The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-12-29

a straw for her, She wouldn't give fig
for her integrity. She's acted the fool
about him when he didn't care the
scratch of a pin for her feelings! It
was Sue Randolph he was in love with,
and she thought it was herself, the silly
goose"
81 guess you may help her out of the
wagon, John! If you and she desire
this cat and dog life, with starvation as
an added inducemeut, 1 know no human
law to restrain you. But I will not live
in a wrahgle, and we will not go step
further together till this thing is set
tied"
1t was well for Edna that the bracing
mountain air of Utah and Idaho sur
rounded her, supplying the fever in her
veins with oxygen to keep her blood
from consuming, else she would not
have lived te continue her journey and
fight her battle of existence longer.
She closed her eyes in an agony of hu-
initiation and shame. Yes, it was true,
too true; she had given her love, un-
sought and undesired, to Hal La Selle.
She did not stop to consider how much
her own volition had or had not to do
with the matter; she only felt the bit
ter, mortifying truth. Aud as she lay
in helpless agony upon the way-worn,
travel-soiled bed, and clasped her new
born infant to her breast, her bitter self
condemnation, whether it were wise or
unwise, might well have made an angel
weep.
John looked at the helpless young
mother, as her tears watered the pillow,
and a spasm of tenderness Overcame his
sordid, narrow soul.
"Aunt Judy, what say you? Suppose
we bury the hatchet! Suppose we own
up that we've all been too hasty and
acted like idiots"
81 couldn't say it so far as Edna and
I are concerned" was the calm reply.
"Then say it, so far as I'm concerned,
and let it go! l don't see what we are
to gain by continuing this quarrel"
"Then," said Aunt Judy, "will you
let bygones be bygones? Will you for
get your imaginary grievances and
prize your wife all the more highly be-
cause you find that she is ready, even in
the hour of her greatest weakness, to
choose selfabnegation rather than pos
sible dishonor?"
Il didn't think of that before, Aunt
Judy. She is a jewel, and no mistake.
Shall we stop quarreling and proceed to
Idaho ?"
"That seems to be the plan"
"Then take your seat in the wagon,
auntie. We've uphill work before Us
for many days and nights yet"
And uphill work indeed they had
The country was new and the roads al,
most wholly unmade. The trails OF
Indians, though very good for CayusC
ponies, formed often a precarious foot
ing for the oxen and a doubly danger.
Gus bed for the wagon wheels. The
]
rapid; the plains were sandy, and to al
appearances, sterile; and the wild anC
strange mOnO.ony of their journey wa
varied only by long trains of pacl
mules loaded with supplies for noun
tain miners.
Great phautom-lke frame work
spread their skeleton arms high in tn
air, bearing aloft mighty streams of wa
ter for hydraulic mines, carrying tn
precious fluid across ravines and gulche
and down into the Businesses of th
gloomy forests, where beds of golde
sands lay hidden. The great desert-lik
valley stretching afar and anear in a.
directions with its ash-colOred verdur
of sage brush, through which wild rat
bits rOamed; the tortuOus Snake an
= winding Boise Rivers, running like siI
yer ribbon through the distant plair
l the mountains, abounding in verdar
grasses and gorgeous with floral beauty
the solitary stage making its daily jOul
r ney through the arid plain, were a
e great helps to Edna as she lay in til
' wagon fighting her own battle, and r.
solving, with what heroism none VIII
d has not been the tried can know, th;
:. she would conquer her destiny and liz
e according to her highest convictions
t right, regardless of her own happines
r; The days and weeks wore on, and IL
# long journey was near its close.
r A recent mining excitement ha
broken out among the men who we
= digging for gold in myriads in anoth
n part of the Territory, aud the crowd WI
y now assembled at Idaho Flat.
If Let no one who reads these pag
ever act so insanely as to attempt
!, find the geographical locality which '
!" have thus designated. Should he a
], tempt it, he will surely fail, for Il
Of name is given thus on purpose to mi
lead him. The place was not a fiat
ID all, but the exact reverse. It is 7
ID nance of real life that we are chror
ID cling, however, and we expect you
y, studiously avoid being too inquisitive
critical about localities, identities,
~ even facts. Not that we would misle
)e you about these last. Indeed, the on
,e object aside from pecuniary reason
IN that would inlupe us Tins tO write