Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1872-11-27
Misc llany.
A Romance orGIla Bend.

hufiidnct Ol ulld bcnQ.
The day that brought US to Oatman's
Flat was murky aud glOomy-a day in
full harmony with the character Of the
eouutry through which we we're travelling.
We decended into tie Flat by an abrupt
fall in the road, that landed US at once
among clump of scraggy, darkling will
ows, dropping weanly over a sluggish liz.
tie creek Iu the distance glittered the
white sand-bed Of the Gila aud half bur
led in it, here and there, were the ghast-
ly, water bleached limbs of the ices that
the river had uprooted in its annual iren-
zy. Verde, or grcase-wood, as ragged
and scraggy as the willows, covered the
whole Flat, excepting where toward the
centre, dilalidated shanty stood on a
sandy, cherries op,n space Not far
from it we're the remains of fence inclos.
ing some six PAGES oluneven ground and
on the only uper rail left Of the inclosurc
sat dismal-looking, solitary crow.
The fat waSrcpulsiveIy dreary aud des.
olate; and when Sam, the drive:, pointing
to 1t with his whip, said it was the spot
whore the Oatmau family had been mur-
dered, and lay buried, it added nothing to
Its atIractveness. Only Que OF the family
escaped-a little chap, who crawled away ;
alter he had been left for dead, aud
brought the white people from the next
/ settlement to the scene of the massacre.
There was nothing to be done but to bury
the mutilated corpses After this the
place was deserted aud Stunned, through
there had been no more Indian depreda-
| tions committed for years.
watched the solitary cabin with a
strange iacination Sam, too, had his eyes
fixed on something that might have been
the shadow of one of the victims, fitting
by the black gap which had once been the
door. The place was to weircd, and the
| gbostly shadow chimed in so well with the
rest, lhat | accepted it as part ofthe un.
canny whole. We We're going along at
the usual leasurely gait, when Sam suddn.
ly and excitcdly whipped up the mules,
and leaned out Of the ambulence to speak
to Phil, who drove the army wagon con-
tanning our baggage. The road was good
and solid, so that took no alarm /; but,
when the speed was continued, and the
baggage wagon kept laundering close in the
rear, | ventured to ask, g Is there danger
from Indians, here Z"
There haint no lujens been seen round
here for more'n three year. was the
answer.
Travelling from Los Angels to Tucson,
you can, it you so chose, sleep under a
roof almost every night providing you
have good teams. There are many Gov
ernmont forage-stations along the whole
rout3, where travellers are +" taken in" by
the station-k -kecpers--though not on Gov
ernment account do not say that it is
pleasant at all these stations ar
ly for IA woman, as she will seldom or new
er meet one of her own sex on the way.
When we left Fort Yuma. Sam assured
u,e that [ would not see a white w0man's
face between there aud Tucson We were
happily disappointed, for we met not only
one, but whole family of them, one after
the other
AT Burke's Station, where We were 10
pass the night, the first surprise awaited
Us. The house sqlalid adobe, was bu 1t
in the style coulon along the route an open
passa ageway from front to rear with rooms
on either side The principal room to the
left was bar.room and store room the one
10 the right, sitting-room and bedroom
and behind it was the kitchen. The pas
sage.way was dining.hall When the tall
young Miseourian, niue host had ushered
me into the room on the right, he stepped
to the opening Ieading to the Kitchen and
called out:
Here, Sis come and speak to the la
dy."
Obedient to the call, bashful, halt-
grown girl appeared. wiping her hands on
her apron looking timidly from under
long eye-lashes. | took her by the hand.
). How do you do, child ? How do you
do. child How in the world did you
get tcre-anu whore is your mother?" l
asked
Sam and Phil stood in the hall-door,
nudging each other, till Sam could restrain
himself no longer.
Why that's his wife," pointing to
young Goliath from Missouri land hel
dad ard mans liyin in the old shauty
down on the Flat. I'll de darned if they
didn't give me the wust scare had yet
thought they was linens -shure y
"And how old are you ?" i asked the