The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1876-07-28

DOln LOT Il uay or TWO, Dut they
did not seem to notice it; they en-,
joyed everything, and each 9th.
er's society more than all the rest
= "Mr. Wallace had providential,
! ly been benefited in his rheuma.
tism by the climate, and was ena.
bled TO walk erect, and also guide
his pur-blind sister and keep the
run of her eye glasses.
"Otherwise the neglected pair
would have come to grief, for a
remarkable obliviousness seemed
TO be growing on the once obser-
want George Allen, and Minnie's
reveries were really alarming.
when the words are spoken,
they will awake to the realities of
their position,' argued Mrs. Ash
ton, and it is only a Christian duty
to hurry them, if one knew how
to go about it,
"They had disappointed us both
at the Geysers, and serious pro-
vokcd us by evading an opportu-
nifty when they were left behind
on purpose at the old Mission
Church.
II firmly believed the Big Trees
would prove effective, and Mrs.
Ashton joined me in a plan for
their being lost in the hollow bark
for a few minutes. But they
emerged into daylight with speci-
mems of its wondrous thickness,
and commented on that while we
were fuming over their delayed
declaration. Lake Tahoe was
alike unsuccessful, and we were
becoming dispirited and disgusted
at such procrastination.
"A long stage ride, over an ex-
ecrable road, threw them into
each others arms half dozen
times, without any apparent re-
suit beyond blushing laughter on
her side, and extreme readiness
to meet the emergency on his.
"We were to stop a week at
Virginia City, and had reached
Nevada, on our homeward route,
after two months wandering
sixty days, each freighted with
almost as many neglected Oppor-
tunities.
"'They mean to reserve it for a
parlor scene at home, SUPPOSE
said Mrs. Ashton, angrily. what
stupids they are, to-be-sure |
give them up teetotally, and
wash my hands of all responsible
ity, from this moment
"We were at the International
Hotel, at Virginia, when she came
to this severe conclusion, and |
begged her to give them one
chance, in the ride they were
about to take to the mouth Of the
Sutro Tunnel.
"'No, nor said the experienc-
ed young wife. Il have lost all
interest in such dawdlers, such
despisers of grand openings, and
| am perfectly confident that |
George Allen will ask her to mar
ry him, after tea the evening of
their arrival at their home, in the !
parlor, seated tamely side by side |
on tete-a-tate sofa
"That evening, Captain Taylor,
superintendent of the "Yellow |
Jacket" to whom Mr.. Wallace had |
presented a letter of introduc-
ton, called at the hotel and po-
litely invited our party to de-
scend into his wondrous mine--a
permission we gladly availed
ourselves of-and began to talk
about Aladdin's uncle and the
cave of diamonds forthwith.
"At first we were all going down,
but a visit to the 'Hoisting Works
"a long wooden building, cover
ing the mouth of the mine
changed the minds of Mrs. and
Miss Wallace, and made it mat
ter of some difficulty for Minnie
to gain their consent to accompa-
ny the rest of the party.
"Within these hosting Works,
an arrangement with an upper
and under platform slides up and
down, in the manner of an eleva-
tor, from the bottom of the mine
to the surface. 1t is called a cage;
and when one considers that it
descends to the depth of twelve
hundred feet, the iron clamps at
its sides-that are relied on to
spring forth and fasten themselves
securely in the side of the shaft,
in case the rope that supports it
should break-do not fill the
trembling soul with perfect reli-
ance on their power and prompt
itude. But we were all engaged
to go, and no one liked to be cow
ardly enough to back out.
"Mr. Wallace had a return of
rheumatic pains, and his sister
herself as having ire
trievably lost her glasses; but no
disease or accident favored US
so on the last evening of our stay
at Virginia, we prepared to de-
scend.
1--WE were advised that every
thing we wore would be ruined,
and so provided ourselves with
oil-skin suits and caps.
"My dear, / shudder to recall
the scene thus displayed.
"Mrs. Ashton and Minnie Wal
lace stepped out Of the superin-
room, converted Tor the
time into toilet use, and follow
ed.