Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1879-05-15
JOSEPH'S ADVENTURES.

JOSEPH'S ADVENTURE.
"Can't you tell some of your adven.
tures?" 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,
a young man yet.
Adventures? Well, have met with
plenty. Rough ones, some of them"
Please tell us of one," chimed in
Mary.
Joseph laughed. II can tell you of a
queer one that 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 at my wife. "Pll soften down
things in the telling as we'll as my blunt
speech and uncivilized modes of thought
will admit of, and you must excuse the
rest"
ooh, I'll excuse anything. Please
begin
"When I started from home to settle
in unfrequented districts" began Joseph,
81 set up a theory that no man should
ask a woman to marry him until he has
prepared home for her. It is surpris-
ing how much you begin to think of a
wife west yonder; which arises, sup
pose, from the extreme loneliness of one )
existence. | was no exception. The
land l took up was in the Rogue river
valley, and after had got it bit ship
shape | worked away with only one
object in view-to bring home a wife"
"But, Joseph, had you selected a
No. | Intended TO do that as soon
As could, though you may say l was
rather young to be thinking Of it. |
worked on, and was pretty successful. I
quilt me q house, got considerable
stock of cattle, made a flower garden for
my 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, l see. It was
not 90 very strange in those days out
there, where girls were as scarce as an.
gels. There was not girl within forty
miles of me; and as assure you that
the very thought of one, as I drove in
those nails for her garments to hang on.
went through me like thrill. You
don't believe? Go west yourself and
try it."
But l do believe"
" ! had about two hundred and fifty
head of cattle, a good house with a gar.
den, young orchard, vegetables grow
ing, sweet scented fowers-all in readi-
ness for the wife hoped to bring home
to bless me and to take care of these nv
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
persisted. Crops, orchard, flowers, grass
every green and delightful and prom
ising thing; the grasshoppers DESTROYED
all. You remember the second chapter
of Joel?"
l nodded.
80 The land is as the garden of Eden
before them, and behind them a desolate
Wilderness / was ruined. NV stock
died--at least the greater portion of it:
the cattle had nothing to feed mon
Yes, 1t was complete and absolute ruin"
Joseph paused a moment, mentally
looking at the past.
II considered myself disappointed in
love too,' he resumed in the quaintest :
Of tones. "Though l had not been out :
70 find my girl, knew she was some ..
where in that other valley waiting for .
ne; and when the greedy grasshoppers
ate up everything felt that had been .
Tilted. It actually gives me pane now I.
10 think of those Use less pegs on. which ,
ny imagination had 80 often seen girls !
pink cotton dress and white SUI. bonnet" !
Joseph gave a great sigh. He was an .
fellow. +.
IL became misanthropic-said to my.
'eli that between fate and the grass ,
,oppers had been hardly used. Pack .
ne UP my books and few other traps I !
Dade adieu to heRogue river valley for =
ever and started for the mountains. It
was longish journey, as had to drive
before s* me the stock which was left me. :
There IN the mountains settled down
again, built myself a fort and PLAYED ,
hermit: No jilting girls should come I
"a fortW !
"A regular fort; stockade eighteen J
leet high, with an embankment four :
[eet high around it and stroug gate in :,
The middle. My tent was in the midst .
If the Enclosure, with my books and :,
household goods, firearms and all the :
'est of my property slowed away in it." q
"Were you afraid of Indians?' =
Indians and white men. Yes, I saw q
good many Indians, at first, within the =
ange of my rife. They learned to keep
way from my fort, finding it did not pay ,
o attempt an invasion. Down in the 9
'aiiey below there were mining camps; t
ma you perhaps know what some of the a
hangers on of such camps are. sold !
oeet, that is, heads of cattle, to the r
miners; and as l had sometimes q tidy =
be careful" - 49, =
What a strange life for a Young :
MAN.? said Mary. For you, joseph 70 =
nerded my cattle, drove them IT, E
market, cooked, studied, wrote anal. Is. !
1u'ged IN mixture of misanthropy and :
Tile practice. By the time 1 had en- :
cred on the second summer in the =
Mountains l felt quite at home aud was :
Getting rich. After all, the life had its :
harms A man can not quite tire Of It