Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-01-23

at the strange apparition Of civilized
| looking white woman. The husband
stood behind the simultaneously feet and
| a half in his cowhide boots, and with a
good humored smile on his leathery face.
| The house, like that at Burkes Station,
was adobe; but there was an air of home
ly comfort about it, inside and out, cheer
| full and inviting.
| Aunt Polly was an excellent house
| keeper-as viewed from Texan stand
| point-and, after she had in the most
ndsce manner satisfied her curiosity in
regard to my looks and general makeup,
she commenced preparations for dinner.
| Sarah Eliza Jane-sole daughter of the
house and race-sitting in low, home
made chair, stared steadily, till she had
cOmprehended that the bits of braid and
lace in my lap were to be manufactured
| into collar, similar to the one | wore.
When she learned that the collar was to
be for her, she ran out, shouting her
pleasure, to her mother. The mothers
| delight was as frank and hearty as the
daughters; and all at once the secret
leaked out that the family was in posses
sion of fine American COW. Never
speak disparaging ely to me of Pixies and
Texans. 1t has been my experience that
the least kindness shown them is returned
tenfold, and the smallest advance of
| friendliness is met by them half way
| When dinner was placed On the table,
| there came with it the most delicious but.
ter had eaten for many days, and cup
of the sweetest buttermilk! Aunt Pollys
method for making butter was very sim
| pie. The cream was poured into a high,
| tin quart cup, and beaten with spoon
till the butter came-which it did in about
| fifteen minutes.
| Becoming quite intimate, Aunt Polly
resumed her pipe, and gave me short
account of her history since emigrating
| from Texas. The most striking Incl
| dents were the loss of her former hus-
! band by stroke of lightning about ten
| months before, and the acquisition of her
present husband by a stroke of policy
about three months before. Though she
did not show me the weeds she had worn
on becoming a widow, she exhibited the
gorgeous good clothes" she wore on
again becoming wife. She stood little
| distance from me and spread out the
second days dress admiringly, so that l
could see the whole Of the pattern con-
sisting of detached bouquets brilliantly
variegated in color, and gigantic in size,
scattered ever plain of light sky-blue
Her husband had proved kind and indul-
gent; since their marriage he had been at
Maritopa Wells, and brought home an
other dress of many colors-which, alas!
had run out of his saddle bags, after a
two hours hard run, on his way home l
saw the dress pattern, and-"Oh, it was
pitiful!'
After this display of good will and fine
clothes, she had a favor to ask of me.
Pointing to my trunk, she said her hus-
band was crazy to know whether there
was waterfall in it? He had read so
much about waterfalls in the stray papers
that fell into his hands, that he had the
greatest curiosity in the world to know
what they were, and to see one with his
own eyes. Aunt Polly had sh-ewdly
guessed it to be new fashioned putting
up" hair; but they both had as correct
an idea Of it as blind man has of col
ors. With deep regret owned that there
was no waterfall in the trunk; but, see
ing their disappointment, | succeeded,
With the aid Of a pair of stockings and a
pin-cushion, in putting up my hair into
quite little Niagara, to the great delight
Of these fashion Worshiping people.
How charming and refreshing the
groves of trees look, when you draw up
under their shadow at ella Bend, after
days of toilsome travel over wearisome,
arid sand plains, or through an almost in
terminable wilderness of crossword and
cactus. The whisper of the wind in the
trees, the bark of the dog that ran to meet
us, and the cack1e of the busy hens
around the doorway, told us that we
should find good and happy people here.
There was solitary house, as usual, but
it seemed more pretentious than those at
the other stations. The passageway was
h ,l1,. 4 41a,
Gus and finished with whitewash and
good glass windows At the windows,
curtains; a gray -colored counterpart on
the bed, and wolf skins in front of it and
the lounge.
The station-keeper was tall, black
bearded, good looking man, by name
George Washington -. knew that I
should find Sis's eldest sister here, as
Mrs. George ". -, for she was married
on the same day with her Aunt Polly.
The blue eyes under long, silken lashes
that met my gaze on the Threshold at
ella Bend, were like Sis's-only these
were the eyes of a woman; there were the
same graceful movements, with more of
self assertion. She might have been
eighteen. Her hands and feet were
small, and her rich, brown hair, oddly
though not unbecomingly dressed, lay
on forehead white and pure as that of
child
No wonder George was proud of his
wife and tried hard to win as such the
barefooted girl whom he found one day,
with her family and some sorry ox-teams,
camped near his house, on their way
from Texas to California. The emf
grants were the girls mother, her step
father, her sister, brother, aunt, and the
| aunt's little girl. Aunt Polly seemed to
be the leading man, for to her belonged
the two best OK teams, one of which was
driven by herself, the other by the girl,
Dorinda. She hired or bought her niece
from the stepfather for this purpose after
she lost her husband by lightning; and
Dora had been faithful to her task, al
though nearly worn out crossing the
Desert from Maricopa Wells to ella
Bend After George had taken a deep
| look into the girls eyes, he, very disin-
terestedly, not only invited the whole
| family to come into lis house-as far as
they could go into rest from the long,
hard journey, but the Inequalities ex-
tended to the best the place afforded, for
both man and beast.
The Texans, content, were in no hurry
to move on, and George was apparently
in no hurry to have them go. Dora,
Sis, and the ten-year old brother soon be-
came warmly attached to him; and they,
with the big dog, Bose, daily wandered
off to the ella to catch fish; wading into
the stream, with ever fresh Zest, as they