Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-06-17

hand manner imaginable. Z
! You see, boys" said she, quite out OF breath,
and holding one little hand against her side,
\ quite snheeding the speeches discontinue OF
our party, or the complete STANDARDIZATION OF
\ 1uba Bill, whose features had relaxed into an
/ expression of gratutOus and mbecile cheerful
| nes@,-''yOu see, boys, / was more'n two miles
/ away when you passed down the road. Ithought
\ you might pull up here, and 80 ran the whole
| way, knowing nobody was home but Jim.-and
-and-I'm out of breath-and-that lets me
\ out"
And here Miggles caught her dripping OH
I skin hat from her head, with a miSchievous
swirl that scattered . shower of rain drops over
I us attempted to put back her hair, dropped two
hair pins in the attempt; laughed and sat down
beside fuba Biz, with her hands crossed lightly
The Judge recovered hinise II first, and essayed
/ IN extraNagant Compliments
/" II trouble you for that thar hair-pin," said
4 higgles, grayely. Halt a dozen hands were
| eagerly stretched forward; the missing hair-pin
! WAS restored to its fair owner; and Miugies.
Crossing the room, looked keenly in tfe face OF
| The invalid The solemn eyes looked back at
! hers with an expression we had never seen be-
/ fore. Life and intelligence seemed to struggle
| back into the rugged face. Miggles laughed
\ turned her black eyes and white teeth once more
| toward US;
This afflicted person isD-hesitated the
Judge.
:. JIM" said Misgles.
Your tather?"
" No"
- BrOther?n
No"
80 Husbands
Miggles darted quick, half-dcfant glance at
the two lady -passengers, who had noticed did
not participate In the general masculine admira-
jim"
There was an awkward pause. The lady
Passengers moved closer to each other; the
Washoe husband looked abstractedly at the
nTe; and the tall man apparently turned his
eycs inward for self-suppsrt at this emergency.
lruIR ,,,fa
broke the silence. Come" she said, briskly
,,'yon must be hnngry. Who IL bear a hand to
She had no lack OF voauxseers. In 8 few mo-
ments Yuba Bill wa engaged like Oafiban in
bearing logs for this Miranda; the expressman
he aTdnona Dtn Of scins haron Hss 70 yse
and the Judge lent each man his good humored
and voluble counsel And when Miggies a.
sisted by the Judge and our Hibernian '.deck
passenger" set the table With all the available
Tockery, We had become quite joyous, in spite
Of the rain that best against windows, the wind
that vhirled down the chimney, the two ladies'
Who whispered together in the corner. or the
nsgpic who uttered . sattrical and croaking
commentary on their conversation from his
perch shove. In the now bright, blazing FIRE
We could see thai the walls were papered with
illustrated journals, arranged with fenainine
taste and discrimination. The furniture was
extemporized. and adapted from candle boxes
and packing-cases, and covered with gay calico,
or the skin of some animal The armchair OF
the helpless Jim was an ingenious variation of
four-barrel. There was neatness, and even
taste for the picturesque, TO be seen in the few
details OF the long low room.
The meal was culinary success. But more,
IL was a social uiumph,-chiehy, think, owing
versstion, asking all DE questions herself, vet
bearing throughout frankness that rejected
the idea OF any concealment on her own part, 80
that we talked of ourselves, of our prospects, of
the journey, of the weather, of each other,-of
everything but our host and hostess. 1t must be
confessed that Miggles's conversation was never
she employed eIpletiyes, the use Of which had
generally been yielded to our sex But theI
were delivered with such lightning up of teeth
and eJes, and were usually followed BY laugh
honest that 1t seemed to clear the moral atmOs-
phere.
Once, during the meal, we heard noise like
walls Of the house. This wa: shortly foIlowed
by a scratching and smiling at the door,
g That's joaquin" said Miggles, in reply to our
him?" Before we could answer she had opened
the door, and disclosed a half grown grizzly
who instantly raised himself on his launches,
hs IN s
his manner to Yuba Bill. That's my watch
dof't bite" She added, as the two iady-passen-
gers huttered into corner. "DOes he, old
1oppy?" lthe latter remark being addressed di-
rely TO the s sgnnsd JSaggln tel yo9
fed and closed the door on Crsa Minor, ''you
were in big luck that joaquin was mt hanging
rOu8d when yop dropped In It, tonight"
"With me, said Miggles. Lord love you;
he trots round with me nights like as If he was a
man."
We were silent for a few moments, and lis
tened TO the wind. Perhaps we all had the same
picture before us,-of Miggies walking through
the rainy woods, with her savage guardian at
her side. The Judge / remember, said some
thing about Una and her lion; but Miggles re-
oeived 1t as she did other compliments, with
quiet gravity. Whether she was altogether UNI
conscious of the admiration she excited,-she
could hardly have been oblivious OF Yuba Bills
sdmiratiOn,-I know not, but her very frank
ness suggested a perfect sexual equality that
was cruelty Illuminating to the younger mem
The incident Of the bear did not add anything
In Miggles's favor to the opinions of those OF her
over, a chillness radiated from the two Lady
Passengers that no pine boughs brought in by
Iuba Bill and cast ~ a sacrifice upon the hearth
suddenly declaring that it was time to turn in
offered to show the ladies to their bed in an ad-
joining room. you, boys, win have to camp
ded, 'sfor thar amt but the one room"
Our sex-by which, my dear sir, L allude OF
course to the stronger portion Of humanity-has
been generally relieved from the imputation of
curiosity, or a fordness for gossip. Yet L am
constrained to say, that hardly had the door
closed on Miggles than we crowded together,
whispering, SD1cktrlng, ana eXcnang-
ing suspicious, surmises, and a thousand specu-
latiOns in regard to our pretty hostess and her
singular companion. fear that we even hust-
led that imbecile paralytic, who sat like a voice
less MemnOn in our midst, gazing with the
serene indifference If the Past in his passionless
eyes upon our wordy counsels- In the midst OF
an exciting discussion the door opened again,
and Miggles re-entered-
But not, apparently, the same Miggles who
few hot before had flashed upon Her
eyes were dOwncast, and as she hesitated for q
moment on the threshold, with . blanket on her
arm, she seemed to have left behind her the
frank fearlessness which had charmed US a mo-
ment before. Coming into the room, she drew q
low stool beside the paralytic's chair, sat down,
drew tho blanket over her shoulders, and say
ing, " II it's all the same to you, boys, we're
rather crowded II stop here to night" took the
invalid's vithered hand in her own, and turned
her eyes upon the dying fire. An instructive
feeling that this was only premonitOry 10 more
confidential relations, and perhaps some shame
at our previous curiosity, kept US silent. The
rain still beat upon the roof, wandering gusts of
wind stirred the embers ioto momentary bright
ness, until, in lun Of the elements, Miggles
suddenly lifted up her head, and, throwing her
hair over her shoulder, turned her face upon the
group and asked
=" Is there any OF you that knows us?"
There vas no reply. IL
"Think sgaini I'Iived at Marysviile In 49,
Everybody knew me there, and everybody had
the right 10 know me. I kept the Polka Saloon
mill came tn live With linn six vpara