The Portland daily press., 1869-04-24

OiodueS, Wy way vi uNcIslOus uSiOlc Cuuu
stop him and send out for help to the city.
He had brought me evil tidings; my husband
wrote in a hurry to say that he had been CALI
ed across the bay to attend an old patient.
and would not be at home until next morn
ing! This was dreadful news indeed. Alone
in the house with this strangely-ac acting man,
with no neighbors near, night shutting down'
and nv hope of my husbands return SUD
denly cut off: was ever woman SO norripiy
situated? But in the darkness OF despair
caught one gleam OF hope. Inefe was no
excuse now for the gentleman from memo 10
tarrv anv longer told him, with il-con-
cealsd triumph. that my husband would not
he at home until the next day, and he would
he sure to meet him at the nine o'clock boat.
So I rose and looked significantly at his huge
soft hat, hanging on my bust OF Clytie, and
stood ready to show him the door. He said,
"Oh, well, it don't make any difference to me
can Jest wait here for him. / reckon you
can bunk me in somewhere, and it won't be
so lonesome for you if you have man about
the house, seeing, as your old mans not at
home."
In vain protested that I was used to be-
ing alone (which was a fib) and that I did
not mind it (which was another,) and that It
would not be convenient for me to have him
stop. He declare ], with horrible irony, that
n
alone, and that he could "lop down" on the
floor or anywhere if had no spare bed for
him, He had Jared much worse before now
in Reno.
So he, STAYED. / can never forget nor can
a depict the horrors of that night. He sat
after supper chatting with rascally noncha-
lance of all sorts of improbable things which
aMe and Hank" had done when they camped
together in Brandy Canon in 1850 just as
thouoh nv refined and precious husband ev-
er knew this rough creature before me, or
had shared in the adventures which he now
spun out In his wild talk of the days of 80 at
Hog Bar and Brandy Canon. He took up
one of my fragile hyacinths blooming in the
window, 1.-THE wind blows so we cannot raise
flowers out doors in jenkins street) and
nursing it with his plastered lips, said:
"Now that's purity; we don't have no flow
ers in Reno" deluded myself into the no.
ton that he gave little sigh, but he added
disdainully as if rallying himself, "We don't
Every once in while he got up and walked
the room, and then l thought my time had
come, but he only strobe across the little par
lor with two or three long steps, making the
house rattle in every joint, SO that thought
| it would come down about my ears, and then
he sat down again. Once he extended his
walk into the door-yard, but soon came back,
smelling dreadfully of tobacco smoke, which
the wind, now lulled to zephyr, was not
strong enough to blow away. The children
having been put to bed, and Norah, sniveling
with apprehension, being permitted to curl
herself up in a corner of my own chamber,
had nothing to do, but sit up with fearful
sort of fascination and listen vacantly to the
gentleman from Reno. sat and looked at
| him as he half nodded in his chair, wildly
| wondering if he could not 60 to sleep, and if
could not seize and pinion him before he
| could awake. / thought how terribly he
would struggle, and how Norah would come
| bowling down stairs, or vainly scream for
help from the windows. Sometimes ]
thought L would rise up and fiercly ask him
why he did not begin his bloody work, and
put me out of misery? But as l am timid
and nervous little woman, did no such
thing but let him run on with his talk, and
wondered at his voice. which actually, now
that the wind was down, made the house
shake.
Led by some awful spell upon me, show
ed him, shudderingly to. his chamber, and
after his gray suit had dropped in detached
parts all over the floor, heard him throw
himself with a sort of snort, upon the pretty
| little spare bed in the best loom, with crash
that threatened to bring the frail thing in
fragments through the thin floor. I did not
dare take off my clothes, but softly placing
a chair before the gentleman from Reno,
slipped into my own room, locked the door,
and lay quaking through the night waiting
for the signal when the violence would be-
gin. Confused dreams of great many gen
/ lemen from Reno carrying off my children
and best china in small instalments, made
my nigh long and troubled. j started up at
every sound, rigid with terror as l fancied
heard my lodger fall over the chair which
had placed to trap him, or was sure that
heard cracking OF fire on the stairs, or the
low whistle of a confederate under the win
dows. But no sound smote on the ear but
the melancholy boom OF the fog-bell at Fort
Point. the occasional barking of the dogs in
the Western Addition, and the stertorous
breathing of the gentleman from Reno.
Daylight came and brought with it sense
of security, if not of rest. had passed a
miserable night; but somewhat to my aston
ment found myself alive and unharmed, and
the house as peaceful and serene as usual.
When heard my visitor stirring in his room,
| went and took away the chair from the
door, feeling a little ashamed of the fears
that looked SO ridiculous by daylight. We
had an early breakfast, at which the .entle-
man from Reno, who was now as much of a
puzzle as a terror to me, announced that he
would go to meet my husband at the boat.
As he went out, he stopped and kissed little
Minnie, saying, Say what you will, we
haven't got no such nice little gals as this
over to Reno. Crocker-he's the iboss con-
tractor of that town-hes offered prize of
a town lot for the first baby that's born on
the place, and you just better believe the
women are all looking after that lot, and they
do say that some women are coming up from
Cisco, and those in the town are mad to
think-but guess I'll tell hank about that"
he added, with queer little laugh; and so he
went off over the sandhills, and with great
gulp of satisfaction, actually saw the last of
the gentleman from Reno.
HarryIcame driving up to the gate about
noon just as that wretched wind began to
blow again; and as soon as could get him
inside the door, said reproachfuliy: "Oh,
Harry, l have had SUCH timep
Shave you, my Gear? Why, you look as
if you had seen ghost. There, there, now,
don't set the deck-pumps going, but tell me
all about it," 1a
Harry used to be in the navy, and had that
injurious manner of twitting me about the
'deck-pumps," that / never dare let the wa.
ter come into my eyes when he is about, SO /
swallowed my grief, under which was weak
ly inclined to give way, and told him the
whole story from beginning to end, in mi
nutely describing the mysterious visitor.
Having listened attentively, his big eyes
growing bigger and dancing with fun as I
went on, finally he burst out with-"Why,
that's Bob Patchen from Reno. He's one of
nay old cronies that used to know up in
Brandy Canon in 80"
In vain / told him of the way he came in
to the house; how he shook the building
with his tread, and what dreadful stories he
told about the doings of "Me and Hank" in
those wild days of old. He protested that
Bob Patchen was one of the best fellows in
the world, and he was sorry that he had
missed him at the Oakland boat. In fact, he
said, l believe, that the gentleman from Re-
no was "a gentleman, every inch of him.
rough, to be sure, and as uncouth as any man
gets to be knocking about the world and de-
prived of the society of women; but, never
theless, a tender-hearted, whole-souled fellow,
who would not needlessly harm fly, but
who could drop his man at hundred yards,
just as easy" Well, had to give in, of
course, and was well laughed at for my fool
ish fears, and that cruel husband roared until
/ thought he and the wind together would
raise the roof as told him of my furtive
preparations to carry his silver goblet and my
Bismarck silk out the back door.
He drove off down town to hunt up "hon-
est Bob Patchen," who went back to Reno
that very night, and / never saw him again.
But as Harry came into the house at supper
time, he handed me square pasteboard box,
in which found one of the loveliest and
most delicate bouquets ever laid my eyes
on. More but refined taste could have Sc
IL. .G1 L