New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-11-18

thou dest: Minion, thou diestW AT the very point
of the spur however, where the road wdenS an mon
or two Jehu suddenly reins in his horses and there
you wait an endless minute, while the muie-traih
slides down on you, and with gbes, and proddings.
and maledictions, is squeezed by, with possibly
hands breadth of space to spare Then you know
that you not born to be killed on stageroad,
and snap your fingers at Care, while with episodes
of laden coaches and more mule-trains, and with
vistas opening as you climb to the mighty Sierras,
and with the amusement of looking back at your
fellow-pilgrims toillng after now just behind and
now across some wild ravne. and with guessing how
far above your head the mountain pushes up and how
far beneath your feet it plunges down, you are be-
guiled of time till the crash of brass band some
where in the skies declares that the Con-
queriug Hero comes. We creep round another
sharp spur and behold Music, Heavenly Maid. and
a great array of characters and hOrsemen. We are
all introduced except Mr.. COfax. whom everybody
knows, and at whom everybody rushes, with
hearty good WILL which would Overpower one who
brought less hearty good will to the resistance.
Plainly it is not Vice-President, shaken in wind
of applauses, whom they come out to see but an OLD
friend whom they dearly love and whose honors are
his least possession That is comfortable for us ALL
because there are speeches, and we are not kept
gTillingn the sun. but sent cheerfully on, IN the
VIRGINIA CITY.
Virginia has reached the mature age of ten She
married silver mountain early in life aud has won
derfully thriven. Now-to cut loose from metaphor
which, like MavOliOs cross gathering, obstructs
the blood"-a city of fifteen thousand inhabitants
lies on q hanging shelf along the mountain side,
Mount Davidson still rising above Its streets
one thousand five hundred feet Mountains crowd
around it, an impossible wall it seems in 'front.'
where o canon drops down into shadow, and hints q
way to distant plains All the town turned ont to
make holiday for us, and all tho town looked re-
markably rosy and well-tO-do l should have
said that Virginia above ground kept
festival, flag in hand and with its
best apparel on. For half the city is under
the brown crust of EARTH and there longer streets
and heavier timbers and buster population burrOw-
ing down there than all the upper town can furnish
forth Ali the fire-engines out, though water
is hardly the element in which Virginia enthusi-
asm celebrates itself but the cheerful fireman speaks
the universal tongue which makes his welcome
always fitting. have heard the same Hi, his in
New-York. and exc in San Francisco but never
more exuberant prolonged. There were stanch
brick blocks markets and useful marts without
number showy-lOoking drug stores, dry goods
shops that might have been set down in Sixth
ave. and never found out that they were away from
home from any difference IN their neighbors; MILL
| ners "emporums" where the latest NewYork
fashions set an added value themselves for having
travelled; jewelers. windows that fairly winked at
the sun in saucy imitation of his dazzling yellow;
brokers' offices and lawyers chambers and doctors
quarters book stores and music stores, and picture
| shops churches and schOOl-holses, Chinese laun-
dries Dutch pharmacies, French restaurants, Italian
billiard roOms Yankee bowlng-alleys, and more
saloons" of all nstionalites than would outnum-
Der all other vocations in Nevada. Gambling
bells, though by no means few or feeble,
though indeed, they bear the stamp of tho highest
Fashion, have certain well-bred of security of
position BETTING the ripe civilization of mining
city ten years old and no longer assert themselves
vulgary but maintain air of elegant Indifference
Just round the Power sleeping on its own
right arm" Hop Lock, late of Pekin of noble
birth and illimtable knowledge informs the citizens
of the Pacific Coast, by means of spacious sign
board, that he is prepared to cure in q scientific
manner all diseases incident to this earthly taber-
nacle as there developed for very modest fee, but
that he not consent TO have the Flowery Kingdom
held responsible for the lodges of that ignorant
clown, QnOng lie, whO across the street, adverses
similar capacity and successes there being no con-
necton whatever between the said illustrous regular
practitioner and the opposition shop. So, in effect
Hop Lock. On the next street small
WashOe, aged four, tears along beside
our cavalcade, dressed in tho remnants
of regulation uniform faded almost past
recognition. and madly waving ten-penny flag
with piping cheers for Present Colfaxn Odder
STILL in little two-roomed cottage we see an Indian
woman, with mOccasined feet and quill-pierced ears
bending over washing -machlne and wringing out
clothes through Patent Wringerl All the houses
are small mostly low-roofed white cottages. neat,
but o. hard of outline staring 80 bare Of trees
or flowers under this August sun. Since trees and
flowers will grow only with tenderest care and with
drenchings of water that is often more precious
than gold-dust, you forgive their absence, though
your heart goes ont TO those blessed women who
have managed to have bit Of greenery about them,
perhaps at some unknown sacrifice. But no climatic
limitation forbids soft-tinted paints, and these
square, incorporating houses could dress them
selves in cool browns, grays or drabs, which
would be as the shadow of a great rock in weary
land For it is not lack Of money that keeps the
place ugly, but lack Of thought and pains-taking.
Under these ldless Skies and In an atmosphere so
clear that you would promise to throw an apple to
miners cabin three miles off, in spot where the
local color has but two tnts the hard red brown Of
the hills, and the harder bleached stone of the
streets white house is that sort of blunder which
lisa crime against good taste.
A PIONEER BREAKFAST.
Driving mile or twoup One long street. and O
mile or two down another-the undismayed band
taking, with long pull and strong pull and pull
all together the national airs the Grande Duchesse
Tannhaiiser. and God Save the Queen, and bringing
them all to terms handsomely-a little embarrassed
at being made so much of and with uncomforta-
BILE sense of being something too antic for Masonic
funeral and tride too somber for Circus, we come
at last to rest and shelter.
This is all of this absorbing letter by of the
hnst knnzyn of Alhinn,s authnrs which will be pnh-