The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1872-11-15

And rest yourself arter the tramp.
'Do drinks Wei, on rare occasions,
I've tasted the stuff now and then,
Tho not often, you see, for, stranger,
haven't much dealings with men
Heres your healthl 50 they say I'm crazy,
And have got a grudge agin' men,
And hate them for suthin or Other7
All, well, maybe do, but then,
'IfI don't, I'm sure don't love them!
You see prefer the Cascades,
With the woods and streams, TO the comp'ny
ofthem and their shops and their trades.
"And may be crazy, too, stranger,
But then Pm In with the lot,
For whar's thar a man in the city
Without his peculiar soft spot?
"And since nothing's gain'd in the eomp'ny
OF either fool or a knave.
A mans better of in the mountains
Alvin alone in a cave.
"Lonesome9 Well, no, not for comp'ny, for
I've the panther, wild cat, and bar,
The sable, wolf, fox and coyote,
The antelope deer, elk and har',
"And berries and birds in the bushes,
And trout in the streams out thar,
This cave in the rocks here Tor shelter,
And plenty Of room everwhar.
"Afy history? Wei, stranger, thar arnt mucl
Worth speaking on in the whole thing
Except why keep this 'ere bullet
A-hung round my neck on a string.
81 arn't got much book-larniDg, stranger;
The mountains arn't much OF a place
For larning; yet fortunes has larnt me
To look thing squar in the face.
'Im Bill sIugs, the old mountain trapper;
pve rough'd Il, am roughing it still;
pve often intended 10 settle,
But dunno as ever will.
81 once had a girl thar in Yamhiu,
But YanhiI warn't settled up then;
Her people raised stock and trapped, and sal,
She could hunt with the best Of the men.
''she had an eye like a deer, stranger,
And grew tall like the pines out thar;
Shed follow a trail like siwash,
And bring down an elk OF a bar.
"Both OF US were good in the saddle;
1t seemed second nature 10 US.
She rode an Eastern chesnut,
Ia plug, an Indian Cayuse,
sBut lightnin' to go, for, stranger,
In the long rough rides that we had,
That plug, though an ornery Cayuse,
For bottom and speed warnT bad.
"This fact the settler would mention
To sal, and this point he would claim,
IN regard 10 fine looks deeeiving,
That horses and men are the same.
"But every girl has her opinion,
And sal OF course had hers too;
shed say regarding her chesnut,
"The summer went by with us, stranger,
And long winter nights came SrOun',
And sal went to get education
And stay a whole year In the town.
$50 we met in the wood that evening,
Beneath a big pine in the clear
And thar we parted and promised
Yes, promised 10 meet in a year.
"But what's in a promise, that ever
Upon il a hope should be hung9
A sound, and a song OF the fancy,
A breath, and wag OF the tongue.
"she went, and felt awful lonesome,
And would think OF her all the while,
TIL I'd fall asleep by the campfire,
To dream OF her eyes and their smile.
"And dreamed that stood with a maiden
Upon the green bank OF stream;
Iloved her; Thought we embraced, and
kissed her red lips in a dream.
"But IN that first kiss she grew cold,
Her breath died away in a moan;
In terror ! shrank from her bosom,
Away from a statue OF stone!
$50 dream'd, and a year passed away,
While watched up the path in vain,
TIL my eyes were weary, and evening
Mists erept down the mountains again.
'stin year, and she came, but came not
The brown mountain girl had known,
But beautiful, dazzling woman,
Like queen who sits on a throne
"Her hat was OF laces and roses,
And sil1en and shining her gown,
Like butterflies wings. The folks said this
Was what they called fashion In town.
'sBut I'd rather she'd come without II,
For IL seem'd as tho something was wrong;
As tho silks and roses of fashion,
Had hush'd the wild mountain girls song.
s'she'd grown pale, and as the white lily
Droops over her face in the stream,
Shed bend DER picture for hours,
As though lost in a sorrowful dream
Twas the handsome face OF stranger;
4 promise was broken knew,
While mem'ry brought back her old words,
Hes the handsomer beast Of the two
ERE long she was seized with fever;
watched through the night whar she lay,
SO silent, so pale, and so wasted,
knew she was passing away.
"Her thin lips spoke in whisper;
There burn'd a strange light in her eye;
She said, Bill, forgive and forget me,
And kiss and bid me goodbye
q I've been foolish and false. have given
a life and the world for a face.
Don't weep for me, Bill; am going
Away from my shame ana disgrace.
"'And when'I am dead you will lay me
Beneath the tall pine in the clear.
Where We parted once on an evening
And promised to meet IN year.
@And ! wept and prayed aud / wept.
As tho prayers and tears could save
Her dying, and, stranger, she sleeps thar
Beneath the pine in her grave.
4sinee then I've been roaming these mon
tains,
And living alone with the past
Stranger, you see this 'ere bulietP
FTis ten years ago since 'twere cast.
.aI have her Initials cut jn IL,
The workmanship arn't very neat,
But Il will do its work just as well,
should HE and Bill Slugs ever meetr