Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1870-01-29
California as Seen by Mark Twain.

but they were rough in those times
They fairly reveled in gold, whisky, fights
and fandangocs, and were unspeakably
happy. The honest miner rakcd hun
dred to thousand dollars out of his claim
day, and what with the gambling dens
and the other entertainments, he hadn't a
cent the next morning, if he had any kind
of luck. They cooked their own bacon
and beans, sewed on their own buttons,
washed their own shirts-blue wooden
ones-and if a man wanted fight on his
hands without any annoying delay, all he
had to do was to appear in public in a
white shirt and stovepipc hat, and he
would be accommodated. For those pco-
pie hated aristocrats. They had partc-
lar and malignant animosity toward what
they called {" billed shirt"
In his sketch entitled "The Luck of
Roaring Camp" Mr.. Bret Harte has deft-
ly pictured the rougllncss and lawlessness
of a California mining camp of the early
day, and also its large hearted charity and
compassion-tor these are found in all
true pioneers. Roaring Camp becomes
blessed by the presence of wandering
sickly woman and her little chid-rare
and coveted treasures among rude men
who still ycarned in secret for the mothers
and sisters and children they loved and
cherished in other days. This wandcrcr
the only woman in Roaring Camp.
died, and the honest miners took charge
of the orphan little one in body. They
washed it and dressed it-getting the gar
ments on wrong end first as often as any
other way, and pinning the garments to
the child occasionally and wondering why
the baby wasn't comfortable-and the
food those inexperienced nurses lovingly
concocted for it was often rather beyond
its capabilities, since it was neither an al
llgator nor an ostrich
But they meant well, and the baby
thrived in spite of the perilous kindnesses
of the miners. But it was manifest that
all could not nurse the baby at once, and
so they passed law that the best behaved
man should have it for one day, and the
man with the cleanest shirt the next day.
and the man whose cabin was in the neat
est order the next, and so on. And the
result was that handsome cradle was
bought and carted from cabin to cabin,
according to who won the privilege Of
nursing each day; aud the handsome era.
die made such Il contrast to the unhand-
some furniture, that gradually the unhand-
some furniture disappeared and gave way
for neater sort; aud then ambitious male
nurses got to washing up aud putting ON
clean garments every day, and some Of
them twice a day--and rough boi,terous
characters became gentle and soft-spoken,
since only the well, behaved could nurse
the baby. And in fine, the lawless Roar
Ing Camp, became insensibly transformed
into Il neat, well-dressel, orderly and law
abiding community, the wonder and ad-
miration of all the mining world. All
this through the dumb teaching, the hu-
manizing influence, the uninspircd minis.
tcrings of a little child.
THE SEN ON EXHIBITION.
In those days men would flock in
crowds to catch glimpse of that rare and
blessed spectacle, a woman! Old inhabi-
tants tell how in a certain camp the news
went abroad early in the morning that a
woman was come ? They had seen cali
CO dress hanging out of u wagon down at
the camp ground-sign Of emigrants from
over the great plains. Everybody went
down there, and shout went up when an
actual bona tidc dress was discovered Aut-
tering in the wind. Tie male euliyrant
was visible. The men said:
Fetch her out ~
He said: 1" IT is my wife, gentlemen
she is sick-we have been robbed of mon
ey, provisions, everything, by the Indians
VIC want to rest"
Fetch her out! We've got to see
her ~
That was the only reply.
He fetched her out" and they swung
their hats and sent up three rousing cheers
and a'tiger; and they crowded around and
gazcd at her and touched her dress, and
listened to her voice with look of men
who listened to a memory rather than a
present reality-and then they col.
lected twenty-five hundred dollars in gold
and gave it to the man, and swung their
hats again and gave three more cheers,
and went home satisfied.
EXORBITANT RATES. -..... s.,
a year or two two dined in San Fran
cisco with the family of pioneer, and
talked with his daughter, a young lady
whose first experience in San Francisco
was an adventure, though she herself did
not remember it, as she was only two or
three years old at the time. Her father
said, that, after landing from the ship they
were walking up the street, servant lead
ing the party, with the little girl in her
arms.
And presently huge miner, bearded,
belted, spurred and bristling with deadly
weapons, just down from long mining
campaign in the mountains, evidently
barred the way, stopped the servant, and
stood gazing with face all alive with graf.
i6cation and astonishmont Then he said,
reverently: ..+.,.. .r.. =