The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1871-03-23
BILE servitors, who showed great concern

BILE servitors, who showed great concern
for her comfort.
The day began to wane. They had
travelled continuously over long stretch
OF plain between two mountain ranges,
over country entirely uninhabited ex-
cept by the stage company's employees,
who kept the stations and tended the
stock This lone woman had seen but
one other woman ON The road Plenty of
teams-great "prairie schooners," loaded
with every conceivable thing for supply
ing the wants of an isolated, non-produc-
ing community, and drawn by ten or tf-
| teen mules-had been passed through the
day.
As night fell, Mrs. Hastings saw what
she had never before seen OF imagined
the camps Of these teamsters by the road
side; horses and mules staked or tied to
the wagons; the men lying prone upon
the earth, wrapped in blankets, their dust
blackened faces turned up to the frosty,
twinklng stars. Did people really live
in that way - how many supertluous
things were there in a city
| The night was moonles5 ana clear, and
cold as at that altitude they always are.
Sleep, from the roughness of the road, was
impossible. Her companions dozed, and
woke with exclamations when the heavy
lurchings Of the coach disturbed them too
roughly. Mrs. Hastings never closed her
eyes. When morning dawned, they were
on the top of a range of mountains, like
those that had been in sight all the day
before. Down those heights they ratified
away, and at four in the morning entered
the streets of Chloride Hill-a city of
board and canvas houses. Arriving at the
stage office, the lady looked penetratingly
into the crowd of men always waiting for
the stages, but saw no face she recog-
nized, Yes, one-and that the face of the
gentleman who sat down opposite her at
table in Elko.
"Permit me" he said 81 think you en-
quired for Mr.. Hastings ?"
81 did, he is my husband. | expected
to find him here she replied. feeling that
sense of injury and desire to cry which
tired women feel, jostled about in a crowd
of men,
Leaving her moment to say something
to an employe OF the office, the stranger
returned Immediately, saying to the man ::
Take this lady to Mrs. Robb's boarding
house" Then to her: 81 will inquire for
your husband, and send him to you if he
is in town. The hack does not 90 over to
Deep Canon for several hours yet. You
must be greatly fatiguedn
Fatigued! her head swan round and
round; and she really was too much ex-
haustcd to feel as disappointed as she
might at Jacks non-appearance. Much
relieved by the prospect of 4 place to rest
in, she followed the man summoned to
escort her, and fifteen minutes after was
sound asleep on {; sofa of the boarding
house.
Three hours of sleep and partial bath
did much to restore tired natures equi-
librium; and although her head still felt
absurdly light, Mrs Hastings enjoyed the
really excellent breakfast provided for
her, wondering how such delicacies ever
got to Chloride Hill Breakfast over, and
no news of Jack, the time began to drag
YEARLY. She was more than half inclined
to be angry-only relenting when she re-
membered that she was two OF three DAYS
behind time, and of course Jack could not
know when to expect her. She had very
full directions, and if she could not find
her way to Deep Canon she was Il goose
that was all
SO she sent for the driver of the hack
told him to get her baggage from the eN-
press office, and started for Deep Canon
Who should she find in the hack but her
friend of the morning!
81 could not hear of your husband" :"
said he 'but YOU are sure to find him at
home"
Mrs. Hastings smiled family, and hoped
she should. Then she gave her thou ghts
to the peculiar scenery OF the country,
and to the sharpness of the descent, rs
they whirled rapidly down the tour miles
of canon at the bottom of which was the
town of that namc-another one of those
places which had ''come up as Il flower"
in morning. She longed to ask about
her husband and his 'home'; but rs
there were several persons in the stage,
she restrained her anxiety, and said never
a saloon where all the other passengers
alightcd Then she told the driver she
wanted to be taken to Mr.. Hastings
house.
He didn't know where that was, he
said, but would inquire.
Did he know DR.. Earle9
That's him, ma am" pointing out her
friend of the morning.
GLOW can serve yon ~ he asked, rails
ing his hat politely.
Mrs. Hastings blushed rosily, between
vexation at jacks invisibility and confu-
sion at being so suddenly confronted with
DR.. Earle.
"Mr. Hastings instructed me to inquire
of you, if had any difficulty in finding
him." she said apologctically.
81 will show you his place with pleas
ure," returned the Doctor pleasantly
and jumping on the box, proceeded to di-
rect the driver.
Had ladies of Mrs Hastings style been
AS plenty in Deep Canon as in New York,
the driver would have grumbled at the
no road he had to follow along the stony
side of hill and among the stumps of
mahogany trees But there were few like
her in that mountain town, and his chiv-
airy compelled him to go out of his way
with every appearance of cheerfuness
Presently the stage stopped where the
sloping ground made it very uncertain
how long it could maintain its balance in
that position; and the voice of Dr. Earle
was heard saying, ''This is the place.
Mrs. Hastings, who had been looking
out for some sign of home, was seized
Will IL uOuDt vi lnt cfcNlDlllly OF ncr
senses. 1t was on the top of her tongue
to say, "This must be the house of some
other Mr.. Hastings" when she remem-
bered prudence, and said nothing Get
ting out and going to the house to inquire,
the door opened, and man in a rough
mining suit came quickly forward to meet
her.
"Aicc.''
"Jack ~
DR.. Earle and the driver studlously
looked the other way while salutations
were exchanged between Mr.. and Mrs.
Hastings. When they again ventured q
look, the lady had disappeared within the
cabin, the first glimpse of which had so
dismayed her.
That afternoon, Jack initiated Alice in
to the mysteries of cooking by an open
fire, and expatiated largely on the merits
of his outside Kitchen. Alice limited to
him that she was accu stoned to sleep on
something softer than u board, and the
two went out together to Il store to pur-
chase materials out of which to make a
mattrass.
After that, for two or three weeks Mrs.
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