Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-07-21
A SIERRA WEDDING.
BY JOAQUIN MILLER.

Eh.
1t was late IN the fall, and it certainly
must have been cold, frosty morning,
for Sanday's teeth chartered together
as if he had an ague, when he told the
Judge. In fact, he stood around the
Howling Wilderness more than half a
day; but he could not, or at least would
not drink, though he did many foolish
things, and seemed i'll at ease and
troubled in a way that was new to
him. .1eofa @3ah*s s3 9"E
At last he got the Judge cornered.
Fl e took him by the collar with both
hands, he backed him up in corner,
and as he did so his teeth chartered and
ground together as if he stood half
naked on the everlasting SHOWS that sur
rounded them. He pushed his face
down into the red apple-like face of the
magistrate, and began as if he was
about to reveal the most terrible crime
in the annals of the world. All the
time he was holding on to the Judge
with both hands, as if he feared he
might not listen to his proposal, but
tear away AID attempt to escape.
Good, good - 80 gg1 EzFeA<s
The Judge drew a long breath. He
swelled out almost instantly to nearly
twice his usual Importance. You could
have seen him grow. It was now the
judges turn to lay hold of Sandy. Nor
now, as the great, strong man mad &C.
complished his fearful task, told lis
secret, and done all that was necessary
to do, he wanted to get away, to go
home, to go anywhere and collect his
thoughts and to rest. The judge held
him there, told him, the great advan-
tages that Would come Of it, the high re-
sponsibility that he was about to put
his shoulders TO, and talked to- HIM, I'M
fact, till he grew white and stiff as a
signpost.a Yet all that Sandy could re-
member, for almost all he said,, owas
something about Sc the glorious climate,
of Californy. % :.
Never rode king into his capital with
such majesty as did the judge that
bay enter the FORKS He was swelling,
bursting with the importance of his
secret. But now he had Sandy's per-
mission to tell the boys, and he went
straight to the Howling wilderness for
that purpose. His face glowed like fire
as he stood there rubbing his hands
above the great, mounting blaze, and
bowling right and left in a patronizing
sort of a way to the miners who had
sauntered. into a saloon.
At last the little faced man turned
his uack to the fire, stuck his two hands
H. fol o1, 4,
lifting up and down and tanning care
lessly, as if in deep thought; stood al
most on tiptoe, stuck out his round lit
tie belly, and seemed about to burst
with his secret.
'sOh, this wonderful clinatei' He
pufed little as he said this, and
famed his coat tails little bit higher,
perked out his belly a little further, and
stood there as If he expected some enc
to speak. But, as the miners seemed
to think they had heard something like
this before, or at least that the remark
was not wholly new, none of them felt
called upon 70 respond.
ssWelP'-the little man tilted upon
his toes as he said this, and took in a
long breath. hit comes off about the
first snowfall"
He had said these words one at a
time, and by inches, as it were slowly,
deliberately, as if he knew perfectly
well that he had something to say,
and that men were bound to listen.
This time they all looked up, and a
half them spoke. And oh! didn't he
torture them Not that he pretended
to keep his secret of half day-not at
all On the contrary, he kept talking
on, and tiptoeing, and tanning his coat
tails, and pushing out his belly, and
putting out his cheeks, just as careless
ly and indifferent as If all the world
knew just what he was going to say.
and was perfectly familiar with the
subject. Eyes gentlemen" pulled the
little man, ION or about the first snow
fall, the widow, as widow, ceases tc
exist. That lovely flower, my friends,
is to be transplanted from it's present
bed to-to-into-the -wonderful eli.
mate of Californy p ee
The Howling Wilderness was as silent
S the catacombs of Rome for nearly 9
minute. The first thing that was heard
was something like a red-hot cannon
shot. The cinnamon headed man be-
hind the bar lodged down behind his
barricade of AsN1ds bags, till only his
bristling red hair.and a six-sheoter were
visible. The decanters tilted together
as If there had been an earthquake.
1t was only Missourian swearing.
,a3feN @stza - 81