4 minute after the door opened and Min
ma, her eldest daughter, was locked in her
mothers arms.
Minna was a beautiful girl about seventeen
years Of age. Three years she had passed
in young ladies seminary near Utica, n Y e,
and now she had returned to her mountain
home, amidst th, pines and cedars of Cali
fOrnia
The engineer and fingered awhile after
her arrival, for both of us desired to be in
troduced to Minna Smith
"Minna L make you acquainted with Lou
is our head sawyer, and James our engineer.
guess you'll be glad to make their acquaint-
ance. for both are good musicians and excel
lent singers. | suppose Your musical educa-
ton has not been neglected."
Il have learned little instrumental mu-
sic, but have no voice. replied she to her
father, after bowing TO us. James had held
out his hand, but she did not touch it, and I
saw that he blushed deeply, while his eyes
glittered revengefully at, what he supposed,
her disdain.
Soon after we left the cottage On our
way to the mill l said;
James, old boy, you looked mad. Why.
don't you know that in good society they
Sha1-C ban1., b,,to p1I- b,11
We'll, I didn't know it. But, neverthe-
less, she could have shaken hands with me
when she saw that | held out my hand,'' re-
piled he in q surly tone.
then began to praise Minna's beauty, and
asked his opinion about her; but he gave me
no answer. When we parted for the night
| noticed that his voice sounded strange as
he said:
Don't fall in love with that girl, She is too
arlStocratic to be the wife of head saw
yer!''
-Four weeks had passed since | became ae-
quainted with Minna Almost every evening,
James and I could be seen in the parlor Of
the cottage. Soon it became known that
Minna and | were engaged to be married
within six months. do not remember how
l confessed my love, all I know is that she
pressed my hand as | asked her to be my
VIE, While ner lips Salu Yes.
Her father had no objection to our union
He had known me for many years, and knew
that l was able to support wife. lie even
asked me to become his partner, to which
proposition gladly consented.
One evening, Minna and were sitting at
the foot Of huge sugar pine, talking about
our approaching marriage, when we heard
the report of rife, the bullet of which
whistled past my head.
l sprang to my feet and shouted.
"Halloa! you stupid fellow, what are you
shooting at9"
81 supposed it was a DEER answered q
well known voice, and James, with rifle in
his hand, emerged from some manzanita
bushes about fifty feet from where ! stood.
lyon couldn't mistake me for lleer.''
said l.
"Yes,' answered James, pointing TO my
gray hat, in the band Of which Minna had
playfully stuck some dry branches from a
bush close by.
"Ah, l see,n said l, taking off my hat.
"Well, next time you had better look little
closer.''
Il will repeated he, moving away, and
soon his form was lost amidst the increasing
darkness. Again it seemed to me that his
voice sounded strangely But had no time
to think about it, for Minna had tainted, and
it seemed long time to me before she OPEN
ed her eyes. It was night before We reach
ed the cottage.
Next day James Alton gave us notice that
he would leave within ten days.
Time rolled quickly away amidst the prep
aratlons for our coming marriage. | had
been twice to S. in order to hire another
engineer, but | could find no one to take
acf Eo n
main until the arrival of a machinist an old
friend Of mine, who was coming from San
Francisco.
On the Sunday evening, two days before
the day set for my marriage with Minna,
had occasion to go down to the saw mill.
After had looked at the saws to see if they
had been properly wedged and filed. | de-
scended to the engine and boiler room. We
had two large steam boilers set side by side
AS usual, in both their ends were the man.
holes. These are semi-circular openings
through which, when necessary, the iiremen
creep in in order to clean the inside Of the
boilers. One of these man-holes was open,
and some boys, children of one of the fire
men. were playing with short iron bar near
by
do not know what made me stop and
watch them pushing the bar through the
aperture while they listened to the sound of
the water as its wavelets moved past the bar
and dashed against the inside of the boiler
"Stop that play, boys,'' said l, land tell
James to close up the boiler" They had not
seen me before, and when they heard my
voice they let the iron bar fall and scamper-
ed away. The bar dropped with a loud
splash into the water
"Never mind" thought l, '.the tiremen
can get it out again when they clean the
boiler next Sunday l was about to leave
the boiler room when James entered.
Good evening sir" he began in a cheer
tul tone; II guess the new engineer will ar
rive tomorrow night, and | am glad of it.
Please step into my room and read this let
ter which lye received this afternoon. From
It You can see why am glad to get away
from here
tie gave me q letter. Ii was too dark to
read outside, and ! entered his room. A
lighted lamp stood upon the table. | sat
down and read the letter which was from
James mother urging him to come home in
stantly.
:4ou thought was mad at YOU because
you made love to A1inna. But YOU were mis-
taken, old boy, for look at this letter." said
ne, handing me another. 1t was letter ap-
parently from young girl, although the
hand writing looked rather masculine. It
was dated from the same New England vii
lage in which James mother was living. and