The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1872-11-15
Alb REGISTER.

peating 10 heedfnl or Iistless ears.
An 20, olie day, she planned \ picnic
on Buckeye Hill, and took the chill
deIl with bet. Away from the dusty
road, the struggling shanties, the yell
low bitches, the ciainor Of restless en-
gines, the cheap finery Of shop win
dows, the deeper glitter of paint and
colored glass, and Ire thin yeneering
which barbarism takes upon itself in
such localities--what infinite relief was
theirs. The last heap OF rugged rock
and clay passed, the last unsigldly
chasm crossed, = how the waiting
woods opened their long files to re-
ceiye them. How the children--per-
haps because they had not yet grown
quite away from the breast Of the
bounteous Mother--threw themselves
iace downward Oh her brown bosom
with ,uicoutl caresses, filling the air
with their laughter; and how Miss
Mary herself felinely flstidious and
intrpnched aS she was Iii the purity Of
spotless skirts, collar and cuffs forgot
all, and ran like n crested quail ut the
head of her brood, until, rompilg,
laughing and panting, with 4 loosened
braid Of brown hair. hat hanging by
knotted ribbon from her throat, she
came suddenly and violently. In the
heart Of the forest, upon-7-the luekless
! Sandy,
| The explanations, apologies, and
not overwise conversation that ensued.
\ need not be indicated here. It would
seem, however, that Miss Mary had
already established some acquaintance
with this ex-tlrunkard. Enough that
he was soon accepted as one of the
party; that the children. with that
quick Intelligence which Providence
gives the helpless, recognized Il friend,
and played with his hloGd beard. ami
long silken mustache, anil took other
! liberties as the helpless are apt todo.
And when he had built Il fire againsta
tree. and had shown them other mys-
teries Of wootl-cTaft, their admiration
knew no bounds. AT the close Of two
such foolish, idle, happy hours he
found himself lying at the feet Of the
scho0lniStress, gazing dreamily in her
face, as she sat upon the slpping liill-
side, weaving wreaths Of laurel and
Syringa, in very much the same atti-
tude AZ he had lain when first they
met. Nor was the similitnde greatly
forced. The weakness of All easy,
sensuous nature, that had found i
dreamy eyhalation in liquor, it il to
be feared was now finding an eGu:ll
intoxicaton in love.
| think that Sandy was dhnly con-
scious Of this hiinseIf. know he
longed TO be doing something. slay-
ing \ grizzly, scalping a savage, or
sacrificing himself in some way for
| the sake Of this sall0w-taced. gray
! eyed schoolmistress. AS should like
to present him in a heroic attitude. I
stay my hand with great difficulty at
this moment. being 0ilv Withheld from
| introducing such an episode by a
strong conviction that il does not usll-
ally occur at such times. And trust
| that my tailest reader, who remembers
that, in real crisis, it Is always some
uninteresting stranger Or uuromantic
policeman, and not Admphus. who
rescres. will forgive the omission.
So they sat there undistllrhed, the
woodpeckers clmttering overhead. and
the voices of the children coming
pleasantly from the hollow below.
What they said matters little. What
they thought which might have been
iIiteresting-did not tiglnSpire. The
woodpeckers only learned how Miss
Mary was an orphan; how she lefl
her uncle's house. to come to Califor.
nia, for the sake OF health ard indie.
pendence; how Sandy was an orphan,
too: how lie came TO California fol
excitement; how he had lived a wild
life, aud how he was trying to reform
and other details, which, from wood.
pecker's viewpoint. undoubtedly mus
have seemed stupid, and Il waste D
time. But even HI such triiies wa
the afternoon spent; and when tht
childrea were again gathered, ant
Sandy, with a delicacy which th,
sclloulmistryss well understood. tool
leave Of them quietly at the oitskirt
Of the settlement, it had seemed th,
shortest day Of her weary life.
As the long. dry summer witheret
to its roots, the school tenn Of Rel
i Gnlcl--tn use a local euplMism :
: dried up" also. III another day Mis-
! Mary world be free !; aud iipra season
J at least, Red Gnicli would know he
/ 10 more. She was seated alone In he
!. sehool-llonse, her cheek resting OIL he
: hapd, her eyes half closed III one q
/ those diiy dreams in which Miss Mar
II fear to the danger 0f school disel
!, pliKe--was lately III tile Iabitof IN
. dulging, Her lap was full Of moses
) terms and other woodland memories
{ She was 50 preoecupicd with thes
= aid her own thoughts tia, d gent
B tippiig at THE door passed unheard
Z or translated Itself into the remem
: braiee of taf~otf woodpeckers. Whe
III 1ast n asserted itself Iuo,.n tligtjneflt