, 1875-01-03
A CALIFORNIA STORY,
A Few Days Experience Of a California
Miner in tue Early Time.


Miner in the Early Time.
f9oa7 Me Viroinia City t3su.) Enterprise
1t Was away back in 1858, when our old part
| ner. Jep Smith. awakened one beautiful morning
IN the picturesque town OF Mokelumne Hill, il
old T7olumne County. California. II WAS
beautiful June morning; Caiifornia's a marchlesi
Sun vas shining in amber skies, the bitds wert
t"1ttering IRON the tree that shaded Jep's win
| COW. and the purfumea OF q garden Of rare TOW
eEs stole in through tho open window like in.
| canae.
Bnt Jep was not exceedingly happy Gu this sof
! morning. He was = stranger III Mokelumas
Hill. He had reached there OH tho eyurine
previous, coming in from Jackson or
| foot He VAS not in very good health.
| He had decont clothes aud . carpot-sac1
with an extra collar, bat he Was total stranger,
aud his e1che1ner showed exactly the gum Of s3.
| OF this amount ho knew tho bill tor supper,
| lodging. and breakfast would consume just one.
| half. These reflections passed through bis mind
| as he dressed himself. Mean~h,le he discover
ed himself to be whistling ''John Anderson, NY
Joe. " and be SAWS be learned by experience tbst
when man hwakens from thinking fit be gen.
orally finds himself whistling. He 6escended
with reasonable dignity the stairs to the bar
room, answered the hosts nod and good morn
ing. refused quietly prolfered cocktail, pasaesl
into the dining. room and ate his breakfast me-
chanically, for he WAS still thinking. breakfast
over, he paid his b,li, aud adding an extra quar-
tor to It, aaid: IA cigar, il you
one urged by the landlord And accepted By Jep.
The odor OF that cigar is still fra., ant in Jep's
q
though he wore Qliet face, his heart wns ex-
ceedingly hs.ry. Jep Lit his cigar and taking a
seat On tho bench outside the door, waited for
the Columbia stage to Etkrt.
Jep was gcing to Columbia himself. but he was
going on foot. aud somehow did not wish to hurt
the drivers feelings BY msking him drive by him
without asking him to ride. While waiting, And
watching, and thinking, ho was not aware that he
noticed anything, but later in the day he ramen-
bered that the near leader was y stylnh gray,
but pigeon-toed; his mate was r. brown
with Star in the forehead and quarter crack
in the of fore hoof. Tho wheelers were
baya; tho OIL emo had splint under the right
kuee, and the near ono Eapt working lis head
mp and down as though he had sore neck under
the collar. The near inside rein IN the leads1s
WIS twisted, and the binders on the oH-wheeler
were too tight over his eyes. Tho stage rolled
away, and after a little furlhor del.7 Jep picked
up his carpet-sack and took his way in the direc-
ton pointed out by tho red dir. which tha wheels
Of .ho coach thraw up in dust.
IT Was \ bot June morning. Tho sun MAS
volcano in heaven; tho earth beneath seemed
like vast pla,n OF lava ~ yet not half coolad.
It Was 1888 when hs started at 10 q maa by the
warsida told MIN it was miles 10 5lokelumoe
Hill. At oclock he sat down i mo-
ment to hold one foot, which was chaf-
ING with the heat, in stream witch
babbled across the road md here passer.t BY
informed hin, it Was Is tni!as to Moke!uinne,an
'''pont q to Columbia" Passing a grocery. he
- k.zf.,.
crackers. ard Whan thav vera weighed hs toos1
four Of them (ho slways remembered the NUM-
bet), and putting do.n the quarter. walked on.
In the morning he had hunlmed softly ltt3s
songs to himself as he wa1se Ell, but the songs hsd
long been hu5hc6, mud he noH trad,ed Eriinly on
ID silence. About p. IN. he stoppe;l at house
and asked for drink Of xator. There WAS q
solitary man in the open door and 3 solitary dog
OH . chain outside. Tie dog was NeH fo1ua-
lan.l, and thoneh he barKs1 fnrio1.lE and a,lrsea
1ie-eel7 upon his chair hls looks heilsd hi'n, fer
his ling flce spoks in every ]inaah.eat
that be Was dying for roEnp. SO Jep Nai6ed
up to him a.i,l skroksd his shaggy head sud
oppressed to him tue belia1 tua5 A:a aurn:etas
bad hnmor was all = bluff !; that be really woLl
not hurt kitten, and the dog put bis paws oil
aFolai.i.sd for the dog said he hoped he Tcn'd
TO 1ertE something so:re time, though ha feared
he Was too good hearted to ever be o! any ac
count. lie tsn.lorel tina wa:er, hut. taking =
second look A. Jep, asked him it Ia would NC!
prefer drink OF cool milk, aud, without waiting
for ar answer, turned and went to his milk
house hard by and brought pins Of sbe beT-
eraea, He was half Eardenar and half dairy
man. lnd lived all alone with his dog. They
were probably mach alike. Both tried to look
too good-hearted to mako any attempt :t beine
savage SUCCESS. Jep Swallowed the milk With
out taking hig llos :1om the cup, and thanking
tho man aud shaking the paw of tho dog again
trUdged on-
About O'Clock he stopped onca moro to in
quiro the way. The man OF whom hc ASKED told
him it wes II miles By the road to Columbia, bnt
by taking trail which was plain he could naTs
az miles. This was .. consideration, and in
answer to further inquiries he Waa told the tsail
led over hill in sight. then over a1otner beyond.
and there at the foot ct the second bill bo would
s1rixe tile main road again where it crossed the
Stanisiaus. He took the trail, but has never
taken ona sincs where a road could te followed
The first bill WAS an Alps to hia tired lmba-taa
second Hlma1aya. Ho says to tnis day ths
the laat things bo will remember. ON earth, 80
horribly hot and dreary did they seem to bin.
Bus the nyer was reached at last, and for =
quarter the ferryman iarded him on the further
bank. By this tins he was tired. indeed, aod
sharp pains began to pierce his limbs like
needles. Up that endless hill from the river le
climbed, aud 80 weary had he grown that he Was
obliged to stop and rest every fifty or sixty yaris
Near the summit he came TO little cottSge, half
hid in cluulp OF trees beside the road Seeing
approached her to aak for cup Of water. Ho
was lame, begr,ned with sweat and dust, and
haegard with fatigue. The wonan YVES young !
and pretty, and was probably some miners pet |
Just imported from tue East. for eha Tas owl |
IDENTIFY frightened at tho strangers approaef1.-.
which Cailfo1nis girl would not have baoa,-
ind little nameless tricks about her dEcss made
Jep believe she had made herself as pretty -