Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-07-10

worn it into holes here and there, but il
was not rotted.
How ran the legend of Evangeline and
the brothers? The man who had Played
!: the part of Cain had, in his remorse, cut an
enormous pine-trce into the shape of a
cross, and had carved upon it the figure OF
the Saviour. This work, which occupied
him for twenty years, he intended to set up
on the highest crown of the mountain of
snow, as warning to sinners and an ap-
peal for mercy. He was not permitted to
complete his work of expiration. At the
supreme moment, when the last finishing
touch had been given to the labor of life
time, he and his symbol, IN the midst of a
fearful storm, were hurled from the nights.
Judgment upon him. That may be left for
theologians flor their own satisfaction to
decide what interested me most was that
there was truth in the bare details of the
story, and that its confirmation lay beneath
me.
"The mans death was swift and terri
BILE and merciful, and doubtless his bones
were swept out to sea-a fitting resting
place.
81 watched the waves recede inch by
inch, and when deemed it safe to do SO
descended the sharp rocks, and stood on
the lower floor of the cave. Tempting
pools lay here and there, and | bathed in
one and renewed my strength, thinking
with exultation that was the first living
man whose foot had ever touched this
shore. Not only the cave which held the
work of a sinners repentance, but hun
dred others, were left in peace by the re-
treating sea, and the rocks upon which the
gigantic sea-weed grew were also left in
peace to recover from the fever OF the
struggle for life.
My first task was to examine the Cross
and the Figure carved upon it. Even at
this distance of time, and worn and over
laid as it was, / saw that it was grand
work, and could have been executed by
no man weak in mind or body. Its con-
temptation led me into reflection upon the
character of the Cain of the Silver Isle.
He loved, he sinned, he suffered. Love
drove him to the commission of an awful
crime his life was not life of littleness
his death was sublime. And his repent.
ance was not the death-bed repentance
which priests falsely declare will expiate
and atone for life of sin it was pun
ishment self.inficted and long-endured in
blood and pain and mental agony.
Impossible not to admire the life OF
such man. Impossible not to admire his
death. A hero, he.
ssThe Cross had fallen into its natural
position, and stood upright.
:" The points of the rocks glistened with
light the shore was strewn with shells OF
great beauty Color and form were here
in rare perfection.
$50 full of novelty was the position in
which found myself that for a time paid
calmer moments would have drawn and
: fixed my attention. Looking at it idly, and
) with no suspicion in my mind, ] saw that
it was of bright yellow, and judged It to
be sand of the sea of richer color than
that which lay ON the shore. But presently
noticed that, except in particular Cpots,
there was no trace of this brighter color,
and that it presented itself only in crevices
of the rocks, into which it had been thrown
by the action of the sea. took pinch of
it in my hand. and to my surprise, dis
covered that it was of infinitely greater
weight than ordinary sea-sand, that it was
of irregular formation tagain unlike the
sand of the sea) and that it was Of metal.
lie substance.
{" A metal, then. What metal?
Gold!
The idea, flashing suddenly upon me,
staggered me for little while, and could
| not grasp its full meaning.
J elbow could this precious metal have
found its way into this strange and un.
likely region?
81 laughed at myself for the question,
; and looking around, as though for ar
answer, it seemed to me that Nature was
deriding me for my ignorance and pre-.
| sumption.
!" In itself, gold was OF less value in the
Great Scheme than almost any of the Other
objects by which I was surrounded
| like which .crept and crawled. and lived
only for day, and then died. In theil
/ life, flowers beautify in their death, they
, fertilize. Weeds, rank things of the
earth, repellant insects, all have theil
, uses but gold is gold. and remains always
, the same.
, " That man should have made of it ex
! ceptional value is of small account Why
| should not gold be found in the Silver Isle
Silver was found here, and Mauvain was
| the first discoverer Mauvain discovered
: silver. Why should not Rant discover
] gold
The islanders might think little of it,
r might even be displeased at the discovery
Golden grain, in their eyes, was infinitely
more precious the grain that waves in
! cornfelds, that glistens in the eye of the
sun, that whispers of plenty, or rather Of
enough, and contentment- that was the
J grain which ministered to their happiness
and which they valued most. But not to
all is given such wisdom. In this isle the
gold around me was valueless, mayhap.
But elsewhere
81 was bewildered at the prospect held
out by this discovery. 1t was mine; not
another should share it with me. Power,
fame, the adulation of men, the smiles Of
beautiful women, the pleasures of the
world in every intoxicating form, were
mine. They were here, in my grasp. /