Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1881-04-06

"A vision. A vision OF lovely wo'
man. She was riding up the approach
10 my fort on q fine hcrse--ridlng
gracefully and slowly, "a II to give me
lime TO got over my surprise and !
believe needed 1t, The picture she
made is In my mind now, ] SEQ the
very flicker OF the shadow and the
sunlight across the road, and the gilt
ter of same steel that fastened her
horses trappings rs he arched his
neck in impatience Of her restraining
hand, AIe you tired, old friend Z
Never less so In my lie,
"That vision, breaking in suddenl y
as 1t did, upon my solitude, gave me
the qucerest sensation. was just
spcl-boupd, Not 80 she. Refining
in her horse at my gate, she squared
round on her saddle and looked at me,
silently asking my assistance to dis
mount, | helped her down-what
else con,l I 10 f-and then, ut her
request, gently preferred, went TO put
up aud feed her horse. Had she drop
ped from the cloudsf ! cid not
know
Wellf'
Ifyon'll believe me, when turned
indoors my guest had got her habit
of. Evidently, she meant to make
herself at home. A tall, young, beau.
tiinl, well.drcssed woman 4! Her eyes
were large, black and melting Her
hair was superb, her manner easy
She was hungry she said would ]
give her something to eat? And
while was making preparations to
give her my best, she read aloud one
Of the Greek ,ranslalions-an ode to
Diana--commen,ing upon it herself.
That she was . woman of culture and
education, whatever might have
brought her into her present strange
position, was obvious. Well, now
continued Joseph, you can guess
whether u young man, isolated on the
mountains, ruined by the grasshoppcrs
and Tilted by the girl Of the Wallamet
Valley, was bewildered or hot. En-
terlalnlng yoddesses WAS "ot II" ny
line.
How long did she stay
wait a bit. What with reading
and eating, our acquaintance improved
fast. She offered to sing song, and
gave me kate Kearney.' l might
have lost my head to her perhaps-to
say nothing of the heart-but for
certain inward latent doubt. did
not care that my girl should ride
about, elegantly attired, on prancing
horses, and drop down unexpectedly
OH hermi,s. Still it was a pleasant
feeling to find ones self near her, and
certainly novel one. l asked her
her history, and she told it me-
She was Of n good New England
family, reared in afiluence, we'll edu-
Gated and accomplished, but by a
freak OF fortune she had become re-
duced to poverty and exile from home.
'What was it, Joseph 2
'Ah what indeed The old story,
suppose, but did not ask her,
She had made her way to California,
resolved to get on and get money;
and she had got it. She went about
from campt to camp with stationery
and various articles needed by the
miners and others-sold them these
things, wrote letters Tor :hem, sang
to them, nursed them when sick, and
carried their letters by express to San
Francisco to be posted. For all these
services she received large payments
and she had also had good deal of
rough gold given her as specimens
Did she like that kind of life ? l ask
ed her, SO contrary to her early habits !;
and she answered me quickly: 1t is
not what we choose that we do in this
world, but what Fate chooses for us.
! have made competency and gained
rich and varied experience. Life is
not what | once pictured it to be, but
l am content. She sighed as she
said it and didn't believe in the
CONTENT
But what had brought her to you
that day?
She had not told me herself, then
but presently I asked her. shall
never forget the smile with which she
turned to answer. 1t pretty nigh
disarmcd me. We were sitting some.
what. close, too; her flowing silk
gown touched my knees. Altogether,
l began to think OF those useless pegs
in my house down in Rogue River
Valley. But what she said pulled
up my wandering thoughts and turn.
ed them 10 present things. Shall you