The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-06-08


quested to wait in the parlor till the mink had
finished dressing, when she would be ready to
receive calls.
'Such hoity-toity high and mightinesses
from school-marm p said exasperated Mrs.
Randall, relating the incidents OF her visit at
the sewing-circle, that evening
''She'll be clearly unpopular-thats what
she will" chimed in Sister Silverthorn.
81 hear she's been TUX to DriscoPs to board
"a great come-down Cor Mrs. Driscol, for
| she's one of your high-fyers, too"
ssPm just dying to see that Organdy," said
| Mrs. Newton-the acknowledged leader of
| fashion in the viage-''fcr want patterns;
and Pm bound to see how her dresses are
| trimmed"
''She hasn' got many, can tell you, Them
retorted Sister Randall, with sneer.
The entrance of Mrs. Driscol prevented
further remark, for she was one of the women
whose presence depressed gossip, and whose
subjects of conversation never degenerated
into ungenerous personalities.
Perhaps some excuse was to be made for
| Mrs. Randall, in the fact that she was an early
| Californian. There is an assumption about
certain of this class which is simply ridicu-
lous. They appropriate whole towns as fam
lily lots, because in early times they were the
first-comers. They ply into the history Of
| each subsequent arrival with the lertinacity
of relationship, and with not a 1.-THE of the
| forbearance exercised toward those of kindred
blood. They remember with accuracy tie
time that Mrs. Crosus, now rolling in money,
took in washing. They were intimately ac-
quainted with the honorable member Of the
| Legislature from "our county" when he was
unblessed with second shirt. They can give
the records of families who came over the
| plains, or across the isthmus, in 40, now
aitiuent, who had then precious little to do
with. They will regsle you with experiences
of their own, incident to all pioneer civiliza-
ton, with the relish and gusto of individ
ual Appropriateness of all the hardships en-
countered on the Pacific slope-that being
the wholesale term for every little mining
| town in the country. The Pacific slope is
hurled at every stranger who comes, as if it
was a chunk of solid gold. All its fruits are
apples from the gardens of Hesperides. Its
honey is sweeter than that of Mount Hybla.
The native wines of the Pacific slope, sir, are
| fit lamentations for the gods; and its grain
crops will store the granaries of the world.
The crystals of California outvie in splendor
the diamonds of Golconda, and the bark of
the big trees has been heard all over creation.
| The golden waters of Shiloah's river are not
to be compared to the muddy depths of the
Sacramento, and the marrow gauge lead
ing to the pearl gates of the Eternal city is
mere myth to the wonderful realities of the
iron highway termination on the Pacific
| SlCpc. LIEU ulc tcil yOu, hIS. OHFeI-
thorn's husband was wont to say, ''that God
put the fnishin' touch on this yere great plan
o'creation o'His'n when He made Californy.
| Eff ever you're favored to git to Yosemite and
the Geysers, you'll find the stupendiousness
of the fust only equaled by the brileanest of
the t'other. We don't lack for nothin',
'thOut it's calamus-root; ar, as for fires, why
we've sPhorixed-out o. three O. them an
made I've of tie ashes. Tell yer, stranger,
this yere's great country"
There is another class, net simply dealing
in laughable rhodomontade, but given to the
drearier and darker task of resuscitating from
the buried past errors which have been
amended, sins which have been repente6 of.
| They will hoard up secrets and spring them
at inopportune seasons upon those who have,
| in all sincerity, long since eschewed the
shortcomings of those lawless days. They
will hint of peccadillos INDUCED in quite at
variance with the staid responsibility of hus-
| bands and fathers of families. They will
hunt up preposterous accusations, and poi
son with wicked menace those who have we'll
| nigh lived down the results of some sudden
temptation. If success has crowned hard
years of toll and struggle, they are mgener-
GUS in their memory OF the paisimony which
poverty compelled, and sneer at the exhibi-
ton of refined tastes and higher culture, e.
ther ignorant or forgetful of the fact that il is
impossible to indulge aesthetic longngs in the
midst of scant pecuniary resources; and so
| Mrs. Randall. feeling herself snubbed by Miss
Patty Dree, was hard on the young teacher.
