The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1875-02-12
POETRY.
WIN. BROWN, OF OREGON.

They called him Bill. the hired man,
And she they called her Mary Jane,
And lovers often drew rein ...
To chat and sigh as lovers can
Across the gate In snatch and catch:
And women winked across their tea,
And said, and truly so thought he.
That she would make splendid match,
This hired man had loved her long,
Had loved her best and first and last;
Her very garments as she passed
For him had symphony and eong,
So when one day, with brow afrown,
She called him Bill, he raised his head,
He caught her eye, then faltering said,
IL loYe you, and my name is Brown"
She fairly waltzed with rage; she wept;
You would have thought the house adre;
She told her sire, the portly squire,
Then smelt her smelling salts and slept.
Poor William did what could be done,-
He swung pistol on each hip,
And drove toward the setting sun.
He crossed the great backbone of earth,
He saw the snowy mountains rolled
Like mighty pillows, saw the gold
OF awful sunsets, saw the birth
Of sudden dawn upon the plain
And every eve would William Brown
Eat pork and beans and then lie down
And dream sweet dreams of Mary Jane.
The teter-board of life goes up,
The teter-board of life goes down,
The sweetest face must learn to frown;
The biggest dog has been pup.
Her lovers passed. Wolves hunt in packs.
They sought for bigger game; somehow
They seemed to see about her brow
The forky sign of turkey tracks.
o, maidens, pluck not ut the air!
The sweetest flowers have found
Grow rather close unto the ground,
And highest places are most bare.
Why, you had better win the grace
OF one poor cussed African
Than win the eyes of every man
In love alone with his own face.
At last she nursed a new desire;
She sighed she wept for William Brown,
She watched the splendid sun go down
Like some great sailing ship a-tire;
Then rose and checked her trunks right on,
And in the cars she lunched and lunched,
And had her ticket punched and punched,
Until she came to Oregon,
She wore blue specs upon her nose,
She reached the limits of the lines,
And then set out to reach the mines,
In rather short and manly clothes.
Her right hand held parasol.
Her pocket held q Testament,
And thus equipped right on she went,
Went waterproof and waterfall
She asked miner gazing down,
Slow stirring something with spoon,
To tell her true and tell her soon
What had become of William Brown.
He looked askance beneath her specs,
Then stirred his cocktail round and round,
Then raised his head and sighed profound,
And eaid "he's handed In his checks"
Then care fed on her damaged cheek,
And che grew faint, did Mary Jane.
And smet her smelling salts in vain,
And wandered on wayworn and weak,
Until at last she sat her down
Upon sloping hill alone;
And there, good gracious! stood stone.
And 10 that stone read William Brown.
80, William Brown! 0. William Brown!
And here you rest at last" she said,
with this lone stone above your head,
And forty miles from any town.
1 will plant cypress trees, will,
And will build fence around,
And will ferilize the ground
With tears enou gh to turn mill
She went and got hired man;
She brought him forty miles from town;
Then in the tall grass she sat down,
| And bade him build as she should plan.
But Digger herders with their bands,
| They saw and hurrieily they ran
| And told bearded cattle-man
| That some one builded on his lands.
| He took rifle from the rack;
| He girt him in his battle pelt,
| He thrust two pistols in his belt,
| Then mounted ON his chargers back
And plunged ahead. But when they Showed
A woman there, about his eyes
/ He pulled his hat; and he likewise
Pulled at his beard, and chewed and chewed.
At last he got him down and spake:
80. lady dear, what do You here
~ build tomb unto my dear,
| plant some flowers for his sake"
| The bearded man threw his two hands
Above his head then brought them down,
And cried. :" Oh, am Wi liam Brown,
| And this the corner Of my lands
Her specs fell off, her head fell back, .~
Some like lifted tea pot lid;
| She screamed--ths ancient maiden did
Then, fainting. split herself, alack!
Right in the beard of William Brown.
| Then all the Diggers were amazed
They thought the lonely maiden crazed,
And, circliDg there, they squatted down.
X X
The preacher rode spotted mare.
lie gall0ped forty miles or more.
lie swore he never had before
Seen bride or bridegroom half 30 fair.
And all the miners they came down
And feasted as the night advanced :;
And all the Diggers drank and danced,
And cried, big Inun, William Brown"
| JOAQUIN MI