Los Angeles daily herald., 1873-11-13
4os Aagelts Aerald,
Correspondence of the Santa Barbara Press.
LETTER FROM Los ANGELES.
Proc HOUSE, Los Angeles, Cal.
Nnro,.,ho,. EAE 1910


Proc HOUSE, Los Angeles, CAL, ! x
November 5th, 1873.
When the Mohongo fred her signal
gun on the morning of the 9th ult.,
lonely woman reused from uneasy
slumbers saying "it means me-" and
hurried away in the darkness with
none to ''speed the parting guest"
save the kindhearted clerk of the Nor
ris House, who cheered her timid heart
by saying "The day will soon dawn"
The Pacific was true to its name,
and the voyage was as pleasant as the
clear day, the commodious ship, and
the courteous officers could make it;
SO pleasant that it grew monOtOnOus,
as league after league revealed moth
ing but the gray coast with its endless
sameness; then I turned my eyes to
the great overgrown girl Of twelve
years, who, for some unaccOuntable
reason, had left her mad antics, and
sat and watched me until grew un-
easy beneath her strange glances, and
put my hand on her head, which was
covered by a mass of red hair falling
in wild disorder over face and neck.
Instantly she seized my hand, saying,
"Give me that bloody ring" and
would have taken the amethyst from
my finger had not the feeble little
mother come to my relief. Sending
the child away, she talked with me
for more than an hour of the strange,
wayward being she could not control;
but never referred to the father, and !
dared not ask the questions l was Gu
rious to know; but the tragic air with
which the girl at lunch raised her
fork high above her head and stabbed
an unoffending potato, and the
menacing CLEAN of her eyes as it rolled
away to the floor, convinced me that
the blood of warriors must run in her
veins. Mayhap she be Siddons in
embryo; at any rate | was sorry to
leave that study unfinished.
The Mohongo lands us five miles
from land, THAT is good Irish) and as
with heads bent to escape bumps, we
filed out of the large steamer to the
small, we looked like emigrants arriv-
ing at Castle Garden, and l felt more
than ever like vagabond.
There were meetings at San Pedro
sadder than many partings. The
bowed form of the aged wO-
man who had come from Virginia
to live with her daughters after sep
aratiOn of twelve years and, unable to
speak, was clasped i'm their arms, was
sight which moistened the eyes of
more than one spectator; and her sable
weeds brought vividily to mind the
seige and the battle and the poverty
and desOlation which followed after,
when Virginia became the battle
ground for two opposing armies.
The iron horse which patiently
waited for us seemed like an old friend;
the years in which I had not seen the
smoke or heard the shrek of the To-
cOmotive faded out of mind, and the
old life began to come back to me.
The whole valley lay aglOw with
the glory of the setting sun, and un-
der a sky gorgeous with crimson and
gold first saw Los Angeles.-I looked
afar to the mountains, almost hoping
to find them gray and lifeless; but no,
they were bathed in that same soft
purple haze which I had supposed was
peculiar to Santa Barbara, and were
crowned with clouds, as they have
been every night since, which, as l
gaze have resolved into angel faces,
thus solving the question to me, "why
was this named the City of An
geles"u The clouds of life sometimes
have hidden meaning we can not
quite attain with all our study; never
theless we may feel sure that the
Great Artist is true to his work.
One Of the most attractive features
of this city is the library and reading
room, the privileges of which We're
kindly offered me by the courteous
librarian. There are about fourteen
hundred volumes, English and Ameri-
can periodicals, and newspapers from
all parts of the country. g"GO We and
do likewise;" for though ye do not
shave the poor always with yOu," you
will always have the weary invalid
who longs for some pleasant place
wherein to rest before he takes his
homeward walk. Providing thus for
his comfort, you shall some day Cen
tertain an angel unawares," whose
wings will be of gold, and who, to show
his Gratitude for restored health shall
endOw your library and build it a
home. When you have secured proper
rooms, and a suitable person for IL
brarian, the hardest part is done, for
the community will be glad to help on
the enterprise. Whatever the rules
and regulations may be, let it be free
to the youth of the town. ,-.
MY first attempt to see the suburbs
of Los Angeles was brought to grief
by an attempt on the part of the horse
to make biped of himself by going
on his two hind feet, and on my pro-
testing that he should remain a quad
ruped and ego on all fOurs," he dis
sented in such a fOrcible manner that
was obliged to yield the point in
very ungraceful manner. A second
attempt resulted in day among those
orange orchards at San Gabriel, and
YOU are, in consequence, deprived OF
any report of the Teachers Institute
and the interesting lectures connected
with it, which are being delivered
here, for those poetical spots here puts
everything practical out of mind. The
country for the first five miles driving
toward San Gabriel, presents q novel
appearance, being covered with bare,
round hills, with not tree or shrub to
be seen. Months ago they were COW
cred with wheat, but that has given
place to dry stubble.
We visited the grounds of several
fortunate gentlemen, each more beau
tttul than the last (the grounds, not
the men, though / have my ideas on
- IL