Mower County transcript., 1871-07-06

absolute vileness Of its doggcrcl, the gra
tllt.'ll, in,b, ci,ity r1 lis Thought AID above
Il the crOwliinB alltlacily OF the fact tina
IL WAS the Wurh ul Il clilHcn and published
III til. county paper, brought it Instantly
into popularity. For many months Cal
avcrls had linguiShtet Tor a sensation
since tll; last vigilance C mmiitrc nothing
hau traa>pir, d 10 disp*l 'hc li,tI. IS eumua
bcy.,titn Oi siagnant business atlt! growing
i.iiiz ,tioD. In more prosperous moments
the Office Of the ifercrd would have been
simply Quilted, aid the editor trpnrtcd; d,
present the paper Was in such t!rlEanu ,hAt
the cviiiun Was srNcAily exhausted. II
brief the poem Of Mr.. hiilton Chubbuck
came like u special providence to Sierra
Flat. 1t Was read by the camp-tires, in
lonely cabins, in 1aring bar-rooms and
noisy saloons, and dvciiinled from the
boxes of stage ,ach"s. Ii Was sung in
Poker Fiat with the addition cf a local
chorus, and danced as an uulIaiiowcd
rhythmic dance by the Pyrshic phalanx OF
One Horse Gulch known as The Festive
Stays oi C;tlaycras. ). ri. Some unhappy
ambiguities of expression gavo rise to
many new readings, notes and comincnta,
lies, which, regret to slate, were more
often marked by ingenuity than delicacy
Of thought and expression
Nev>r before did rret acquire such sud-
den local reputation. E,c>n the seclusion
of McCorklc's cabin and the obscurily OF
culinary labors, he was hailed forth into
the glowing sunshine OF Fame. The
name Of Cnubbuck was written in letters
of Chalk on unpainttd walls, and carved
With pick on the sides Of tunnels. 4
drink known variously as The Chubbuck
Tranquillzer," or THE Chubb,lck Ex-
aitvr," was dispensed, at the bars For
some weeks q rude design for Chubbuck
statue, made pot illustrations from circus
AMI melodcOn posters, representing the
genius of Calaveras in brief skirts on a
flying steed in the act of crowning the
poet Chubbuck, was visible at Keel RS
Ferry. Inc poet himself was ovcrborne
with invitations to drink and txtravagant
congratulations. Tho mesting between
Colonel Starbottle, of Siskyion, and Club
buck, as previously arranged by our Bos-
ton," late of Roaring Camp, is said to have
been indescribably affecting. The Colonel
embraced him unsteadily. 81 could not
return 70 my constituents at Siskyinn, sir,
if this hand which has graspcd that Of the
gifted Prentice and the lamented Poe
should nothave been honnrcu by the touch
Of the godlike Chubbuck. Gentlemen,
American literature is looking up. Thank
you, will take sugar in nine" 1t was
"Boston" who indited letters Of congrat-
ula,irns from II. W. Longfellow, Yenny-
$ n and Browning to MIR. Chubbuck, DC
post ed them in the Sierra Flat post office
and obliglngly consented to dictate the re-
plies.
The simple faith and unaffected delight
with which these manifestations were re-
ceived by the poet and his patron might
have touched the hearts Of these grim
masters o1 irony, but for the sudden and
equal development, in both Of the variety
oi weak natures MI. Mc;;orKIe basked
in the popularity Of his Dyott> c, and be-
came alternately s'tprrciious or patroniz-
ing toward the uwel!trs Of Sierra Flat :;
while the poet, with hair carefully oiled
al Il curlrd, ami bcdcckci with cheap Jew
clry and Haunting neck handkerchief, pa-
raucd himself before the single hotel As
may be imagined, tins n,W disclosure OF
weakness afforded intense satisfaction to
Sierra Flat, gave another lease of populari-
ty of the poet, and suggested another idea
to the tac-tiOus Bnston.'
