The Republican journal., 1877-06-28
From the ArgoSy.
Elam's Adventure.

Ill luc DtSn ana OInef Outl;lnQlSn places,
and was sitting with me and my wife
And, though absent so long, he was, 50
to say, Il young man yet.
"Adventures? Well, have had plenty.
Rough ones, some of them
''Plcase tell us one" chimed in Mary
ElM laughed II can tell you of q
curious one that | met with in the noun
tains."
''Oh, yes; do. Which mountains ;"
''ln California: up in one of its wild
DISTRICTS
THAT will be the very thing"
"Well,' said Elam, running his taper
ing fingers through his hair and smiling
ut my Wife. "Ill soften down things in the
telling us we'll us my blunt speech and un-
civilized modes Of thought will allow OF.
and YOU must excuse the rest"
'Oh, III excuse ANYTHING. Please be
gin"
''When started from home to settle in
unilequented DISTRICTS" began Elan, Il
set up theory that no young man should
ask Il woman to marry him until he had
prepared a home for her. 1t is surprising
how much you begin to think Of wife
over Nonder, arising, | suppose, from the
extreme loneliness of ones existence. |
was 10 exception. The land ! took up
was in the Rogue River Valley, and after
] had got it a bit ship-shape | worked
away with that object in view-to bring
home a wife,
"But, Elam, had you selected wife ?"
| asked.
"No. intended to do that as soon as
could, though YOU may say | was full
Young to be thinking of it. | worked on,
and was pretty successful. built me Il
house, got a considerable quantity Of
stacks, made a flower garden for my
wife; even put up the pegs and nails she
would want to hang her dress on. | in
tended that same Autumn to get on my
horse, ride through the Wallamet Valley,
and find me my wife, marry her, and bring
her home"
At the notion of courting in that Off
hand style, we laughed little. Elam
laughed too, as if the recollection pleased
him.
''You think it strange, | see. 1t was
not so strange over there in those days.
where girls were as scarce as angels.
There was not Il girl within forty miles
of me: and | assure you that the very
thought of one, as drove in those nails
for her garments to hang on, went through
me like Il thrill You don't believe! 60
out, Yourself, and try it."
''But | do believe"
II had about two hundred and fifty
head Of cattle, Il good house, with u gar
den, a young orchard, vegetables grow
ing, sweet scented flowers in reatli-
ness for the wife hoped to bring home
to bless me and to take care OF this, my
possession. And what do you think hap
pened to it p
We could not tell.
"There came such a plague of grass
hoppels upon the valley that everything
pcrshed. Crops, orchard, flowers, grass,
every green and delightful and promising
thing; the grasshoppers destroyed all.
You remember the second chapter Of
Joel ?"
nodded
"The land is as the garden Of Eden be
fore them, and behind them desolatc
Wilderness" | was ruined. My stock
died: at least, the greater portion; they
had nothing to feed upon. Yes, it was
complete and absolute ruin
Elam paused Il moment, mentally look
ing at the past.
81 considered myself disappointed in
love, too" he resumed in the qllaintest of
tones. "Though | had not yet been out
to find my girl, knew she was some
where in that other valley waiting for
me; and when the greedy grasshoppcrs
ate up everything, felt that [ had been
.lilted It actually gives me 4 pang now
to think of those useless pegs on which
my imagination had so often seen a girls
pink cotton dress and white lln-bonnet." :"
Elaln gave Il great sigh. He was an
eccentric fellow.
Il became misanthropic; said to my
self that between fate and the grasshop-
pers | had been used hardly. Packing
up my books and a few other traps, | bid
adeu to the Rogue River Valley forever,
and started for the mountains. 1t was Il
longish journey, us | had to drive before
me the stock | had left. There, in the
mountains settled down again, built
myself a fort and played hermit. No
jilting girls should come near me now
"a fort "
"a regular fort. A stockade eighteen
feet high, with an cmbankment four feet
high around it, and a strong gate in the
middle. My tent was in the midst of the
inclosure, with my books and household
goods, fire arms, and all the rest of my
property slowed away in it,
"Were you afraid of the Indians ?"
''lndianS and white men. Yes, saw Il
good many Indians at first within the
range Of my rifle. They learned to keep
away from my fort, finding it did not pay
to attempt to invade it. Down in the
valley below there were mining camps
and you perhaps know what some of the
hangers-on OF such camps are. | sold
beef = that is, heads of cattle-t the
miners; and as had sometimes tidy
sum Of money 10y me, it was necessary to
be careful"
"What a strange life for young man.
For you, Elamr y
81 herded my cattle, drove them tC
market, cooked, studied, wrote, and in
dulged in misanthropy, combined with
some rifle practice. BY the time that |
had entered upon the second Summer in
the mountains | felt quite at home and
was getting rich. A man cannot quite
tire OF it when he is but a few wears out
of his teens"
"And the girl-wite 2"
81 am coming to that. Having had
time to forget my ill-usage, reaction set
in, you see, and | thought, after ALL
must ride to the Wllamet to see after nv
girl But | was not in the hurry over it
that had been before. This is all very
dull, you will say, but there1 be some
stir presently"
at is not at all dull"
zone Sunday afternoon how did |
know it was Sunday, you ask Because
| had kept count of the days all along
kept my diary regularly. One Sunday
afternoon, was sitting outside writing
when a shadow fell across the paper
and, looking up, there stood a skeleton
| AccnStomnd aS | WAS To lOnnlu ancOnn tnrs