Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-05-17
NO. III.
Gales and Skstshes.
ELAM'J ADVENTURE.

|
lures Y' | asked of my friend Elam, who
had returned from his many years travels
in the bush and other outandish places,
and was sitting with me and my wife.
And, though absent SO long, he was, 30
to say, young man yet
"AdventuresP Well, have had plenty.
Rough ones, some of them"
please tell US one," chimed in Mary.
| Elam laughed. II can tell you OF
curious one that | met with in the noun
tains."
"Ob, yes; do. Which mountains?'
| I'm California; up in one of its wild
| districts"
| That will be the very thing"
| well" said Elan, running his taper
ing fingers through his hair and smiling
ut my wife. "Ill soften down things in
the telling as we'll as my blunt speech
and unclsilized modes of thought will al
low Of and you must excuse the rest"
"Oh, III excuse anything Please be-
GIN"
"When | starsed from home to settle in
unfrequened districts" began Elan,
set up theory that no young man should
ask woman to marry him until he had
prepared home for her. 1t is surpris-
ing how much you begin to think of
wife over yonder. arising. suppose, from
the extreme loneliness of ones existence.
| was no exception. The land took I'D
was in the Rogue River Valley, and al
ter 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
mo. l intended to do that as soon a.
| could, though you may say l was full
young to be thinking of it. worked on
and was pretty successful. l built me q
house, got 4 considerable quantity OF
stacks, made flower-garden for my vile.
even put up the pegs and nails she would
want to hang her dresses on. l intend
ed that same Autumn to get on my horse,
ride through the Wallamet Valley. and
bring her home"
hand style, we laughed little. Elam
laughed too, as il the recollection pleased
him.
You think it strange, see. 1t was
not SO strange over there in those DAYS,
where girls were scarce as angels. There
was not o 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 thrill. You don't believe Go out
yourself, and try it,"
"Bnt do believe"
IL had about two hundred and fifty
head OF cattle, good house, with gar
den, young orchard, vegetables grow
ing, sweet-scented howers--all in readi-
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 ?'
We could not tell.
There came such Il plague of grass
hoppers upon the valley that everything
perished. Crops, orchard, flowers. grass,
every green and delightful and promising
thing; the grasshoppers destroyed all.
You remember the second chapter OF
JoelP ?"
| nodded.
1.-The land is as the garden of Eden
before them, and behind them desolate
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 moment, mentally look
ing at the past.
II considered myself disappointed in
love, too,' he resumed in the quaintest
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 grasshoppers ate up
everything, felt that l had been Tilted.
1t actually gives me pang now to think
OF those useless pegs on which my imag-
ination has so often seen girls pink cot
ton dress and white sun-bonnet"
Elam gave great sigh. He was an
| eccentric fellow.
81 became misanthropic; said to myself
that between fate and the grasshoppers
had been used hardly. Packing up my
books and few other traps, babe adieu
to the Rogue river valley forever, and
started for the mountains. 1t was a long,
ish journey, as | had to drive before me
the stock had left. There. in the noun
| tains | settled down again. built myself
fort, and played hermit. No jilting girls
| should come near me now
"A fort ?"
"A regular fort. \ stockade eighteen
feet high with an embankment four feet
high around it, and strong gate in the
middle. My tent was in the midst of the
ipclosure, with my books and household
goods, firearms and all the rest OF my
property slowed away in it,"
'Were you afraid of the Indians?"
Indians and white men. Yes. saw
good many Indians at first within the
range of my rifle. They learned to keep
away from my tort, finding it did not pay
to attempt to invade it. Down in the val
ley below there were mining camps; and
you perhaps know what some of the hang
ers-on OF such camps are. sold beef
that is, heads of cattle--to the miners
and as had sometimes q tidy sum OF
money by me. it was necessary to be care
full"
"What strange life for a young man.
For you, Elam !"
II herded my cattle, drove them TO
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 l felt quite at home and
was getting rich. After all. the life had
its charms. A man cannot quite tire of il
when he is but few years out of his
teens"