Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1870-12-22
lFrop The Springfield (MAss) Republican.
Divorced in the Desert.
An Obstinate Couples Quarrel on
the Journey to the Land of Gold
"A Womanss Luck-A Meeting
After Twenty Years.

/ "A WomoneS Luck-A Meeting
After Twenty Years.
One of the pioneers in California
emigration, who went across the
plains in 1S49, tells this story that
began on the journey and has just
ended in San Francisco: While
the train of which the narrator,
nov in Nevada, was a member,
was encamped 81 point on the
Humboldt where the Lessen trait
intefsects the Carson track oftray-
ell, he visited the tent of family
consisting of an elderly couple and
one child, a girl of fourteen or fif-
teen. The old lady was sitting
on a pile of blankets under the
canvas, encouraging a most de-
termined attack Of the "sulks, .
while the masculine head of af-
fairs had planted himself on the
wooden tongue, and was sucking
his pipe as though he expected to
remain there forever.
A single glance developed the
difficulty in that little train of
one wagon and three persons, and
that it had attained a point of
quiet desperation beyond the reach
of peaceful adjournment. Three
days before they had pitched their
tent at the forks of the road, and
as they could not agree about the
route by which to enter California,
so there they stayed. The hus-
band had expressed a preference
for the Carson road, and the wife
for the Lessen, and neither would
yield. The wife declared she
would remain there ali winter;
the husband said he would be
pleased to prolong the sojourn
through the summer following.
On the morning of the fourth
day the wife broke a sullen silence
of thirty-six hours by proposing a
division of the property, which
consisted of a yoke of oxen, one
wagen, camp furniture, a small
quantity OF provisions, and twelve
dollars in silver. The proposal
was accepted, and forthwith the
"plunder" was divided, leaving
the wagon to the old man and the
daughter to the mother. The
latter exchanged with a neighbor-
ing train the cattle belonging to
her for a pony and pack.saddle,
and piling her daughter and her
portion of the divided spoils upon
the animal, she resolutely started
across the desert by the Lessen
train, while the old man silently
yoked his cattle and took the 9th
er route.
vi course both parties reached
California in safety. We say cot
course" for it is scarcely possible
that any obstacle, death included,
could have interfered with stub
bornness so sublime. Arriving in
Sacramento with her daughter, the
old lady readily found employ
mentor women were less plen-
tiful than now-and subsequently,
opened a boarding house, and in a
few years amassed a handsome
fortune. Two years ago she went
to San Francisco, and the daugh--
ter, whose education had not been
neglected, was married to one of
the most substantial citizens.
And what has become of the
old man? The wife had not seen
or heard of him since they had
parted on the Humboldt. They
had lived happily together for
years, and she sometimes reproach-
ed herself for the willfulness that
separated them after so long q
pilgrimage together. But be was
not dead. We cannot trace his
course in California, however. All
that we know of him is, that for
tune had not smiled upon him,
and that for years he had toiled
without hope. Finally, feeling
unable to WELD the pick and show
ell, he visited San Francisco, in the
hope of obtaining employment bet
ter adapted to his wasted strength.
For three months be remained
idle after his arriving there, and
then for want of occupation, he
became the humble retailer of
peanuts and oranges, with his en-.
tire traffic upon his arm. This
was six months ago. A few weeks
since, in passing the open door of
a cottage in the southern part of
the city, he observeda a lady stand
ing in the hall, and stopped to
open his merchandise. As he
stepped upon the threshold the
lady approached and the old man
raised his eyes and dropped his
basket and no wonder, either,
for she was his wife, his "old wo-
man p She recognized him, and,
throwing up her arms in amaze
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