The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1878-06-28

AD'veut iusulteu ana maliBueQ YOU dut
crippled your child"
"But be is my lawful husband, an,
the father Of my children, and 1 Low,
him; and he is, or has been, the unfort
nate victim Of a diseased appetite, and
won't hear my best friend speak evil O.
him ~ / said, Indignantly.
"Ihere there. little one. You hav,
talked enough for one day." aud my
friend again placed her hand playfully
over my mouth. There is no law ol
gospel TO prevent man or woman from
being fool, If SO disposed. Now go tc
sleep, and be happy"
l closed my eyes languidly, and lay
there thinking, thinking.
surely" l soliloquized, "my hus-
baud will never again essay to iuiure
me. ] have given him so much proof
of my devotion that he will consider il
his duty, and it will certainly be bis
/ pride to protect and honor me hereafter -
+ But, alas for the vanity Of a wife's
. expectations under such circumstances.
/ The truth is, as I now know, through
reasoning by the light Of my sixty
years, that any man who will abuse his
wife without provocation, or even per
sisteutly, when provoked to it, is so far
devoid Of principle that he is not capa-
Die Of experiencing the lofty emotion Of
unselfsh gratitude.
Gerald was obsequious, peniteut, aud
kind enough when his selfish needs aud
aims inspined the feeling aud conduct,
but he never imagined the moral emo
tion Of protecting and caring for me for
my own sake And had done so much
for him.
All, me,
In a few weeks I was again ready for
my old-time duties, and as our funds
were exhausted, l turned with longing
eyes toward Nevada City, where ex-
pected to again resume my former bus
iness.
But Mr. Iillieuthal was so thoroughly
Disguised with me because Of my loy-
atty 10 Gerald that he would not renew
my lease, and nobody else would trust
me, so found il necessary to look in
some other direction for a livelihood.
Strange that it did not occur TO me 20
depend on my husband, seeing 30 i'm
plicitly trusted him, but he seemed 20
me like helpless child, for whom it
was my duty TO provide to the utter
most. And yet, ! considered myself an
"cliugiug vine,n to be sup
ported aud protected 10y the laws aud
usages Of meui Verify, there are none
so blind as them that will not see.
Ny husband had lotted much upon
my restaurant, and when he found its
supplies cut of be again took refuge in /
bis cups. But he was not cross, as he /
bad been, and I.was not so much afraid /
Of him as formerly.
Mr. aud Mrs. Motley returned to their
charge, as missionaries among the min .
ers' so provoked with me for clingiug
to my husband when il was plainly no .
benefit to either myself or children for /
me TO do il, that had little hope OF F.
ever meeting them again.
But 1t was necessary TO do something.
We were ont Of money, Gerald was
drunk, aud our room rent was over due.
About this time there was a good deal .
Of excitement in California about the .
donation land law that had recently .
been passed for the Territory Of Oregon,
and l conceived the idea of removing
thither
My husband seemed to have no care .
for the present or the future, aud the .
Of the enterprise devolved .
wholly upon me.
Thanks to Judge Downy, was not
without influential friends, and / was
able TO secure a position for my husband
as commander OF steamship, in which
we embarked for Portland, where we
landed, after rough voyage, on a raw
aud foggy November day. Gerald had
been sober during the journey, and had
iirected his very liberal wages TO be
paid over to me. But for this timely
-elief I do not know what would have
'ecome Of US, for he fell again into his
ups before we bad been ashore an hour.
left him in charge Of the obliging
andlord Of primitive hotel in the very
primitive city, and with my children
accompanied a party Of land-huuters
up the Willamette 10 a point above
oregon City, and from thence with
cams across the country to level ex-
'anse Of wood and prairie land, where I
iecided that our future home should be.
/ should like to tell the reader exactly
where he may find that old donation
,laim-long since the property Of my
egal protectors creditors-but do not
want my identity to be too apparent, for
amily reasons. Ny children are over
sensitive about our early misfortunes
md their fathers infirmity, and will
pare their feelings so much as my duty
o the public will admit, so l will not
'e too explicit as to my real name or
rewhile whereabouts.
There are hundreds Of other donation
laims in Oregon so much like ours that
ghen I have described one you may
now all about the rest; aud which par
icular one belonged to US is no matter.
ITO De continued-l