Milford chronicle., 1883-05-18
Joaquin MlIIers Romance
HOW THE POET or THE sIERRAs WAS
MARRIED, DIVORCED AND AT LAST
REUNITED WITH HIS WIFE.

MAkllED, DIVORCED AND Al AAoA
REUNITED WITH HIS WIFE.
She seemed to see wreck and storm and
separation for us on the arena of life long
before it came, and even while we were
newly married, very hopeful, young and
strong and happy. And so, twenty years
ago this spring, while we were living in
the top of house on Fulton street, San
Francisco, with this singular and sad
notion in her head, she one evening half
playfully said that whatever came to us,
if I died first she would write me well
before the world and let none do my
memory wrong. And she expected the
same promise of me. And from that
time, so far from forgetting the foolish
covenant, she reminded me of it ever
after She reminded me of it in San
Francisco a few days before her death,
last May. In the fulflment of this
promise I now undertake this most deli
cate and most difficult task. For it is
on my conscience that the occasion is
opportune and that 1 cannot well con-
clude these sketches of my life in the
Sierras at this time without trying,
after years delay, to keep this coven-
ant and solemn promise of twenty years
ago. It was while was riding Moss
man & Miller's pony express from Walla
Walla to Millersburgh, in the mines of |
Idaho, in the summer of 1861, that was
first attracted by her writings in the
newspapers. wrote her and had re-
plies. Then when I came down from the
mountains and embarked in journalism
she wrote to me and our letters grew ar
dent and full of affection. Then 1
mounted my horse and rode hundreds of
miles through the valleys and over the
till I came to the sea at Port
Oxford, then a fourishiug mining town.
and there first saw "ATinne Myrtle"
Tall, dark and striking in every re-
spect, this first Saxon woman had ever :
had it all her own way at once.
She knew nothing at all of my life, ex- !
sept that 1 was an expressman and
country editor I knew nothing at all of :
lers, but 1 found her with her kind,
good parents, surrounded by brothers
md sisters, and the pet and spoiled child
If the mining and lumber camp. In her !,
woody little world there by the sea she =
vas literally worshiped by the rough =
miners and lumbermen, and the heart Of
he bright and merry girl was brimming !,
NIL of romance, hope and happiness.
rrived on Thursday. On Sunday next :,
re were married Oh, to what else but y
uin and regret could such romantic folly q.
sad |? Procuring horse for her, we set :,
ut at once to return to my post far away ii
yer the mountains. These mountains 9,
'ero then as now, and ever will be. 1 j
sckon, crossed only by dim, broken 9,
,ail. with houses twenty and thirty hi
lilies apart for the few travel ers. -,
The first day out we came upon n u
reat band of elk. Toward evening - =.
rev a revolver and with wild delight d
re dashed among the frightened beasts, l.,
nd following them quite distance =,
e lost our way. And so we had =
} spend our first night together, tired, =
ungry, thirsty, sitting under the pines - -
Il a hillside, holding on to our i'm Il,
atient horses. We reached my home i
] right, however, at length, after a a.
eeks ride, but only to find that my -
lper had been suppressed by the Gov A.
nment, and we resolved to seek our
'rtunes in San Francisco. But we !,
'und neither fortunes nor friends in the T
reat city, and SO returning to Oregon /,
ought a band of cattle and we set out -
it'll our baby and party of friends and =,
,latiyes to reach the new mining camp, -
anyon City, in Eastern Oregon. In :. -
ct, had gone before to spy out the :, -
nd. We fought the Indians and got =
me foothold and we selected this loca- -
on for our future home. ~
And what a journey was this of ours
yer the Oregon Sierras, driving the ye
SLOWING cattle in the narrow trail
rough the dense woods, up the steep, TIC
owy mountains, down through the pc
airing canons! 1t was wild, glorious, an
ash, full of hazard and adventure! Ion
innie had willow basket and swung he
to her saddle-horn. with the growing
d good-natured baby inside, looking III
, at her, laughing, as she leaped her do
rise over the fallen logs or made full po
nd with whip aud lasso, slashing after Law
e cattle. But when we descended the VIII
,oded mountains TO the omen nlain on KIN
D eastern side Of the Sie,ras tbe In ror
ms were ready to receive us, and we moi
most literally had to fight our way for tina
, next weeks journey, every day and to
hit. And this woman was one of the DIRE
lest souls that ever saw battle. I car
nix she never, even in the hour of No
ath, knew what fear was. She was in
[ only wonderful horsewoman, but to