Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1879-04-03
Our Selected StOry.
A WOMAN'S CONSTAkCi.

a ~ vvVUStN ~ SVtNS
I"who breathes must suffer, and who think
must mourn,
And he alone Is blessed who ne 'er - born. -
"Rouse up George. old man; yor lool
as melancholy as deadhead Witnessing
comedy"
'sThen. true TO the dead principle. linus
remain mournfi,l. l can't laugh to order
it is not the thing. Pass the beverage;
am little off color"
''And the cause thereof? Hard hit owe
the .cup?' Too much of the flowing
Or"
"No, Garnet. no. The melody of th'
waltz they are playing next door awaken
thoughts and remembrances Of the long
long ago. More than decade has passe,
away. and yet can picture the COLDER
curls or my shoulder, the blue eyes raiset
lovingly to my own. as danced the nigh
out and the daylight in with the ore wo
man who was to me
The worlds light, so fair and bright,
And the bonniest Of them all H.
Confonnd that fog. it's rough on the eyes
Shut the window 60.
Fog. There's no fog = the atmos.
phere's as clear as crystal
"Ah! well, it must have been the brick.
fielder to-day; the dust was plaguily
thick. and
| "Yts. | dare say. Here. clear youl
| throat with this. fog seems to have affected
it-and spin the yarn; but make it one
! act"
"It's not funny nor lengthy. Light up
and take your eyes of me-"
IAN right-blaze away"
"Twelve years ago-no matter where
in the States? Yes. was over head
and ears in love with the merriest CLEAN
OF sunshine that eve w.l,ed in the shape
of a woman. to tantaliZe man and send
him in one moment to the depths OF des-
pair. to raise him in the next to the sew
enth heaven of delight. Don't ask me to
describe her she was
beautiful as sweet!
And young as beautiful! and soft as young!
And gay As soft! and innocent as gay!
1--WE loved each other very. very fondly.
as only boy and girl just ont of their teens
can love-a happy. dreamy. ecstatic exis-
tence, till the awakening came. Nothing
new. The old. old tale: was too wild.
unsettled and uncertain of position. An
other suitor. well-to-do, was favored by
the relatives, whose dictates were COM
nands. The girl resisted br.sss|sl 1ltu,'
true to the last: hut there was SON gsiat
of the Aud Robin Gray in the story.
and the days OF elopemelt were over.
I'VE parted, and for a time the light
seemed to 90 out Of my life.
For her-I knew she snflered-silent-
ly. patiently. No relief from the dull
monOtony (; no escape from the narrow
home circle. She was Woman; she had
to endure it.; she did. Cncomplaininely
at last she accepted her lot.
'''Twas but another early young life
sacrificed at the shrine Of duty. What
matter? SO that silks and satins replaced
stuffs worn threadbare; dclicacies and
dainties were better than homely fare. even
though purchased by the happiness of
Somehow or other went very nearly
to the bad after that. | drank heavily; of
course. l was too young to resist. grew
reckless and donbly improvident wan
lered aimlessly hither and thithe.., until at |
last found myself on the west coast of |
New Zealand. ole of the countless thous-
lnds at the Hokitika gold rush. A year
,r two passed amid scenes Of excitement
It the various diggings on the coast suf-
iced to harden me somewhat. l led a
estless, devil-inay- care sort of life, think
ng not OF the future, striving only to for
ret the past.
"Do you remember the great steamboat
nsh to the Haast river? Thousands of
miners left Melbourne and Sidney, bound
or the new Fl Dorado. No reported find
ince the Port Curtis has equaled the ex-
itement. was one of the pioneers. We
lnded on barren, trackless waste, skirt
lg the seashore. backed ~ miasmatic
wanps covered With dense undergrowtll.
upple.jack and saplings. with here and
here fully developed tree. Rearward of
II. the dividing range Of mountains loom
d drearily, barrier. as I: We're. between
8 and the civilized world. Thousands of {
lwless MEN, some nea- ;,k;;;: TO bi,.tes, no
olice. no order. and-but one woman on n
le field. This. at the stait of the rush. q
'hich set In with a never-ending rain, a
,tal absence of every necessity to bear I
and destitution that compelled i
nndresls of men to fish by night in mar !
wv creek for eels. with hooks bent from
ms and lines made from flax. After !
ards, standardization obtained, the rush
roved duffer. Thousands, rendered I
1meless and penniless. had to make '
acks for other fields, some by sea. some .
'erland. How many perisiied in the lat s
T ettdeavof noHe-stve 0He-ean ever
II. sei4 .s.i n
lone night, wandering through the
mp, | WAS attracfef by the noisy revel- Il
at one of the many grog-shanties. II
tered. and midst the roar of blasphemy, b
q lewd jests, and drunken threats pre-
iling, heard toast proposed and loud
observation-disclosures to the first woman
/ tile field" Glasses. pannikins. and
ngs were raised, and the many heads to- a
lftls one corner Of the tent directed my /,
fention that way. Ilooktd ami saw the b
oman in whose honor they we're drink a
g.il The, sickening horror that efept N
rough me must have manifested itself in 4
' face. The woman noticed it. and ~
II cry, half scream, drew the attention /,
all present npon us. There, standing te
hind the rude slab that served for a b,
l,nter, was the girl had loved and the a
IA who had taken her from me. TX
Il knew him TO be swindTer. an adj ca
nturer. that he had turns d gambler and Sc
lnkarl; that he had ilI-treated and ill Il,
I'd the gentle cresture. who had clung N
thfiilly to him from first to last, solely II
cause she VAS his wife but to find her bi
is, brought face to face with drNnkfn oi
g, vice and debauchery, In its loves az