Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-12-04
CHAPTER 1.
AT HOME.

Old HldA OON1Q "SAs W
church. Such institutions deserved sup
port, and, moreover, he learned the news,
but the news which he learned on that
Sunday early in March, 1877, did not
please him one bit. Deacon McFaddle
asked him on the steps OF the church
When Charlie was gong to San Fran.
cisco?" He laughed it off, and said it was
6 some foolishness the boys had put out,
but in his heart he feared that it was true.
All this, and more, occurred in Drytown,
where he resided, and Drytown, as every
school-boy knows, is in Santa Pulveris
county, which is one of the counties OF
Southern California. This news, with
angry comments, he poured into the listen
ing ear of his wife on their way home from
church 1t was too bad, after all he had
done for that boy, and now to think of his
wanting to leave without saying word to
his own father. Such invectives were IN
tended rather for his own relief than for his
sons improvement, and were usually con.
fded to Mrs. Gould for safe keeping, as
one wraps explosives in cottonwood, lest
they might go off. He wound up with:
81 see it stickin' out on him this while
back Nothing is good enough for him
here"
Can't You manage to persuade him out
of it?"
Persuade him What's the use tryin'
to persuade blamed fool? It's whipped
and sent to bed he ought to be, first thing
you know"
81 think if you would only talk to him
quietly about it," suggested Mrs. Gould.
and maybe give him an interest in the
farm, he would stay at home"
"oh, pshaw He's got everything he
wants now, and that's what's the matter
with him. He thinks he owns the hull
town. as 1 may say.
Mrs. Gould, like the prudent woman
she was, forbore to excite her husband by
further opposition. She knew that if he
encountered her son in his present mood,
he would spoil everything, and she knew,
moreover, that her husband entirely mis-
understood Charles character. He thought
it beneath his dignity to take the trouble.
His wife and his son were his natural ap-
pendages-dearly cherished of course, but
still bound to accommodate themselves to
him. He treated Charlie on the basis of
what he considered gon-his son-ought
to be, and if Charlie at times failed to
come up to the standard, so much the
worse for him. II, little pig, you will not
go into the pen, as you ought, then, little
pig, we win even take you by the hind leg
and drag you in, that is, if we can catch
you. He at least had been dutiful father,
and was entitled to dutiful son. But
Charlie at times grew FESTIVE and COM
bative, for he too had some dignity to
nurse.
81 think the world of Charlie, but
me n him don't seem to hitch somehow.
GIFTS kinder balky sometimes, reckon"
Mr.. Gould would explain to his wife; nor
would he heed her when she suggested that
Charlie was easy to lead but hard to drive
That was only woman's foolishness.
It was the afternoon of the same Sun
day The family conclave was seated on
the stoop of Mr.. Gould's house, gently
famed by the tender airs of early spring,
but unheeding the still beauty of the day.
The father sat blowing quick, angry puffs
from his battered meerschaum, and nerv-
ously plucked the leaves from the netted
pea.vine, making "such mess on the
floor, as the house.mother objected, gently
rocking herself the while close by, her
eager fingers seeming to miss the aceus-
toned week day work, and Charlie Gould
our Cbarlie-lay at full length on the
lounge, contemplating the symmetry of his
Sunday boots and putting malodorous CT
gar. Mrs. Gould saw that domestic
storm was brewing, and sought to avert or
escape it by hiding her head in the meekest
platitudes in reach.
"What beautiful sunset !" she OBJ
served.
Z" Yes, yes, mother. It's very pretty"
vaguely asseRted Mr.. Gould, senior. The
beauties of nature could always rely on
polite approval from him, but no enthusi-
aam. Nature had dirtied his hands for
more than forty years.
'But you are not looking, she persisted.
"Well, well, it amt no circus I've
seen sunup and shutdown right here, day in
and day out, for the last fifteen years, ard
they're all as like as pine tooth picks.
Say, Charlie, what's this foohshness hear
down town about your wanting to go TO
the city p
"Foolishness 1 guess there is nothing
foolish about it. I want to see little of
the world. It gets monotonous here at
times"
"Monotonous How would you like to
go hungry for changer"
"0h, 1 am not afraid of having to 60
hungry" doggedly INTERCEPTED Charlie.
81 hate to have yen leave US, Charlie
dear interposed his mother.
AZ am sorry for your sake, .mother-and
for yours, father, but I am tired of epoon-
feeding I want to run my own ranch for
while
81 hate a fool" angrily ierked out
Mr.. Gould, senior. What is it you
want viii give you a part of the farm.
if you say so. a rolling stone gathers no
moss !"
"Mossbacks are played out, father
How about the rolling snow-bal?"
Mr.. Gould got up from his chair, angrily,
and walked up and down the stoop It
was an nnkind out-this rude questioning