The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-11-25

OF Shearer Laurance and W. j. Galbreath Il Co.,
and Mr.. w. r. Fisk. We found all the people
ready for the gospel of peace on earth and good
will To men and women, and not ore lady who did
not want to vote. They intend TO form a Woman
Suffrage club here, that will be auxiliary to the
Grant County w. ;. A.
High noon and stage time. Again we mount
the blackboard wrapped like an Esquimau, and
not rocks at our feet. The rarefied atmosphere
cuts our breath and freezes veil and nubia stark
stiff but the shines, and we jog along without
much discomfort. Two o'clock and dinner after
which we journey again, climbing up and up
into the snow belt and after awhile entering a
mighty forest of yellow pine and mammoth fir and
deciduOus tamarac, all loaded down with snow
blankets, and all as white and stark and cold as
Upernavik ever was in mid Winter. All the
afternoon and till nine mt night we plowed
through the snow in the dazzling moonlight,
passing Burnt River near its source that little
foot-bridge spans it, and coming down at last to
the foothills, where we were yet seven thousand
feet above the level of the sea Here we emerged
into little open prairie guarded all around by
tall timber, and halted after half an hours further
driving, at the hotel in the solitary wilderness,
where we were welcomed by the obliging land
lord Mr.. w. c. Parker, and his hospitable wife.
N-AN'
and enjoying supper of venson steaks and baked
potatoes. Sleptatnight with hot irons in the bed.
in an unfinished room, where rift in the outer
wall close to our nose reminded us, even i'm our
dreams, that it was mid-Winter Spent the follow
ing day in agreeable chat with the landIady and
in petting her great dog, Tiger, who beats a Cat
ling gun on short range a defense against wild
beasts or wilder savages. He has more sense, too
than many voter we wot of, for it is easy enough
10 see that he is all right the woman question:
ANA he won't drink whisky.
Nine T.. NJ, and stage time again. We wrap in
overcoatS and furs and blankets till crasshopper
wouhl be burden, and climb to our perch on the
bucl-board and bowl away, leaving Tiger to the
solitary association of his good mistres. and Nico-
demts, the cat That night ride TO Baker CITY
will never be forgotten. How the stage-Crivers
endure the alternate cold and heat and mud and
dust they encounter yearly in carrying the mail j.
beyond our comprehension. And then the miles
are 80 long and crooked that they must have been
measured on writhing anacondas No Cayuse
horse could have done them Justice But the
country, mountain and plain alike, is passing
beautiful, and there is vacant land enough adja-
cent to the stage lines to make ten thousand
farms. The land fever catches, or rather we catch
/ it, every Autumn. There is apparently enough
timber on these mountains to supply the world
/ for centuries, and praries enough to raise the
wheat and Craze the cattle of a score of Middle
States. Nobody can thoroughly know Oregon
until permitted To travel over the entire state on
! a blackboard or the drivers seat of "A Concord
coach. The friendly moon, which had dazzled us
with its radiant light through the long hours of
the arctic ride sank below the horizon at four A.
NJ, but at this altitude the day was even then
breaking; and the rush of cold air that even i'm mid
Summer heralds the approaching dawn, is such
at this season Of the year to chill the very mar
row bones Of the benighted wanderer How glad
we were to discover the dim outlines of Baker
! City i'm the hazy distance, we can never tell you,
good reader We shook as if i'm an ague fit and il
our teeth had been false we should surely have
lost them But the weary and faithful horses logged
steadily on, bringing us nearer at every bound OF
the humping blackboard II there isn't a horse
heaven, there ought to be. We had left the snow
behind us and on the mountains round about and
the bare frozen ground was rougher than a cordu-
roy bridge
Six o'clock, and Baker City. The brick hotel
where we halted was ovcrcrowted, and we could
not get a room, but the landlord kindly procured
us a refuge at Mrs Howard's home for travellers
where we soon fell asleep, and went to dreaming
that everybody was an actor and all the world a
blackboard.
To-day Monday we have accepted the invita-
ton OF Mr. and Mrs. j. w. Cleaver, and have he.
come a guest at their hospitable home Mrs
Cleavers mother, Mrs j. Peters, and her sister
Miss Georgia Peters of Portland, are here VISITING
for the Winter, and their many friends i'm the val
ley will be pleased to learn that they are we'll an,
/ happy
This evening we are TO begin course of lectures
in the Court House. Adieu till next week.
a. = ID.