The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-07-12

1t the mouth of the Umpaqua, and
been wandering aboutin the mountains
ever since. subsisting on roots and ber-
a"FIe was--n ~
49, No, I assure your interrupted
ELAN, with an amused look at my
wife, "the boy was not young w0-
man I'm disguise, II that Is what you're
thinking. He was Just poor, weak,
half-starved lad, named Edwards.
fed and nursed him until he was able
to take care for himself, and then / got
Sam ChQng Sung to let him take up .
claim along q Chinese camp, promise
ing to favor the Cinnamon In q beef
contract II he would be good to the
boy. still continued to see great
deal Of him."
And did Edward succeedf"
Eyes, he got on. One day two
Cinnamon stole some Of Sam Chong
Sung's horses, and he offered four hum
dred dollars to Edwards II he would go
after the thieves and track them. Ed
wards asked my advice and / encour-
aged him to 60, telling him where /
fsncied he would find the men. 30 he
started in pursuit; and ! confess 1
missed him. ~
Again clam paused. We did not
interrupt him. -
"a man came to my fort one day
who was naked and starving. Hewas
. bad looking fellow. very but you
will cay . man naturally does look bad
when his clothes are nowhere and his
bones portrude through his skin.
clothed him, fed him, cared for him
kindly until he was able to travel, and
then hewentaway.. The next Sunday
I was sitting outside my fort IS GUS
tomary ON that leisure day reading
some translations, from the Greek
poets-for I dare say you remmbere
that could not make much OF Greek
itself-.when, CHANGING to look on my
book I beheld vision"
"A what?" iasisi
Z" A vision. A vision OF q lovely
woman. And can tell you should
~ soon have expected to see Q vision
there as o woman. She was riding up
the approach to my fort on fine horse;
riding gracefully and very slowly As II
and I believe I needed 1t. The picture
see the very flicker Of the shadow and
the sunlight across the road and the
glitter of some steel that fastened the
horse's trappings as he arched his neck
In impatlence OF her restraining hand.
Are you tired, old friend 2" iQ~
Never less 80 In my iife."
" You see I had been alone 80 long;
and think I must be susceptible.
That vision, breaking in suddenly, as
It did, upon my solitude, gave me the
queerest sensations. ] was just spell
bound. Not 80 she. Refining In her
horse at my gate, she squared around
on the saddle and looked at me, silent
ly asking my assistance to dismOunt.
/ helped her down--what else could l
do?-and then, at her request. gently
preferred, went to put up and
the clouds? 1 did not know"
"Well?"
"If you'll believe me, when / re-
turned In doors, my guest had got her
habit of. Evidently she meant to
make herself at home: A tall, young,
beautiful, well dressed young woman !!
Just goddess she looked to me. Her
eyes were large, black and melting,
She was hungry she said would / give
her something to eat? And while l
was making preparations to give of my
translatiOns, an ode to Diana, COM
menting upon 1t herself. That she
was q woman of culture and education
whatever might have brought her into
her present strange position was OBJ
vious. Well, now" continued Elan,
"you. can guess whether q young
man, isolated ON the mountains, ruin
ed by the grasshoppers, and Tilted by
the GIRL of the WalIamet Valley, was
bewildered or not. Entertaining god
desses was not In my line"
chow long did she stay ?" 4t
"Wait bit. What with reading
and eating, our acquaintance improved
fast. She offered TO sing q song, and
gave me Kate Kearney.' I might
have Lost my head to her, perhaps, to
say nothing Of my heart, but for GER
care that my girl should ride about,
and drop down unexpectedly upon
hermits. Still it was a pleasant feeling
to find oneself near her, and certainly
q novel one. / asked her her history,
and she told 1t to me. She was Of q
good New England family, reared in
affiuence, well educated and accom-
plished, but BY a freak of fortune she
became reduced to poverty and TO be
an exile from home"
"What was the freak Of fortune,
Elan ?n Ha.F,
%" All, what indeed? The old story,
I suppose; but I did not ask her. She
had made her way to California, re-
solved to get on and get money-and
she had got II. She went about from
camp to camp of the miners and
Others with stationery and various
articles needed by them sold them
these things, wrote letters for them,
sang to them, nursed them when sick,
and carried their letters express to San
Francisco to be posted. For all these
services she received large payments-
money Is not much valued, you know,
over there-and she had also good
deal Of rough gold given to her as
specimens. Did she like that kind Of
q life, i asked her, 60 contrary. to her
early habits, and she answered me
: 1t IL not what we choose
that we do in this world, but what
r0J6 CuOO8cB lOT u5s Il nave uiuOc u
and gained q rich and
varied experience. Life may not be
what once pictured IL would be, but
am content She sighed as she said
It. and / don't believe in the CON
tent"
"But what had brought her 10 you
that day."
"She had not told me herself then.
Presently asked her; asked her why
she had como to see me. i shall never
forget the smile with which she turned
to answer. 1t pretty nigh disarmed
me. We were sitting somewhat close,
too; her flowing silk gown touched my
knees. Altogether, I began to think
Of those useless pegs In my house down
In Rogue River Valley. But what she
said pulled mp my wandering thoughts,
and turned them to present things.
Shall you be surprised to hear that I
have come to do you real service?'
she said. And she went on to relate
that, having to pass the previous night
1t . place not many miles away, In .
u ~~~~<a{1<~sx~ xvoxo THU, - "A !