The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-04-16
JOSEPH's ADVENTURE.

b
Cant you tell some of your adven-
tures?" l asked Of my friend Joseph.
who had returned from his many years
travels in the bush, and was sitting with
me and my wife. And, though he had
been absent so long. he was, so to speak,
ayoung man yet.
"Adventurps? Well, have met with
plenty. Rough ones, some of them
PLEASE tell us of one" chimed in
Mary.
Joseph laughed. Il can tell you of a
queer one that l met with in the noun
tains."
"Oh, yes. do! Which mountains?"
In California; up in one of its wild
districts"
THAT will be the very thing"
"Well," said Joseph, running his
tapering fingers through his hair and
smiling ut my wife. "I'll soften down
things in the telling as we'll rs my blunt
speech and uncivilizcd modes of thought
will admit of, and you must excuse the
rest" g.. l-.
"Oh, I'll excuse anything. Please be-
gin"
"When | started from home to settle
in unfrequentcd districts" began Joseph,
Il set up theory that no man should
ask woman to marry him until he has
prepared a home for her. 1t is surpris-
ing how much you begin to think of Il
wife West yonder; which arises, | sup
pose. from the extreme loneliness of ones
existence. | was no exception. The
Land | took up was in the Rogue river
valley. and after l had got it bit ship
shape / worked away with only one OBJ
ject in view-to bring home 4 wife"
"But, Joseph, had you selected 4
wife?" I asked.
"No. intended to do that as soon as
I could, though you may say | was
rather young to. be thinking of it. |
worked on, and was pretty successful. |
built me house, got a considerable
stock of cattle, made tlowcr-garden for
nv wife, and even put up the pegs and
nails she would want to hang her dresses
on. l intended that same autumn to
mount my horse, ride through the Wall
amet valley, find my wife and bring her
home"
At the notion. of counting in that off.
hand style we laughed little. Joseph
laughed too, as if the recollection pleased
him.
"You think it strange, see. 1t was
not SO very strange in those days out
there, where girls were as scarce a.
angels. There was not girl within forty
miles of me; and rs assure you that the
very thought of one, as l drove in those
nails for her garments to hang on, Went
through me like a thrill. You don't be-
lieve? Go West yourself and try it."
But do believe"
Il had about two hundred and fifty
head Of cattle, a good house with gar
den, young orchard, vegetables grow
ing, swect-scented lowers-all in readi-
ness for the wife hoped to bring home
to bless me and.to take care of these my
possessions. And what do you think
happened. to them?"
We could not tell.
There came such plague Of grass
hoppers upon the valley that everything
perished. Crops, orchard, flowers, grass
every green and delightful and promis-
ing thing; the grasshopperS destroyed all.
You remember the second chapter oi
Joel?"
I nodded.
1.-THE land is as the garden of Edel,
before them, and behind them desolate
wilderness' l was ruined. My stool;
died-at least the greater portion OF l.
the cattle had nothing to feed upon. Yes.
it was complete and absolute ruin"
Joseph paused moment, mentally
looking ut the past.
Il considered myself disappointed in
love too," he resumed in the quaintest Of
tones. "Though had not been out to
find my girl, knew she was somewhere
in that other valley waiting for me; and
when the greedy gl'asshoppers ate W
everything felt that I had been Tilted
1t actually gives me pang now to think
of those useless pegs on which my imagin.
alton had so often seen girls pink cot
ton dress and white sun bonnet"
JOSEPH gave great sigh. He was ii
eccentric fellow.
Il became miSanthroplc-Said to my
self that between fate and the grasshop
pcrs l had been hardly used. Packing
up my books and 4 few other traps | ba(l'
adieu to the Rogue river valley for ever
and started for the mountains. 1t was {:
longish Journey, rs | had to drive befor,
me the stock which was left me. Their,
in the mountains I settled down again
built mysclfa fort and played hermit
No jilting girls should come near M
now"
"A folt?"
"a regular fort; stockadc cightcc,
feet high, with an embankment four fee
high around it and strong gate in TIN
middle. My tent was in the midst of tn
inclosure, with my books and household
goods. firearms and all the rest of m,
property slowed away in it."
"Were you afraid of 1ndians?"
Indians and white men. Yes, [ saw
good many Indians, at first, within tn
range of my rifle. They learned to kcel
away from my fort, finding it did not pa.
to attempt an invasion. Down in tn
valley below there were mining camps
and YOU perhaps know what some of th
angers-on of such camps are. / solt
beef, that is, heads of cattle, to tn
miners; and as l had sometimes It'd,
sum of ofmoney by me, it was necessary tt
be careful"
What strange life for a young man?
said Mary. For you, Joseph"
II herded my cattle, drove them t.
market, cooked, studied, wrote and in
dulTed IN mixture OF mlSanlnrOpy ant
rifle practice. By the time | had entered
on the second summer in the mountain
felt quite ut home and was getting rich
After all. the life lrd its charms. J
man cannot quite tire of it when he i
but few years out of his teens"
And the cir wife y
~ an. con.in.. ~ her. Having ha
time to forget my i;!-usage, reaction Sc
in, you see, and I thought, after all,
E.St ride to the Wallamct to see afte
my girl. But l was not in the hurr
over it that I had been before. This i
all very dull, you will say, but there
be some stir presently"
1T is not at all dull"
lone Sunday afternoon (How did
know it was Sunday? you ask. Becaus
had kant co11nt Of the .daus all ION q