The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-02-06

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thinking at that moment of friends al
home in an Eastern. State, and hoA
much she should rejoice to see them
and how much she dreaded the long
, perilous march which laid between them
= and this out-of-the-way post. But di.
rectly her Thoughts reverted to the topic
in hand.
''The doctor says the young man who
was buried this morning was a remark.
ably flne-looklng, bright young fellow
Southern by his speech. He was going
TO California, where be had friends.
When asked if he wanted letters writ
ten, he said, NO, it was no use to set
them fretting-he was one Miles the
less, that was ALL That is so like q
high-spirited boy; be never reflected on
the uncertainty worse than death that
consumes the hearts of those waiting
for news at home.n
f'How many of all the men scattered
through the mountains and deserts ever
write home ?' returned Mrs. kellogg.
Gwen husbands and fathers cease to be
held by domestic ties when they have
once tasted the sweetness of freedom
from all restraints. / believe Darwin is
right, and that man sprang from some
ranger of the woods and fields. You
don't think I'd trust the Colonel out
here In the Territories without me ?"
~ don't know about that" returned
Mrs. Stewart, smiling. 'It never oc-
CURED to me not to trust the Doctor;
but 1 know / always stick to him,
wherever he goes. 1 suppose absence
and ABSORPTION in other ideas does
weaken the home affections. For my
part, don't believe in families sepa-
rating, even for a short time, if it tcau be
avoided"
"Ob, as to that, think'an occasional
change refreshing. One likes the ex-
citement of farewells and meeting; and
the letters are so much more devoted
than the man." laughed the Coloners
lady, with a bitter merriment. "Did
yor ever observe how different the let
ters are apt to be from the writers? 1
have known more than n few cases, es-
pecially in the army, where so much of
the courting has to be done by mail, in
which girls were insanely in love with
young officers who had a talent for
composition; but who had not another
quality to recommend them, and about
whom they knew absolutely nothing.
Itwas an infatuation with them-cacoe-
thes scriJendi by proxy"
"Well," confessed the Doctors wife,
81 used to think a person must resem-
bic his or her writings, but 1 find that
it is not true always. Very few letters
ever passed between the Doctor and me,
and those few were very brief and to the
point. l don't think either of us have
Il talent for belle lettres."
81 used to have several hundred OF
them," murmured Madame the Colonel,
with sigh which explained her little
thesis on love-letters. ''By the way,
did you never think there was some
thing odd about our Major?" Mrs.
Kellogg did dot describe the kind of pc
culiarites noticeable in that officer. She
left it TO Mrs. Stewart to do so-a cum
ming way of making another responsible
for our own ideas.
"How, odd ?'' Mrs. Stewart asked, in
nocent of being too sharp to be caught
starting chain of gossip.
''Oh, silent, unsocial, sarcastic. Dear
me! was there ever as hot place as this
: Gila valley? Oh, for breath Of pure
White Mountain air." and Mrs. Kel-
logg settled herself anew in her ham,
mock, seeming to have forgotten all
about Major Floyd.
tT never wonder at such peculiarities
as those when the officer had been q
long time on the frontier, without a
family. Either they will take to drink,
or grow unsocial: 1 suppose it is the
tendency of their circumstances"
'The Major never speaks of himself OF
his friends I; he writes few letters he
seldom drinks; sleeps little for this
elimate;-and the Lord knows how he
does get rid Of his time. He certainly
does not bestow any Of it on us ladies" "
The yawn which Mrs. Kellogg made SO
ostentatious, hardly conceded to dissat-
isfaction couched in that last statement.
"Well,n laughed the Doctors wife
pleasantly: eve can endure that, IL he
can. But I did say to the Doctor the
other day, that feared the Major was
unhappy;-for 1 could not believe so
gentlemanly and agreeable an officer
kept to himself on account Of any shv.
, ness or disposition"
I "What did the Doctor say?p
g 80, he smiled quizically, and told m,
was always seeing a misery somewher,
that was anxious to alleviate and b,
t hoped wouldn't take to plying good
E looking army-offieers, whose wives O.
: sweet-hearts were two or three thous
I and miles away. 1t would be taking al
unfair advantage of the sweet-hearts.'
|. Mrs. Kellogg smiled archly, and lit
5 tie mysteriously. 1t was plain ther
f was nothing to be learned from Mrs
e Stewart, and she had nothing to i'm
( part. So the two ladies having ex
r hausted the only subject they coul,
: think of for that time, dozed for fifteel
Q minutes simply to rid themselves of tina
: quarter of an hour.
D Directly, however, the Colonel mad
: his appearance, and the conversation
started in afresh.