The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1878-08-22

CHATTER xxx.
Looking back at this time through
the years Of my long sad experience
with the inequalities OF human law, as
applied TO husbands and wives, cannot
wonder at the stupidity that so long
blinded me. I might have known, had
I but stopped to reflect about it, that I
could not secure the personal title to a
home Of my own earning because I had
husband. Aud were not husbands the
heads Of families? Did not law and ma
ture, reason, and religion alike proclaim
the fact that man was the protector and
provider, woman the obedient, loving
mate the ever submissive clinging vine?
What right had I to be discontented
with my lot? Suppose 1 did find my
way hedged up? Was 1 not a very in
CRATE to be dissatisfied when, for aught
1 knew to the contrary, all other women
had all the rights they wanted The
perversity Of woman's nature is one of
the anomalies of mundane existence
now and all the time.
My new hired man proved a perfect
treasure, and, had il not been for the at
tachment that sprang up involuntarily
between him and Ethel, / should have
been delighted with him. But matri-
mony had been such horrible revela-
tion to me that I was morbidly opposed
to it on general principles. And yet,
when / remembered the intense relig-
ious fervor Of the love ] had gladly
brought 10 my own hymeneal altar, 1
could not blame my child for that feel
ing which she could not avert. But
was resolved TO do all 1 could TO post
pone the evil day. ! would ignore the
revelation Of their afiectional awaken
ing, and put it oil as we put of death.
with the team, few cows, and the
ltle lock Of sheep with which George
Mcdonald furnished me, on shares, 1
began anew the battle for subsistence.
Every ythiug save Gerald and his drunk
enness favored me. Our new home,
bleak and unpromising as it had seemed
% Il first, gradually grew TO our lik-
Ing or, rather, we gradually grew to en-
joy it 1t lay along the great thorough
fre eading to the mines, between
which and the Columbia River there
was 90 uninterrupted stream Of travel.
My cutter aud my pastry proved a
ready source of revenue, and il was not
long till, in addition to this income, we
prepared to give meals to hungry way
farers. for which, as in the Willamette
valley, we received good round prices.
Timber was very scarce, and George
AaD nald, whom 1 would consider q
genius only that a genius never has any
practical sense, prepared long lines ol
fencing by utilizing the offensive sage
brush, which, when uprooted and prop
srv stacked aud interlocked, made 8
SUBSTANTIAL hedge, impervious to every,
thing but fire. He constructed a com.
sortable and roomy house for us from
slczes, or clap-boards, which could
easily be split, or rived" AS he ex.
pressed it, from the pine and cedar log:
With which the eddy in the Columbia, q
few miles from our home, was annually
plenished by the freshets Of Snake
River These boards could be easily
procured ten feet or more in length, and
t19o OF more inches in thickness, and
when our six-roOmed, one-story house
wss properly boxed, battened, ceiled,
Ioo.1i, floored and furnished after q
pr uitivestyle peculiar-his and EtheIs
f-lt as proud and happy in its pos
session as though ] could never have
been in danger Of being elected from it.
% watching the progress Of this mar
ratfe on its eventful journey through
tae public press, I have sometimes been
panied to hear men say, not knowing
me be its author thanks 10 the sa-
Eaei y and seeretiveness of my obliging
compiler that 1 was evidently a man.
Ea-s-, and they were disgusted with my
sto because I would not admit thai
were any good men. say have
paiued 10 hear this, because it il
an injustice to thus accuse me
my Reader forgotten Mr.. Motley
I-Hienthal? Does he forget
s'i o'u l,, ~, suydenham aDd my good.
natured Willamette Vsl,ar rai,5hor y I
Mf. Brown: Were these No, ~ -,
best Of men? And did -. ."T - 's's
Doany, grand, substantial %, go,,i.-.l' ',-u =
ihat he was, prove himself a bs-oa ~ 81
fear il is conscience that troubles M,
far .-inders.
D, mel
tlt ! am telling you now Of anoth,
COOL and noble man, whose only faul
if f-ult it was, was that he loved M
da- ghter; and would not think
issary to be thus explicit or en-
~ tic only that some of my readers al
- 'illfully blind and perversely obst
nae.
Gorge Mcdonald was not only a m,
cbanie and farmer, but he was to
cef ain extent a scholar, and certasoI
p was gentleman. He was scrupr
lCrsly exact in fulfilling his contracts
and always felt that he did not receiy
Just compensation for his valuable sci