Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1871-08-18
Tie Leisure Hour.
TIEIRTT PROPOSALS.
A CALIFORNIA LOVE STORY.

"You don't say that is his wife? We'll,
she is sumner, and no mistake. Iconfess
TO an overwhelming curiosity concerning
that marriage. Why. in the States he was
considered an inveterate bachelor. Some
how he never cared to go round with the
girls as the rest of us did; but always took
his mother everywhere, and waited upon
her as though she had been queen of Eng
land. All the girls liked him, and if he
ever ventured where they were, they would
flutter round him, but it was plain that he
never gave them II second thought"
His mother used TO say, "If my son ever
marries, twill be very superior woman,
quite different from the girls one ordinarily
meets"
When we heard at home that he was mar
ried, the girls sad, "a little spitefully, l
reckon,) There must be one wonderful
woman in California" and they hoped she
would he superior enough to teach the
old bachelor "A lesson or two. Glow is it, is
she likely to-"
Well, there's more TO her than you'd
think ut first sight. She must be real good
herself, or she never would have appreciat-
cd our friend. lie is solid and substantial,
but not very SNOWY. I've known him in
timately for years, and never knew him
to say or do a mean thing. He deserves
his good luck, and will own it; though,
to be honest, wanted that woman for my
wife, and have not reached point yet
where | can take much pleasure in think
ing of the wedding. Come over here under
the trees, and I'll tell you how it came
about; but you'd better not let on you know
it, for It's a sort of understood thing that
we are TO keep it on the square, and it's
rather a tender subject with us boys.
1t was the summer of go; we lived over
the canon l was telling you about-there
were thirty of us in the gang, and we had
four cabins, with a storehouse, which were
public property. We worked hard through
the week, and on Sundays did our washing
and brought our housework up a little. l
suppose we should be called hard set, but
we were not any rougher than men gener-
ally who get living by themselves for a
year or two.
Eight Of us camped together, and each of
us had as distinct an individuality as tho
we represented different nations. Some
how or other we had acquired sobriquet
which was acknowledged to he characters.
tie, and we were called by il in camp to the
complete ignoring OF our real names.
There was Hal Winterton, n southerner
and fierce secessionist, We called him
"Sonth Carolina" Dave Austin, "a Connec-
ticut man and a regular sell, we called him
Nutmeg" "Dandy" stuck to Charlie
Chaplin, for he was a regular top Then
there was Ned Simpson, Il perfect "Aunt
Betty, YOU d know his name at the first
glimpse, without my saying a word. Otis
Allen would faint ifhe lammed his finger
or had sight of blood. He was "Our Ba-
by Jack Cummings was wag, and he
certainly deserved his cognomen, "Jack
the Wicked" Jim Woodruff was known
all over the country by the nppelation of
"Judge;' and your humble servant, from
his black eyes, swarthy complexion, and
and ietty locks, perhaps something, too, in
my manner, was styled "Senor."
Well, we were a good natured set of fell
lows, always making allowance for each
otler's peculiarities, and never having any
friction in the camp. Sometimes / used to
think we joked "Aunt Betty" and "Our
Baby rather numerically, but word
from our Judge would straighten ny at
once.
II one was sick, We all took our turn in
nursing and watching; but the Judge
was the one that knew just what 10 do, and
was always near to do it, Tender and pa
tient as woman, we all honored him, and
held him little higher in our estimation
than we did any one else in the camp.
forgot to tell you that month before.
and when "Dandy" and "Aunt Betty" were
not of our number, We had in their place
VIII Browning, who was equal to two mon
any day. Good to work and good to play,
as smart as need be, and true TO the core
| think most any Of us would have been
glad to have gone with viii over the noun
tains, but he said, "No, stay whore you are,
boysi you are doing well, and if find any
thing better, | will let you know at once.
Then come, all hands Of you, and ii will be
jolly time when we get together again."
You know II wasn't the pleasantest tray
cling in the world to get around two years
ago.