AT that time young lady popularly and
professionally known as the California
Pet" was performing tc enthusiastic audi
eiiccs i'll the interior. Her speciality lay in
the pcrsOnation Of youthful masculine
character; as 4 gnaaan OF the street she was
irresi ~tible, rs negro dancer she carrie d
the honest SINNER szAtartsby storm. A
saucy, pretty brunette, she had preserved
a wonderful moral reputation even under
the Jove-like advances of showers of gold
that greeted her appearance on the stage
at Sierra Flat. A prominent and delight
I'd member of that audience was Milton
Chubbuck lie attended every night.
Every day he fingered at the door of the
Union Hotel for a glimpse of the "Califor-
MIA Pet" 1t was not long bef,re he re-
ctivcd note from hcr-in "Boston's
most popular and approved female hand
acknowledging his admiration. 1t was
not long before Boston Was called upon
to inditc a suitable reply. At last, in
furthcrdncc OF his iacctious design, it be-
c.lnc nee, ssHry for Boston u to call upon
the young actress herself and secure her
personal participation. TO her he unfold
cd plan, the successful carrying out Of
which he felt would secure his fame to
postclity as a practical humuriSt. The
" Calilornin Pets black eyes sparkled ap-
provingly and lnischicvously. She only
LIltta SuC SIlJutO SSC tuC 1ildu uISl
"a concession 10 her feminine weakness
which years Of dancing Juba and wearing
trousers and boots had not wholly eraui-
Gated f:on her willlul breast, by all
means, it should be DONE And the inter
view was arranged Tor the next week.
II must not be supposed that during this
interval Of popularity MIR. Chubhuck had
been unmindiul OF ms poetic qualities A
rf =,
from town-"a commuuin' with natur', :"
as Mr. McCorkle expressed it, and actu-
ally wandering in the mountain trails, or
lying on his back uuder the trees, or gath.
ering fragrant herbs, and the bright co!oryd
berries oi the Manzanita. These and his
company he generally brought to the
editors office latc in The afternoon, often
to tina, rntcrprisiny journalists infinite
he would sit There patiently Watching lin
at his work, until tie hour for closin the
Office arrived, when he would as quietly
depart. rAvre was something 80 humble
and urobtrusivc in these visits that the
editor could not find it in his heart to deny
them, and accepting them, like the wood
peckcrs, as part of his sylvan surround
ings, often forgot even his presence. Once
or twice, moved by some beauty of TX
preston in the moist, shy eyes, Il. felt like
seriously admonis!ling his visi'or Of his
idle fn).y; but his glance falling upon the
oiled hHir and the gorgeous necktic, he
invariably thought better OF it. The case
was cvide ntly hop, l,,s.
The lltervi W between Mr.. Chubhuck
and the "Ca!itornia Pet " took place in {.
private room OF the Union Hotel, prnpri,
ETY. being respected by the presence of that
arch humu:i-t, "Ros,on y To this gen
tlclnan we are indebted for tn" only true
account of the meeting. However reticcnt
Alr. C]nlbbsNk might have been in the
presence OF his own sex, toward the f;airtr
portion of humanity he was Ike mo t
poets, exceedingly vrlublc Accustomtd
as the "CaIitnrniA Pet" had been To ex-
ces:iVc compliment. Sis, WAS tuil ly embar-
ras,cd by the eX'ravagtlGt praises Of her
visitor. Her pcls"na'i.'n Of boy charac
tcrs, her dancing OF the "Champion
Jig" were particularly dwclt unnn.
At last, rccovt ring her aut;acity. and
embroidered by til. l.rrrntr "l "Bos.
tou," the California Pct' electrified her
hearers by demanding, h'lf jrStinHly, half
viri'n'sly, ii it were as Il boy nc a girl that
she "as tho subject oi his iltttcruy ad-
iniratinn.
That knocked him out o. time" said
the delighted Boston," IL his subsequent
account Of the interview. "ljut do you
believe the fool actually asked her to take
him with her; wanted to engage in the
company" ~: