, 1873-12-21
A: h1ONTE.FLAT PASTORAL.
How Old Man P1un1kett Wont
Home.
Bret Harte's Last Story.

Bret Harte's Last Story.
From. Ser1bntrs for January.
think we nil loved him. Even after ho mis- ;
managed tlio affairs OF tho Amitv Ditch Conn
pnny, wo comtnlecfatod him. although most of
us woro stockholders and lost heavily. rcn,om-
ber that tho blacksmith wont 30 far as TO Bay
that Thom chaps rs put TINT responsibility
On tho old nun oughtcr DO lyuohoa." But
the blacksmith was not Il aeoashnltfor, and
tho expression WAS looked upon as tho or
cusable extravaganza Of n largo sympnshiz'ng
nnture, that, whom combined with power"
full frame, was unworthy Of notice. at least
that vas tue way thoy pitt It. Yot think.thcrc
was 3 general fooling Of rogrot ti,as this mis-
fortune would inter.oro with the old mnn is long-
cherished plan Of
"uo1Na -11oME."
I,dood.for tho last ten yoara hos Ind boon
"gciug home" uo was going ho1ns aftor Bix
months sojourn at Monte Tlat. Io wuB going
homo altar tho first rains. 11o WIS going home
when tile rainB wcre over. I1o WAS going homo
when ho had cut tho tfmbor on Buckeye Hill,
when thcro was pasture on Dow's Tint, when lo
struck pay-dirt on Eureka Hill, when tho Arity
Company pnd It's first dividend. when the
election was over, whom ho Ind received
M apswcr from his wifo. And 80 tho
years rolled by, tho spring rainB, canc
and wont, tho woods Of buckeye H1ll wcra
lovol with the ground, tho pasture on Dow's
Flat grow Bero and dry, Eurska Hill yielded its
pay-dirt and swa.npcd Its owner, tho first dtvi~
1onda of tho Amtv Compny woro made from
no"1u ~ s"s 4e,,i,s,or, n.oro ,,a., NV
Tue aesosshon's u ssooNnoiue'a, 'nolo "o1o No."
county officers nt ifoafe Flat, Ills WIGS aAs"or
+ts. fu4r y,k xrn t,Ia ST.
oll man pluu1;ott rou1aiucd.
.1saa,,, ta,r -, v.,, t,,,I In Ind r,cao
IL ~ ohly t".a ~ sas sua. l'o '"u .pa"o ~
SEVERAL DISTINCT EssA4s Io"Ahpa uolau'
Five years pcforo Ito had biddon goodbye to
Monte Hill with mt,cl, cifusion and and-shaling.
nv is no,,or mt mn. furt1,cr lin, thc ncxt tovn
1fare i,o yyan n1uced to trado tho sorrol colt ho
wns riillne for I. INV marc transaction tlat nj.
vost ns ond 1u n,ccessfni futura succuatlon, fow
da.s ass Aat artar hhnar nnon of Am~aia rcccIycl
n iaItor fro,n, him stntiur tint he wag going to
y;so,in tn hnv ]nrsrs I. + mn, nnt;,;i;cd.H w1ote
pin,hctf x;tf, l1,nt o,oyatrd ri,oin1ic for which
Tia corrceann,dcnco Wv was romarKablc ii nm
saisf;cd Xxi wn nro At iost dcvci9ninr tin rcni
Tosnnrros of Calirornin, Tho world VII. yct look
to Dow's Flat as tho great stock-raislng
month" Il was Two boforo he prnin. retnrr-
ri to ,,s pcuni1egs, six months lstcr be was
reaio m enabled to start for lilo Eastern States.
tt.t les 34t4,r, hH& FaN Naf FpASn niSnn
hnvn '1u hof,ro nan IN lo'tor uhci, T rcceyod fow
dnvs aftcr 1,;a arrival fron, Which rvo m or-
trcnis 1Yn1, hnow.' nv tsear hoy. lint / hayo
a1wavs bolinved link eambinr m Il IL nbsurdly
harc a}wava a.. mantainod Ii M 1 that norffet systom I
might bo invented by which tnc samo of poEcr
nav bo mado to ylold cortaiu norSscntugo to tho
iuts]tivons pIayor, i nm not at liberty at pros-
cnt to tlisclovs the system. but before leaving
thie city I intontl to porfocs it." lie soema to
have done 30, aud returned to Monte Flat with
two ,1nilara md thirfy.aoven nonts, the abaolute
rnmundor OF lis capital after sucl 1,orfectiou,
Il was not iii 1868 tin. Ao epneayed to
HAVE r1sAI1Y sIcoEsDr:D
fn roipp home lIo left us by the overland
rouEeMs Ss ronte % whioh he declayed would rive
croot opportunty for tho discovery Of unde-
To|opcl resources. His last letter was tated
Vircinia City he was absent three years. At
the cioso Of very hot day In midsun1nar ho
aiiphtcd from tho Wiugdan etaso With llaif and
Heard powdered with dust and age; There was
certain BhyuoBs about his greeting, quito dif-
feront from bis usllal frank vo!ubi1ity that did
not however. Impress us ~ any accession Of
character. For some days ho waH reserved re-
IsHorting, With moro or lcas aggressivoncHs,
thas he had h nIwsys ss soo SAID .ol hs was gon
freely tti aud critically OF tic maanora
and customs Of Now York and Boston, COM
mentcd on the aocial changes in the years Of his
CNa u,
what Lc deemed tho folios incidental to higl,
state Of civilization. Still lator ho darkly H.
luded to tho moral laxity+o tho higher plancH
Of Eastern society, but it WIS not long before he
completely tore away the veil md revealed The
naked wickcduoss Of Now York social life In a
wav even nov aludtcr to recall. .Vinous in
toxicatiou, it appeared, was common habit Of
Tue FIRST ladies Of the city; immoralitics which
lie scarcely dared pamo wore daily practicod by
the refined OF both sexes niggardlincss aud
greed were the common yicos OF tho, rich.
ri have always asserted" ho continued .sthat
corruption must o1ist where luxury and
riches are rampant, and capital is not used to
develop the natural resources OF tue country.
Thank you-- :.
w11r rAEE NINE WITHOUT SUGAR."
II is possible that sonlo Of theso painful de-
tails cropt into the local jonrnals / romombor
On oiitosial in tho Monte Flat Monitor, entitled
"lhe Ereto East, in Which ito fatal decadonce
of New York and Now England was elaborately
stated. and California offered aa d means of nut
nral en,yotion. tporlaps.n said tLo Monitor.
Nwa ni"bt nfld Tint rnIaycrnu fonntv ofrnrs