The weekly Shasta courier. [volume] (Shasta, Calif.) 1872-190?, 1873-06-21

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to mysterious whistles. Notes were Snug
gled into the institute through the agency
Of the butcher boy, encased in spare ribs
ates of the kitchen carried to the young
ladies' dormitolies. Biiiets dour passed the
barriers inside of cabbages. When the
principal discovered these tactics, she came
to reeardwith suspicion every potato brought
into the house. A long series of ladder
raising operations were at last detected
whereby the descent Of the pupils from the
dormitory windows of the gentee boarding
school Ihad been effected and numberles:
midnight drives on the Cliff House Road
enjoyed The ladders came from No.
Engine House. The motto of that comp any
was - Semper Paratus."
In all this Evalnda took leading part
She was well supplied with money, despite
the protestation of the principal to her par
ents The " old man" was easy, and decid-
ed that "Evy" should have good time
while she got her : edication." He knew
Evy" could take of herself and so she
could. She had actually seen more of the
raging. wicked, mountaineering world
than her teacher. She liked to steal night
ride with Jim Hartsman to the Cliff, be-
cause Jim was dashing, snowy, agreeable
fellow But she knew jim. Sine had known
scores like him. There were barriers he
could never pass. Beneath Evalinda's wild
ness there was solid stratum of good sense
and self-control.
So at one in the morning Evalinda said 4:
" Come, jim, tarn the horses heads home
1t s time to mount the ladder" Jim tried
to delay. Evainda made the case very
plain. See here, JIM" said she, don't be
fool ] know the ropes. You can't play
your tricks on me. You've picked up the
wrong girl. | like fun. / like gentleman S
company. like to get out of the old rat
tle-trap of school, and have drive on the
road like this That's the reason I came
with YOU. If wished. could hire team
and go by myself; but man is handy
thing to have in carriage. | expect we've
both enjoyed this as far as we've gone.
go no further. So, jim, be good boy, and
drive me home"
Jim's eyes were opened. So it was not
him, but the E" fun of the thing" that this
game boarding girl was in love with.
His brief chagrin was succeeded by deep
er fascination. Evalinda ever after was mis-
tress of the situation. She was prepared
for emergencies. In her side-pocket was an
elegant little weapon, ivory handled, gold
mounted, steel barreled. Besides, Tom
P was known all over the state as a
man who loved to take desperate chances
Tom P was Evalinda's eldest brother
There were weighty reasons that Evalinda
should be taken safely home.
A change came. Evalinda's father could
neither use nor keep money. The flush
times and fortunate location had made him
rich. For few years the family lived in a
sort of barbaric extravaganza. There was a
Brussels carpet in the parlor and a mud
floor in the kitchen. The "old man" lent
to everybody, endorsed everybody's note,
and kept everybody who came on the
{" ranch" so long as they chose to stay. So
one morning he found himself poor again,
and forced to take up his line of march for
other fields. He could no longer travel
westward; so he went south. and establish
ed 'road house" or roadside tavern in the
mines.
So Evalinda must leave the city and the
young ladies' institute. 1t had been a glor-
Gus six months for her. From books she
had learned little; from observation and adj
venture much. Her notes were we'll written
and worried She was above trashy litera-
ture and appreciated the standard authors.
Mrs. T., the principal, knew that she had
been ringleader of mischief among her
wild bevy Of pupils; yet for certain blunt
candor she liked her. Besides, she felt in
tuitively that this wild girl was her superior
in worldly knowledge. Just before leaving,
Evalinda revealed all her midnight escap-
was terrified. A few months aiterward she
closed the institute. She dared no longer
take the responsibility of finishing off this
style of California young ladies.
You've teen very kind to me, Mrs. T., I"
said Evalinda, on parting; land I've not
done as 1 ought to. But can tell you this
you've made mistake. You can't max e
nice young Iauies out of US, as they do in
Boston. You can't bring out of US what
isn't in u.s. We're hawks, and you re trying
to turn US into doves. Yon think it's an
awful thing when tell you what I've done
and where I've BEEN Why. that's only of
piece with my whole life. I've been brought
up amongst bears and wolves and Indians
and bad men and bad women. too. I've
lived Tor months close to fandango house.
where music, dancing, and drinking was 60
ing on all night. I've seen men shoot and
stab each other close by our door, One of
my brothers is a gambler. Two years ago
he shot man dead. 1t was about Span
ish girl Another one rides at horse races.
Now, Mrs. T.. when girl sees such things
going on around her all her life. she gets
somehow used to it; she gets hardened to
it. Why, were mixed up at home with all
sorts'o people, that you wouldn't have in
your house, if you knew them. But my old
father and mother always told me what was
right. They talked very plain to me. Mrs.
L. They told me all about bad men and
their ways. They taught me about the very
last things you teach your young ladies', if
you do at all.
And. besides" said Evalinda, warming
up, may as well speak all my mind while
| am about it. | don't think that this learn
ing one gets at boardng-school is all a girl
needs to know in this part of the world.
You teach us history and philosophy and
geography, music, French and drawing.
which is all very well. and wish / knew
more OF them; but when your young lady
is finished she goes home. She must not
go here nor there, nor talk with this one
nor that one. And Why? Because it is
improper And she can never go anywhere
without protector; aud, if she should
happen to meet with some gay fellow. she is
ready to believe all the nonsense he tells
her: she's no more lit to- go in the world than
chicken just oui of its shell. And by and
by she marries some man and looks up TO
him, because she thinks he has been nice
and proper all his lie. and-pshaw know
EN-. l can't deny but that like lively