The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-07-15
One Woman.

Cummins City is still a crude metrop-
oils. Society has not yet arrived at the
white vest and lawn sociable period
there. There is nothing to hamper any
one or throw a tiresome restraint around
him. You walk up and down the street
without feeling that the vigilant eye OF
the policeman is upon you, and when
you register at the leading hotel the
proprietor don't ask how much baggage
you have, or insist upon it that your
valise ought to be blown up with a quill
to give it a robust appearance. Speak
ing of this hotel, however, brings to my
mind a little incident which really be-
longs in here. There are two ladies at
this place, the only one in the city
limits, if my memory serves me. One
of these ladies owns a lot of poles or
house-logs, which were at the time OF
which I speak on the dump, as it were,
ready to be used in the construction of
a new cabin. 1t seems that some of the
male citizens of the corporation without
the fear of God or the Common Council
of Cummins City, had been appropriate
ing these logs from time to time, until
out of a good fair assortment there re-
NAMED only a detected little pile Of
culls. The owner had watched with
great annoyance the gradual disappear.
ance of her property from day to day,
and it made her lose faith in the final
redemption of all mankind. She be-
came cynical and misanthropical, lost
her interest in tho future, and became
low spirited and unhappy. One day,
however, after this thing had proceeded
about far enough, she went to her
trunk, and taking out a large size of
navy revolver, the kind that sends so
many Western men to their long home,
she went out to where n group Of men
had scattered themselves out around
camp to smoke. She wasn't a large
woman at all, but those men respected
her. Though they were only rough
miners there in the wilderness, they re-
cognized that she was a woman, and
they recognized it almost at a glance, too.
There she was alone among a group of
men in the mountains, far from the pro
tecting arm of the law and softening in
euences Of metropolitan lite, and yet
the common feeling of gallantry i'm
planted in the masculine breast was
there. She indicated with a motion of
her revolver that she desired to call the
meeting to order. There seemed to be Il
general desire on the part Of every mon
present to come to order just as soon as
circumstances would permit. Then she
made a short speech relative to the
matter of house-logs, and suggested that
unless a number of those articles, now
invisible to the naked eye, were placed
at a certain point or u certain amount of
kopecks placed on file with the chairman
of the meeting within a specified time,
perdition would be popping on Main
street in about two and one-half ticks
of the c%hronometer. There didn't seem
to be any desire or the part of the meet
inr to amend the motion or lay it on the
table. Although it was arbitrary and
imperative, and although al opportunity
was given for a free expression of opin-
ion, there didn't seem to be any desire
to take advantage of it. A committee
of three was appointed to carry out the
suggestions of the chair, and in about a
half an hour, the house-logs and kopecks
having been placed on deposit at the
places designated, the meeting broke up,
subject to the call Of the chairman. 1t
was not a very long session, but it WAS
harmonious-very harmonious and very
orderly. There was no calling for the
previous question or rising to a point OF
order. The pale-faced men who COM
posed the convention did not look TO the
casual observers as though they had
| come there to raise points for debate
over parliamentary practice. They kept
their eye on the speakers desk and
didn't interrupt each other or struggle
to get the floor. 1t is wonderful, this
inherent strength Of weakness, as l
might say, which enables a woman
amid a throng of reckless men to com-
mahd their respect and obedience some
times where main strength and awk-
wardness would not avail.-Wyoming
Correspondence Denver Tribune.