Weekly Trinity journal., 1875-02-27
THE POWER OF SUPERSTITION.
a California Sketch.

was fond of the science of physiogno-
my. From my youth up, l was noted
for my proclivity for reading the charac-
ter of man from his face and l finally
became such an adept in the art that |
could guess the very thoughts of the indi-
vidual whose countenance l was study
! ing.
Soon after the gold fever broke out
came to California ; and here | must
confess, among what else there was to in
terest me, had grand opportunity of
exercising my skill upon all sorts of fa-
ces, seen under all sorts of circumstan-
ces, from the highest triumph Of success
to the deepest despair of failure. l first
tried my luck at digging gold myself,
soon tired of that, and believing / could
get money faster and with less labor, l
opened kind of grocery and provision
store, and went regularly into the busi-
ness of trade, buying most of my articles
at Sacramento, getting them hauled to
my quarters, and disposing Of them at a
fair advance TO miners and others.
My store, as l dignifed my place Of
trade, consisted of rude skeleton
poles, with suflicency Of cheap muslin
drawn over them and pinned down to the
earth, and was stocked only with the
most saleabe articles, of which pork,
flour and whisky found tho most ready
market, especially whisky. In the dry
season it was very dusty, and everybody
seemed to suffer with a thirst that mere
water would not quench. If n man was
successful he wanted whisky to bring his
body up to the altitude of his spirits ; il
unsuccessful, he wanted whisky to bring
his spirits up to the altitude Of his body ;
if it chanced to be a little cool he wanted
whisky to warm him if it was very hot,
he wanted whisky to cool him he want
ed whisky in the morning to make him
bright and active ; he needed whisky at
night to make him sleep well he wanted
it when he bought and when he sold
when he won, and when he lost when
he stood up, and when he sat down in
short, whisky was the great regulator OF
all human teelings-the eiiri1' Uitde--
and consequently did an immense bust
ness in whisky.
Now this, though somewhat irrelevant,
brings me to my story.
My store being the headquarters of
that locality for whisky and provisions,
| was brought in contact with nearly ev-
cry specimen Of the genus homo that
vetnured in that region ; and such another
conglomeration of white, black and red
such another mixture Of gentlemen, la
borcrs, mountaineers, gamblers, thieves
and assassins--it would be hard to find
outside the limits Of California. OF
course | had a chance to study all sorts
Of faces to my hearts content but hav-
ing, as have said, became an adept in
the art, an ordinary countenance, or n
man governed by ordinary passions,
whether gentle or british, did not inter
est me. | wanted to get hold Of what is
termed a character, or one whose external
would give no indication of his internal
to any but a connoissour, Or one that
would really puzzle you to tell what tc
think Of him.
Among the many such, / Mt lcngtl
found. AT first l did not notice him -
did not think of him. At casual glance
there was nothing to distinguish hi n
from the herd, lie came in quietly, un.
obtrusiyely purchased a quantity of 1ou
pork and tea, paid for the same in gold
dust, and went about his business. II,
repeated his visit at different intervals.
perhaps some half a dozen times, before
he attracted my attention to anything pc.
culiar in his appearance, and then !
should have been at a loss to say what |
saw more in him at last than at first.
He was apparently about twenty-five
years Of age, of medium height and slen.
der figure, of dark complexion, regular
features, with dark, straight hair, dark
eyes, and beard that covered the lower
| part Of his face--in all of which there was
| nothing notwithstanding striking
He was quiet, not talkative had nothing
to say except about the business he came
on, got what he wanted when | was dis
engaged, paid for what he got like a gem
tleman, and generally retired with an or
dinary Good day." or some similar ci-
Witty. And yet, as l have said, he began
to attract my attention at last, and | be-
gan to wonder why. Was it because he
was SO quiet, reserved and gentlemanly,
and did not purchase whisky like the
rest and occasionally get excited and
boisterous ? At all events he had begun
to interest me in some way, and the very
fact, perhaps, that / could not tell how or
why, led me into closer scrutiny, a
deeper study of the man.
After this / prolonged his visits as
much as | could without causing him to
suspect did so intentionally. The things
he wanted generally had some trouble
in getting, and filed up the interval by
remarks about the weather, the country,
the mines, the success of some and the
failure OF others-in a word, anything |
could think Of to induce conversation,
watching him furtively all the while
He answered easily and readily, and yet
with that peculiar reserve that was not
suggestive Of tending towards familiarity.
His replies, however, evinced a man Of
mind and cultivation, and | began to
give him credit for being thnker-per-
haps practical and selfish dreamer, if 1
may use paradoxical term that best ex-
presses my idea.
One day, / scarcely know how, I