The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-11-08

every sense OF the word l never spread
that old wretched tarpauin under me ano
squatted on that horrible prairie, finding be-
fore me the same pork and tough yellow
dough, hard beef, and black coffee, but SIM
ultaneously that glad, sweet vision of home
trembled before my aching eyes. | saw the
dear old front basement, with its glowing
fire in the CRATE, the great oleander bush in
the corner all in bloom, and the canaries
singing away in the sunshine the long ta-
BILE gllttering with snowy damask and we'll
Furnished britannia ware, and the quaint,
old-fashioned china, plate after plate heaped
up with delicacies too delicious to dwell
upon. AT the head of the table dear papa,
who bore so nobly the grand old name of
gentleman, and opposite him, in her after
noon black silk and lovely India muslin cap,
her slim, delicate hands busy with that deli
cious golden coffee, my dearest, best man.
ma and all around the table scrambled the
boys, while like skeleton at the feast
there sat Kitty Malcolm's chair-and she,
poor child sitting out in the damp, cold,
snaky prairie!
The dear desperate little woman, no won-
der she wasn't much afraid of pistol
We got to the city at last-it don't matter
what city. | won't injure it or its inhabi-
tants by this sad retrospect. Unless they
are greatly changed, they are quite wretched
enough already. We got to what they clll-
ed city. A few sheds thrown loosely to-
gether, so that when the inmates get used
to them, and have few nails ready to hang
clothes on, and screen by way of parti-
ton, the faintest perceptible signs of hu-
man habitation beginning to dawn upon
these boards, they can Immediately be bat
tered to pieces and put into the wagons
again. and carted +" out West"
Never could these unhappy creatures,
cursed with the spirit of enterprise" find
rest for the sole of their foot. There was
always some Ell Dorado farther on, beckon-
ing them with CHASTITY pertinacity to an illu-
sive paradise that went by the name of
West" always thought the whole thing
was fearful embodiment of the Wandering
Jew. We became part and parcel of this
unhappy community. 1t would take many
quires of paper and talented scribes to de.
pict the trials that filled every hour in the
day, the petty torments that edged into the
marrow Of ones bones, taking the life and
substance out of them.
When think of that wretched thing they
called street." with its struggling rows
of dlapldated sheds on either side, great
patches of country stretching between
swept by fierce hurricanes, scathed by lev
frosts, scared by burning heat, devoured by
an implacable mud, haunted through the des-
olate night by grim gaunt Indian phantoms
riding wildly and weirdly one after the 9TH
er, always with terrible precision keeping
that grim order in the procession, causing
the blood, that had barely been saved from
congealing by cold, to curdle in ones veins
from fright, and numbering the few snatches
of sleep vouchsafed from other horrors
when think upon all these, l can only
look upon the ridiculous tales | hear about
that region now as absnrd and falacious fam
cies of diseased brains.
After had been there three years look
ed for the first time into looking glass lit
was just before my little blessed darling
came into the world, and Charley did his
best, poor fellow. to have things at least
decent about me), and l was positively
frightened. | started back in terror-pork,
saleratus, black coffee, jerked beef the cut
ting winds OF the prairie, the burning sun of
the American desert, homesickness, terror
of the savages, fever and ague, and a few
other little things, had done their work.
Kitty Malcolm was an unrecognizable wreck,
a mummy with parchment skin and great
glaring hollow eyes. gulped down sob or
two, and turned the glass to the wall.
Two weeks afterward 1 was a mother !;
two months later and 1 was Kitty Malcolm
again, only twenty times better woman
than the old Kitty.
Baby was the necromancer that shed light
and joy into every Granny of the old rafters,
that softened mamma's eyes and smoothed
away that ugly greedy wrinkle over the nose
of dear papa-my beautiful bright little
Malcolm, for of course gave him my fami-
ly name thanked the good and gracious
God for him, devoured him with hungry
love, l worked myself almost blind by the
light of a tallow-candle to fashion his dear
little long clothes, got back my voice sing
ing to him, and lost all fear of everything.
He was my knight, my hero, my souls dar
ling One day sat toasting his dear pink
little feet by the fire, for the air was icy
cold outside, and the wind blew hurricane,
when suddenly heard light footstep the
slTlup was puicu SCheiy, ehO ioeSu "OHt uP,
and there entered the most pitiable-looking
bundle of woe it was possible to conceive.
At first l thought it was very dirty blank
ct endowed with life, but presently saw a
long struggling mass of coarse black hair,
and fiat foot purple with cold, poorly pro-
tected by ragged moccasin. When the
dirty blanket was thrown partly aside, |
found it was a poor young Indian squaw,
with queer wee sick Indian baby
Chickamiuny, papoosey, shake" she
said, pointing to her child; and at that
swarthy, queer little body.
put Malcolm on the bed near by, keep
ing wary eye on the handsome little Apol-
10, and snatching the water from the fire
1 put it in a tub; then taking the little In
dian, l soused him head and ears and all.
The water became black instantly. for never
was a poor little creature so burdened with
dirt.
He gasped, and opened his eyes wildly. l
put salt in bis mouth, all the while finding
it impossible to believe was doctoring a
baby with soul and body like my own beau
tiful little prince yonder.
Presently the poor little red-skin grew
better, his long black eyes resumed their
wary glitter, and he crouched down in the
pouch of his mothers blanket, watching
NE with a relentless persistency that SEEM
ed to say. If ever get to be warrior,
and able to stand paint and feathers, Ill
adorn my belt with some of the foolish little
locks around that white wOman's scalp! Ill
teach her to souse me with water, and rob
me of my native dirt, nip in the bud my
convulsion, and take all the liberties with
the son of my father!"
But ! think the iron really entered into
his sOnl whan 7 found ~ nonosSary IN rive