The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1872-09-24
California rs il was.

California rs il was.
1t was a driving, vigorous, restless pop
ulation in those days. 1t was curious
population. 1t was the only population
Of the kind that the world has ever seen
gathered together, and it is not likely that
the world will ever see its like again.
For, observe, it was an assemblage of two
hundred thousand young men-not simp.
eriDg dainty, kid gloved weaklings, but
stalwart, muscular, dauntess young
braves, brimful of push and energy, and
royalty endowed with every attribute that
goes to make up peerless and magnid-
cent manhood-the very pick and choice
Of the worlds glorious ones. No women,
no children, no gray and STOPPING vete-
rans-none but erect, bright.eyed quick
moving, strong handed young giants
the strangest population, the finest pop
ulation, the most gallant host that ever
trooped down the startled solitudes of an
unpeopled land And where are they
now? All gone, or nearly all-victims
devoted upon the altar of the golden calf
the noblcst holocaust that ever waited
its sacrifcial incense heavenward. 1t is
pitiful to think upon.
In those days miners would flock in
crowds to catch a glimpse of that rare
and blessed spectacle, woman Old in
habitants tell how, in certain camp, the
news went abroad early in the morning
that woman was come! They had seen
calico dress hanging out of wagon
down at the camping ground-sign Of
emlgrauts from over the great plains
Everybody went down there, and shout
went up when an actual, bona fide dress
was discovered huttering in the wind
The male emigrant was visible-the min
ers said:
Fetch her out !!
He said ut is my wife, gentlemen
she is sick-we have been robbed of mon-
ey, provisions, everything, by the Indians
we want rest"
Fetch her out, We've got to see herr
"But gentlemen, the poor thing, she
-"
"FETCH HER OUT y
He "fetched her out" and they swung
their hats and sent up three rousng cheers
and tiger; and they crowded around
and gazed at her, and touched her dress
and listened to her voice with the look o
men who listened to memory rather
than present realty-and then they
collected twenty-five hundred dollars il
gold and gave it to the man, and swung
their hats again and gave three more
cheers, and went home satisfied.
Once | dned in San Francisco witt
the family of pioneer, and talked will
his daughter, young lady whose frs
experience in San Francisco was an ad
venture, though she herself did not re
member it as she was only two or thre
years old at the time. Her father sait
that, after landing from the ship, the.
we're walking up the street, servan
} leading the party with the little girl il
her arms. Aud presently huge miner
bearded, beltcd, spurred, and bristlin
with deadly weapons-just down from
long campaign in the mountains, evident
, ly-barred the way, stopped the servant
and stood gazing with face all alive wit
! qualification and astonishment. Then h
' said, reverently:
"Well fit amt Il child :" And the
Q he snatched little leather sack out c
. his pocket and said to the servant:
, There's u hundred and fifty dollars i
: dust, there, and I'll give it to you to lie
! me kiss the child !"
b, That auccdote is true.
But see how things change. Sitting 0
G that dinner table, listening to that anet
, dote, if | had offered double the none
e for the privilege of kissing the same chill
e l would have been refused. Seventee
added years have more than doubled tn
, price.
5 And while upon this subject l will r'
= mark that once in Star City, in the Hun
t boldt Mountains, l took my place in
1 sort of long, post.ofIice single file of mil
e ers, to patiently await my chance to pee
d through crack in the cabin and get
sight of the splendid new sensation
= genuine, live woman! After the laps
t of half an hour my turn came, and l p'
: my eye to the crack, and there she wa
e with one arm akimbo, and tossing AaI
y jacks with the other. And she was or
n hundred and sixty-fve (oeing in calm'
b mood, now, voluntarily knock off hui
S dred from that) years old, and hadn't
!. tooth in her head.-Mark Twain.
= Il IL.