| A touch of gall was added to her bitterness,
also, from the fact that she had-after many
years of small speculations and rigid stingi-
ness-with a fatal blunder worthy of man,
| invested her savings in vii .-cat stocks, and
| lost; since when she seemed harder and
sharper than ever. -4--
The sewing circle had been vapid of late;
but this evening Pattys ears must have burn
ed, if she had not, in happy Inconsistencies,
been resting her WEAKNESS in Mrs. DriscoPs
neat, little spare room, where, between the
lavender-scented sheets, she reposed-a per-
| feet picture, with her pretty, plump arms and
swelling bosom half hidden by the auburn
hair tressed over them, and her eyes closed in
serene sleep; healthful aud lovely image of
| rest. -....-..... ..-. -.
Doctor Randal-whose specially was kind
ness to strangers, kept in perpetual check,
however, by the old woman, as he irreverent-
ly called his wife-stopped on his way down
town, few mornings after, to leave the
school-house key with Miss Dree, in order
that she might make some re arrangement in
chairs and benches, preparatory to its open
ing, taking occasion 10 present few luscious
pears and pretty bouquet, which Patty re-
ceived with smiles and bushes. a.
II don't know how you will succeed" he
said. 'Tleie has always been trouble in our
district. The boys, especially, are unruly. 1
am not on the committee this year, but shall
be glad to offer you any assistance. My IL
brary is quite at your disposal" Said library
consisted of dictionary, two cook books,
some Methodist hymn-books, and several
bound volumes of "Tte Ladies Repository"
''Has the school library?' questioned
| Patty, at the same time thanking him cor
cially.
Whapsy was announced before Doctor
Randall answered. 'How do, Doe? How air
you, Miss Dree ?-queer name, that o'yourn.
Reckon you'll change it one O. these days.
| Our teachers most always gifts married. /
told Sharp he oughter a-gone and met you.
| But Sharp amt strong; he was a-lyin' down;
had a sun-stroke or suthin'-eastways, he
warn't very WELL l hain't fetched no flow
ers, like Randall, there. He's got garden,
and ken do them things. But here's some
thin III come handy''-and he handed her a
bundle of thin manzanita branches, knotty
and uneven. "You'd better put one o. them
in soak for Hazen Sims. He's the worst boy
In this town; you can't manage him, nohow.
Why, the last teacher we had licked him
about every day.
''The unfeeling brute! said Patty, with
kindling eye and flushed cheeks "Keep your
switches, Mr.. Whapsy. shall never use
them on one of the children"
Whapsy burst into coarse laugh. 'sThat's
SOOu It, WlV, Ha-
zen Sims and half dozen more O. them bows
is Almost grown men,
''Then certainly should not attempt to
whip them"
swell, not exactly, mebbe; but list crack
their knuckles, or hit 'em rap on the ears"
Patty, utterly disguised, and wondering
whether the other directors were as illiterate
and unfeeling, was about asking to be excus-
ed, when bang at the door was followed by
the entrance of the imp of the hotel, carving
ner forgotten satchel. "Gosh! but amt the
fellers at Barnums had fun over them curs,"
he exclaimed, as he swung the bag toward
her. 81 jist snatched 'em an run, an l
want two bits fur my trouble. Here they be,'
he added, holding Patty's unfortunate ''tront
locks" which had been nicely crimped in
San Francisco, in his hand; ''but you don't
git 'em, you bet, till you fork over'
A sense of the ludicrous overcame the rising
temper of the new teacher, and she burst in
to tremulons laugh just verging on tears
Take that for your impudence;' and
Whapsy's heavy palm rang in red heat on the
brown cheek of the boy, who retreated in
haste, screaming: "You darned old Method
list corpse-washer! I'll git even with you yet;
see if l don't"
Down to the. hotel he started forthwith,
the tingling smart on his cheek adding to the
rage in his heart He met Ned Burris,
shock-head youngster, ripe for any mischief,
and Swan Peak, weak-eyed and weaker
Drained scamp, whose thievish propensites
L T. IL